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
She even jeopardized her own safety to help guide all these people. Because of all these reasons, she inspires and motivates many people to be an activist and fight for something that someone may believe in. “She continues to inspire generations of Americans struggling for civil rights with her bravery and bold action” (Biography.com). This shows that Harriet Tubman still today encourages everyone to stand up for a cause that may be important to anyone. It is essential to defend human rights because it is not fair to be enslaved and treated poorly because of your skin color. Everyone should be free and have equal rights. It is also important to stand up for what you believe in, even if it means going against the law.
The second contribution of Harriet Tubman is that she was a conductor in the Underground Railroad, a network of antislavery activists who helped slaves escape from the south. On her first trip in 1850, Tubman bought her sister and her sister’s two children out of slavery in Maryland. In 1851, she helped her brother out of slavery, and in 1857 she returned to Maryland to guide her old parents back to freedom. Overall Tubman made about nineteen trips to the south and guided about three hundred slaves to freedom. But during those travels Tubman faced great danger in order not to get caught she would use disguises and carries a sleeping powder to stop babies from crying and also always carried a pistol in case one of the people back out once the journey has begun( Strawberry 1).
Many people didn't know Harriet Tubman for all of her hard work, she did during her time. Harriet Tubman was a very brave slave and women, many people know her because she was the “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. Growing up Tubman lived very harsh conditions, violence, and skull fracture that nearly almost took her life. Tubman was more than just a slave who helped other slaves escape, she was very important during the Civil war( working as a spy, nurse, and cook) and opened many opportunities to slaves during that time. Even though Tubman lived harsh conditions she still spoke for what she believed in which was freedom and accomplished her goals. In the Washington Post article: Five Myths About Harriet Tubman, Harriet Tubman's Ballad, and Letter to Harriet Tubman from Frederick Douglass all the authors present information about Tubman involvement with the underground railroad and how she was important but each author has a different purpose and uses different information to explain their purpose.
After she worked as a U.G.R.R. agent she was employed to be nurse during the civil war. Stated in a congressional record Tubman was a “nurse” (Clinton 202) also she was “of great service and value to the government. Throughout the civil war, Tubman was employed to the union army. She worked in the hospital and helped the injured soldiers, as a nurse and a cook. During the civil war she wasn't always a nurse.
Harriet Tubman was a hero, she was brave, determined, and selfless. Harriet’s breathtaking career included going against slave owners, smuggling dozens of slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad, leading raids in the Civil War, and fighting for women's suffrage. She did this all with a disability. She saved countless lives while risking her own.
Ms. Tubman possess positive qualities by being strong, successful and caring as well. She is shown as caring because “She promised them warmth and good food, using it as an incentive to keep them going.” (Petry 488) Ms. Tubman is also seen as very successful. Throughout her journey, Ms. Tubman accomplished many things like when “She arrived in St. Catherines, Canada West with 11 slaves.” (Petry 494) Lastly, Ms. Tubman was strong. She showed it in many ways but what stuck out for me was when “She lifted a gun and aimed it at the despairing slave.” (Petry 492) Ms. Tubman had to be strong because she had so many people depending on her to give them a better
She sacrificed her safety and her freedoms to return to the South multiple times in order to bring fugitives to freedom. Being a lead abolitionist was not an easy task. Tubman had to first escape her own torments as a slave in order to help others. She endured whippings, physical and mental abuse that left permanent scars on her body and her soul. She received little to no respect and was forced to wear the same clothes everyday, never being replaced if ripped or torn.
In 1849, Tubman set her mind of escaping to the north. On September 17, 1849, Tubman with her two brothers, Ben and Harry, left Maryland. After seeing runaway notice offering $300, Ben and Harry had reconsiderations and returned to the plantation. Tubman, with her strong will, continued to escape nearly 90 miles to Philadelphia for her freedom using the secret network known as the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was neither a rail road nor underground. The routes taken at night to were called “lines” and at places they stopped to rest were called “stationed”. “Conductors” such as Harriet Tubman and Quaker Thomas used their knowledge and luck to securely free slaves from slave states to the Free states. (Biography, 2017) As she cross the state line into Pennsylvania she recalled “When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven”
Even after she made an escape from slavery, she returned back to the state nineteen times to help lead families, friends, and other slaves, to find freedom. Tubman knew many routes throughout the woods, pastures, and fields. While traveling, she would only make a move at night. Harriet thought that it was safer in the dark than it was during the day because there was not as many people outside working. At night, she claimed that she would follow the North Star. When is traveled, she always carried something to protect her and her group from anything that could harm them. “It is estimated that she led several hundred people to freedom. It is said that she never lost a single passenger.”
