Harriet Tubman: life and legacy

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery as Harriet Ross, around 1819 in Maryland. For her work as an Underground Railroad conductor, during which she freed many slaves, she is affectionately known as the "Moses of Her People." She was thus a type of savior who slaves hoped would rise to set them free (Library of Congress). Her extraordinary spirit and courage served as an inspiration not only for the slaves at the time, but also for many who would learn of her life many years afterwards.

As a slave, Harriet Tubman's life was one of regular abuse and unremitting hardship. At the age of 13 for example, her attempt to save a fellow slave from punishment was rewarded with a blow to the head with a two-pound iron weight (Civil War Biographies). This resulted in periodic blackouts for the rest of her life, although Harriet did not let this deter her from what she saw as her life's purpose.

After marrying the free African-American, John Tubman, at the age of 25, Harriet escaped from slavery and fled under very dangerous circumstances to attain freedom in Philadelphia. Here she worked as a maid to support herself, and joined the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, determining that it was illegal to help a runaway slave. This was a further turning point in Tubman's life. She met William Still, who was the Underground Railroad Stationmaster in Philadelphia (The Encyclopedia of New York State). It was with the help of Still, as well as other members of the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society, that she learned how the Underground Railroad worked and was operated. When she learned enough, Tubman became an Underground Railroad conductor, and set about helping others in slavery.

She took her first journey as conductor in 1851, through the backwoods to Baltimore, and back to the North with members of her family. The position of conductor thus empowered Harriet to return to the States where slavery was prominent. Until the civil war, Harriet returned for 18 more trips, during which she is said to have freed 300 slaves and transported them to freedom on her train. She did this despite extreme danger to herself, as high rewards were offered for her capture, along with detailed descriptions of what she looked like. Yet, despite the fact that the reward for her capture at one time was $40,000, she never was caught and died a free woman (The Encyclopedia of New York State).

This is evidence of a shrewd and practical spirit as described by William Still in The Underground Railroad, published in 1871, which included several descriptions of Tubman and the work she did to free other slaves. The way in which she conducted the slave-filled trains show both her tenacity and her understanding of what is required to be free. If the journey for example were interrupted by any slaves wanting to change their minds and return, Tubman would pull out a gun with the words, "You'll be free or die a slave!" (Library of Congress). These extreme measures inspired those around her to persevere for the whole of the arduous journey, and ensured that all persons on her trains were delivered safely to their new lives in freedom.

According to Still, Tubman's numerous trips to Maryland were fraught with danger. One trip and its preparations took weeks, during which others feared greatly for her safety, but she was apparently without any fear at all. Part of this fearlessness was manifest in her above warning to anyone who thought of turning back. Tubman's philosophy was that slaves returning to their former lives were sources of information regarding those who escaped. If she however shot them before they could get away, they would be no danger at all and Harriet's rescue efforts could continue (The Encyclopedia of New York State).

During her efforts to save slaves from abused and meaningless lives, Harriet Tubman made the acquaintance of several sympathizers as well as prominent persons in favor of her cause. At Auburn, for example, sympathetic abolitionists included U.S. Senator William H. Seward. Tubman met the Senator and his wife in the mid-1850's. The couple provided homes for Tubman and several family members after they have been freed from slavery. Tubman later bought this home to use as a base for her operations. Other prominent persons helping her in her causes include abolitionists such as John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Jermain Loguen, and Gerrit Smith (Civil War Biographies).

The outbreak of the Civil War in no way deterred Tubman's efforts to be of service to others in need, and she further proved her unbreakable spirit by serving as a soldier, spy, and a nurse, and also guided a group of black soldiers in South Carolina. Here also Harriet Tubman's fearlessness is evident. After the war Harriet married Nelson Davis in Auburn, and moved into a home on South Street. Today this residence serves to house the Resident Manager of the Harriet Tubman Home (Civil War Biographies). Tubman, celebrated for her courageous work throughout her life, died in 1913.