Harriet Tubman (1820-1913)
Born Araminta " Minty" Ross later known as Harriet Tubman was born in 1820 on Anthony Thompsons plantation. Harriet was the fifth child of nine to Harriet "Rit" Green and Ben Ross. Step son of Thompson, Ed Brodess owned Rit, and the kids. In 1823 Ed took Rit and 5 kids including Tubman to his own farm in Bucktown, this move ruined the family. Ed hired out Tubman to temporary masters who weere cruel and negligent to her. He sold other siblings illegally to our of state buyers. One day at the age of 13, while trying to help a slave escape Tubman was hit with a 2 pound weight. This injury led to headaches, seizures, and sleeping spells that would hurt her for the rest of her life. In 1838 she worked for John Stewart, a madison merchant and shipbuilder bringing her back to where her father lived and where she was born.
"I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to
welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange
land." - Harriet Tubman
In 1844 Tubman married free man John Tubman and changed her name to Harriet Tubman after her mother. In 1849 she escaped slavery after hearing she might be sold, John did not want to follow her. All citizens were obligated under the law to capture and return her. A year later Harriet came back to be with John but he already remarried. In 1850 the Fugitive Slave Act was passed and Harriet conducted her first rescue mission. Harriet assisted several other slaves in 1851 one including her brother Moses. On Christmas day in 1854 she succeeded in getting her brother to freedom. While freeing him she got the attention of abolitionists and UGRR operators William Still and Thomas Garrett. Between 1855 and 1860 Harriet brought 70 slaves to freedom in 13 trips. In 1857 she brought her parents to freedom in Maryland. April of 1859 Harriet met John Brown and supported his ideas for an armed attack on the South. U.S Senator William Seward sold Tubman a home in 1859 and during this same year Harriet became more publicy active, were she gave lectures as a heroric UGRR operator. All the trips to free slaves were financed by her own funds earned by doing laundry and cooking.
Civil war spy
Harriet risked her life as an UGRR conductor.During the Civil War Harriet became a spy for the union. She was the first women in history to lead a military expedition. Traditonally during this time women were usually restricted to cooking and cleaning but Harriet got to work side by side with men. She helped the union army because she wanted freedom for all of the people forced into slavery. During the Civil War she helped prepare food for the 54th Mass Regiment, Composed of entirely of black soldiers and known as the" Glory Brigade." Tubman convinced many other african americans to join her as a spy even if it meant being hung if caught. June 21 1863 three gunboats carried several 100 male soldiers with Harriet to set out on their mission. One morning the union expedition hit hard, Raiders set fire to buildings and destroyed bridges. They freed 750 slaves men, women. kids, and babies and not 1 soldier was lost in the attack.