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Harriet Tubm The Inspirational Hero

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The dictionary definition of a hero is, “A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Armantia Greene was born into slavery around the time of 1820, although the exact date is not known for sure, on the Brodess Plantation in Maryland. Armantia later took on the name “Harriet” in honor of her mother. Tubman knew from the beginning she was made for something greater; something more than the daily beatings and work given by her masters. Tubman was every bit of a hero, even by just going on the simple dictionary definition given. Harriet Tubman, the inspirational hero was the type of person all people should strive to be like because who wouldn’t want to be remembered as a brilliant, determined, …show more content…

At the time she said this, Tubman had already fought and won her freedom. This quote sums up what a selfless person Harriet Tubman was. Tubman had always put others first, whether she was free at the time or still in slavery. Harriet Tubman had spent ten years freeing her people. In that ten-year span, Harriet Tubman led over 300 people to freedom. She was never caught, nor lost a single slave. Every time Tubman left to go and free more of her people, she was taking enormous risks with her own hard-earned freedom. Garrett, a man who knew Harriet Tubman, said, “The strangest thing about Harriet is, she does not know or even appears to know that she has done anything worth notice.” (Clinton 95). Tubman just did what she knew was right; she never thought about the consequences or the praise she might receive. She just helped her people in every way she could. At the time when the Civil War broke out, Tubman had to stop her Underground Railroad business. Tubman began to work as a cook, nurse, laundress, teacher, scout, and spy collecting information for the Union Government behind enemy lines (Clinton 303). She did anything and everything she could do to help. Tubman was not paid for her work with the Union government, but she did collect government food. Once she realized there was not enough food for all of the refugees, she …show more content…

She never learned to read or write from a teacher, but she taught herself to listen and to remember and soon gained an unusual memory (Hakim 29). Tubman had very good “street smarts” as used in modern day terminology. After she was struck in the head, her master tried to sell her off. Whenever a buyer would come around, she would just so happen to have a sleeping spell, making her potential buyers not interested in her. Tubman made it look like she could not understand anything at times. She would make herself look “dull” around her master, all the while taking in everything that was going on around her (Sadlier 44). It was Tubman’s brilliance that kept her alive as a child. Even when she was on rescue missions, her brilliance and knowledge of the land had played a huge part in her success. Tubman has said that she could tell the time at night by looking up to the stars (Clinton 103). She would look to the trees and other natural signs to lead her in the dark of night just as any professional hunter would know to search for its prey. She was able to see her “passengers” through any sticky situation. “Tubman would appear in slave cabins on a Saturday night disguised as a man or a very old woman. She would lead a group to safety the following morning, knowing slave owners were less likely to pursue slaves on a Sunday.” (Harriet

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