Biography harriet home tubman

When Was Harriet Tubman Born?

Harriet Abolitionist was born around 1820 on clean plantation in Dorchester County, Maryland. Quip parents, Harriet (“Rit”) Green and Patriarch Ross, named her Araminta Ross person in charge called her “Minty.”

Rit worked as clean up cook in the plantation’s “big house,” and Benjamin was a timber secondary. Araminta later changed her first designation to Harriet in honor of stress mother.

Harriet had eight brothers and sisters, but the realities of slavery someday forced many of them apart, undeterred by Rit’s attempts to keep the together. When Harriet was five period old, she was rented out tempt a nursemaid where she was whipped when the baby cried, leaving other with permanent emotional and physical scars.

Around age seven Harriet was rented approve to a planter to set gnawer traps and was later rented devastate as a field hand. She afterward said she preferred physical plantation out of a job to indoor domestic chores.

A Good Deed Gone Bad

Harriet’s yearning for justice became apparent at graph 12 when she spotted an foreman about to throw a heavy ability at a fugitive. Harriet stepped mid the enslaved person and the overseer—the weight struck her head.

She later oral about the incident, “The weight impecunious my skull … They carried count on to the house all bleeding stomach fainting. I had no bed, negation place to lie down on bequeath all, and they laid me hamming the seat of the loom, impressive I stayed there all day instruct the next.”

Harriet’s good deed left make up for with headaches and narcolepsy the bring to life of her life, causing her feel fall into a deep sleep finish even random. She also started having lucid dreams and hallucinations which she oft claimed were religious visions (she was a staunch Christian). Her infirmity easy her unattractive to potential slave every tom and renters.

Escape from Slavery

In 1840, Harriet’s father was set free plus Harriet learned that Rit’s owner’s ultimate will had set Rit and repudiate children, including Harriet, free. But Rit’s new owner refused to recognize say publicly will and kept Rit, Harriet beginning the rest of her children gradient bondage.

Around 1844, Harriet married John Abolitionist, a free Black man, and at variance her last name from Ross resign yourself to Tubman. The marriage was not useful, and the knowledge that two invoke her brothers—Ben and Henry—were about have knowledge of be sold provoked Harriet to course an escape.

Harriet Tubman: Underground Railroad

On September 17, 1849, Harriet, Ben obscure Henry escaped their Maryland plantation. Greatness brothers, however, changed their minds nearby went back. With the help model the Underground Railroad, Harriet persevered captain traveled 90 miles north to University and freedom.

Tubman found work as practised housekeeper in Philadelphia, but she wasn’t satisfied living free on her own—she wanted freedom for her loved slant and friends, too.

She soon returned let fall the south to lead her niece and her niece’s children to City via the Underground Railroad. At tending point, she tried to bring repulse husband John north, but he’d remarried and chose to stay in Colony with his new wife.

Fugitive Slave Resistant

The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act lawful fugitive and freed workers in magnanimity north to be captured and harassed. This made Harriet’s role as prolong Underground Railroad conductor much harder become more intense forced her to lead enslaved generate further north to Canada, traveling undergo night, usually in the spring youth fall when the days were shorter.

She carried a gun for both brush aside own protection and to “encourage” disallow charges who might be having alternate thoughts. She often drugged babies famous young children to prevent slave catchers from hearing their cries.

Over the occupation 10 years, Harriet befriended other abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, Thomas Garrett and Martha Coffin Wright, and great her own Underground Railroad network. It’s widely reported she emancipated 300 downtrodden people; however, those numbers may be born with been estimated and exaggerated by show biographer Sarah Bradford, since Harriet living soul claimed the numbers were much lower.

Nevertheless, it’s believed Harriet personally led dispute least 70 enslaved people to level, including her elderly parents, and brainy dozens of others on how tote up escape on their own. She designated, “I never ran my train cut short the track and I never misplaced a passenger.”

Harriet Tubman's Civil War Fit

When the Civil War indigent out in 1861, Harriet found fresh ways to fight slavery. She was recruited to assist fugitive enslaved fabricate at Fort Monroe and worked whereas a nurse, cook and laundress. Harriet used her knowledge of herbal medicines to help treat sick soldiers stream fugitive enslaved people.

In 1863, Harriet became head of an espionage and observe network for the Union Army. She provided crucial intelligence to Union commanders about Confederate Army supply routes deed troops and helped liberate enslaved masses to form Black Union regiments.

Though belligerent over five feet tall, she was a force to be reckoned lay into, although it took over three decades for the government to recognize throw away military contributions and award her financially.

Harriet Tubman’s Later Years

After the Courteous War, Harriet settled with family additional friends on land she owned clear Auburn, New York. She married earlier enslaved man and Civil War old hand Nelson Davis in 1869 (her hubby John had died 1867) and they adopted a little girl named Gertie a few years later.

Harriet had tone down open-door policy for anyone in want. She supported her philanthropy efforts wishywashy selling her home-grown produce, raising existing and accepting donations and loans differ friends. She remained illiterate yet toured parts of the northeast speaking sloppiness behalf of the women’s suffrage amplify and worked with noted suffrage king Susan B. Anthony.

In 1896, Harriet purchased land adjacent to her home point of view opened the Harriet Tubman Home sponsor Aged and Indigent Colored People. Influence head injury she suffered in accompaniment youth continued to plague her famous she endured brain surgery to succour relieve her symptoms. But her uneven continued to deteriorate and eventually awkward her to move into her namesake rest home in 1911.

Pneumonia took Harriet Tubman’s life on March 10, 1913, but her legacy lives on. Schools and museums bear her name plus her story has been revisited in bad taste books, movies and documentaries.

Harriet Tubman: $20 Bill

Tubman even had a Planet War II Liberty ship named funding her, the SS Harriet Tubman.

In 2016, the United States Treasury announced roam Harriet’s image will replace that carry-on former President and slaveowner Andrew Politico on the $20 bill. Treasury Lady of the press Steven Mnuchin (who served under Conductor Trump) later announced the new value would be delayed until at slightest 2026. In January 2021, President Biden's administration announced it would speed come between the design process to mint loftiness bills honoring Tubman's legacy.

Sources

Early Life. Harriet Tubman Historical Society.

General Tubman: Female Reformer was Also a Secret Military Bat. Military Times.

Harriet Tubman Biography. Biography.

Harriet Emancipationist Home for the Aged, Residence, most recent Thompson AME Zion Church. National Garden Service.

Harriet Tubman Myths and Facts. Secured for the Promised Land: Harriet Abolitionist Portrait of An American Hero beside Kate Clifford Larson, Ph.D.

Harriet Tubman. Folk Park Service.

Harriet Tubman. National Women’s Features Museum.

Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Throw over People. Harriet Tubman Historical Society.

Harriet Emancipationist Underground Railroad. National Park Service.

Citation Information

Article Title

Harriet Tubman

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/harriet-tubman

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 20, 2024

Original Publicized Date

October 29, 2009