Harriet Tubman was a poor slave girl who ran away from her plantation at the age of 28. Throughout the course of her life many people and many things challenged her. Each situation she was faced with tested either her mental or physical strength, usually both. She persevered through all of her trials stronger and wiser, and was willing to always help others through their own. Not one to instigate unless extremely necessary, Harriet was known for her quick thinking and her reactions to each ordeal she was faced with. She responded to them with a sharp mind, and strong faith in deliverance through the Lord.
She even devoted almost her entire life to defending human rights. From the Underground Railroad to the Civil War, Tubman fought for slaves’ freedom for years. After the Civil War, Tubman bought a seven-acre plot for $1,200 from a fellow abolitionist, Senator William H. Seward. Despite her state of poverty, “she donated a parcel of her land to the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Auburn. The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged opened on this site in 1908” (Biography). This shows that Tubman wanted to help, regardless of all she had done already. Near the end of her life, “she was active in the women's suffrage movement, and was soon working alongside women such as Susan B. Anthony. Harriet traveled to New York, Boston and Washington, DC to speak out in favor of women's voting rights” (MacLean). This signifies that Tubman wanted to keep fighting for human rights until the end. Clearly, Harriet Tubman made a huge impact in the world of slaves. Fighting for freedom and rights for the better part of her life, she made a big
During the Civil War, which began in 1861, Tubman served as a nurse, scout, and spy for the Union Army in South Carolina. She helped cook and prepare food for the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which was made up of all black soldiers and was better known as the Glory Brigade. She later received an award for her efforts, but no pay.
She was very good at what she did and no one could catch her. The danger was increased in 1850 when the fugitive slave act was enforced. This meant that any slave that came to the North as a fugitive could be captured and returned back to slavery. No matter what the people in the North thought, they had to follow the law and help aid in the capture of the slaves to return them back to where they came from. Tubman didn’t let this defeat her, she rerouted the Underground Railroad to Canada. Tubman and her fugitive slaves remained uncaptured and safe as they made their journey to Canada (Harriet Tubman Biography). “There are two things I’ve got a right to, and these are, Death or Liberty – one or the other I mean to have. No one will take me back alive; I shall fight for my liberty, and when the time has come for me to go, the Lord will let them, kill me”(Harriet Tubman Historical Society; Quotes).. Araminta Tubman stopped at nothing to continue her dangerous, life risking work. The new laws only pushed her to become better at what she was doing and she became very good with new tactics.Tubman discovered that it was best to work in the winter and help slaves escape on saturdays. Runaway slaves couldn’t be published in the newspaper until Monday morning (Harriet Tubman Historical Society;Facts). No matter what, she knew she had death or Liberty and she knew God would give her death after she accomplished everything she possibly could. Harriet Tubman left people in aw with her ambition to fight for herself and anyone else. Her selflessness and diligence to helping people left her with the nickname moses(Harriet Tubman Biography). Moses became Araminta Tubman's’ new name for a very long time. She encouraged the slaves to never give up and do whatever they put their minds too. Tubman, later on, still remained active during the civil war. She worked as a cook and nurse then worked her way up to become an armed scout and
Secondly, Tubman was courageous. She escaped the harsh slave owners alone while only knowing very little about the underground railroad. It would take amazing bravery to leave knowing the consequences of being found. Yet, she did it alone while she was fairly young. Getting to the north didn’t stop her bravery, for she would put her life on the line many more times in her
Because she was an abolitionist, had other jobs doing good things, and nothing stopping her from doing anything, Harriet Tubman sets a heroic example. Harriet wasn’t necessitated to free slaves or work for the Union Army, she decided to do that on her own. Harriet always had a job to do and every job she had basically helped someone else in some kind of way. In 2016, The U.S Treasury announced that Harriet Tubman will soon appear on the $20 bill replacing Andrew Jackson. Thanks to her, many people were able to live their lives free and well. We also now know what it is to fight for what we think is