KnowledgeBox’ Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman made it her life's mission to fight for equality for African-Americans and ‘women. Before the Civil War, she helped slaves from the South find their way to freedom in the North by way of an escape route called the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, she worked for the U.S. Army as a nurse, a cook, and a spy. She ‘was dedicated to making the world a better place for everyone. Early Life Harriet Tubman was born around 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland. Her precise birthdate is not known. She was born with the name Araminta Green on a plantation in Maryland, which was just South of the Mason-Dixon Line and only a few hundred miles from Pennsylvania. For Harriet, hose few hundred miles made the difference between fen and being a slave. She started working for her masters when she was five. As a slave, she served as a maid and nurse for the children and worked in the fields. When she was thirteen, her master struck her on the head, causing permanent brain damage. Because of his injury, she experienced sudden blackouts the rest of her life, living as a free ci Harriet Marries Later in her life, she changed her name to Harriet, after her mother. When she was in her early twenties, Harriet fell in love free black man named John Tubman. In 1844, her master gave her permission to marry John and leave the plantation, though she was sill his slave. Slavery in some parts of the South was over 200 years old by 1850. During Harriet's life, people in the United States hotly debated the practice of slavery. Many abolitionists, mostly from the North, believed slavery should be abolished as soon as possible. Many Southerners saw slavery as a part of their heritage and claimed their economy depended on slave labor. (©2003 Copyright Pearson Broadband Schools Group. All ihts reserved, Page 1KnowledgeBox’ Harriet Escapes When Harriet's master died in 1847, she worried that his family would net allow her to remain with her free husband. When she heard that the family's slaves were going to be sold, Harriet fled to the North, leaving her husband in the South. When Harriet left Maryland, she followed the North Star all the way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she eventually lived and worked. One year later, she made the dangerous journey back to Maryland to take her sister and her sister's two children to freedom in the North. After she saved her sister's family, she again returned to help her brother and two other men. When she returned to Maryland two years after she first left, Harriet learned her husband had remarried, so she helped other slaves who were eager to find freedom in the North. Because of these successful experiences, Harriet became known as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. Harriet and the Underground Railroad Over a period of ten years, Harriet helped over 300 slaves escape the South. During these years, Harriet developed many clever schemes to avoid being captured. She constantly changed her routes and she offen disguised herself as an old man or on old woman. She once overheard some men reading her "Wanted" poster. The poster stated she was illiterate, so she pretended to be reading a book so they would not suspect her. She never lost anyone on a rescue mission, and she always seemed to be able to find food and shelter. Harriet and the slaves faced great peril by leaving the South. In 1850, new Fugitive Slave Laws were passed, creating harsh punishments for people who helped slaves escape. To avoid being captured, Harriet moved to Ontario, Canada in 1851. From Canada, she continued to organize rescue missions into the South. By the late 1850s, many northern states had passed laws guaranteeing the rights of fugitive slaves. Under these new laws, Harriet was able to buy land in New York and safely settle there with her parents. After the Civil War Harriet lived the rest of her life in Auburn, New York. She spent her fime working to improve the lives of former slaves and women. In 1895, she attended a meeting of the National Conference of Colored Women in America (NCCWA), which later became the National Association of Colored Women. This group hoped to improve the way people thought about African-American women. Throughout her life, Harriet continued to speak out in favor of women's suffrage. (© 2003 Cooyreh Pearson Broadband Schools Group, Al ih reserved Page 2KnowledgeBox’ Nome Harriet wanted fo share her life and her experiences with others. She could not read or write herself, but in 1869 she enlisted the help of her friend Sarah Bradford to publish her biography, called "Scenes from the Life of Harriet Tubman.” Harriet Tubman died in 1913. Her home in Auburn is now a national historic landmark. In 1978, the U.S. Postal Service honored Harriet by putting her likeness on its first stamp in the Black Heritage Series. A True Hero Harriet was born as a slave but struggled until she won her freedom. She wasn't satisfied with her own liberty; she was determined to help others gain their freedom as well. Harriet Tubman told Sarch Bradford, "I was free, and they should be free also; | would make a home for them in the North, and [with] the Lord helping me, | would bring them all there." Harriet Tubman was a hero to slaves in the South. She was a hero to abolitionists in the North and she's «true hero to free people everywhere today. (© 2003 Cooyreh Pearson Broadband Schools Group, Al ih reserved Page 3