Harriet Tubman is known as the mother of the Underground Railroad, the elaborate system used by African-American slaves to escape to freedom. She was an abolitionist, a Civil War spy, a nurse, a suffragist, and a humanitarian. She is one of the most influential women in American history and an icon who continues to inspire people fighting for equality and social justice.
Tubman was named Araminta Ross when she was born a slave in Maryland. She was born sometime between 1820 and 1822, but the birthdates of most slaves were never written down, so no one is sure of her exact birthday. Life for slaves in the South was difficult; slave families were constantly broken up, and owners often abused their slaves. When Tubman was very young, her family was split up by their owner. Tubman’s father was forced to remain on the plantation where they'd been living while Tubman’s mother and the children were sent to another farm. Even as a child, Tubman suffered from the abuse of her masters; she was often beaten and whipped. She also sustained a head injury when an angry overseer threw a metal weight at a fleeing slave but hit her instead. As a result of the accident, Tubman suffered from headaches, seizures, and sleeping spells her whole life. Still, she worked as a field slave, developing a muscular build and the mental resilience that would make her famous. Like most slaves, Tubman was illiterate, but she developed a strong faith by listening to Bible readings. She felt a deep connection to the words she heard and dreamed that God spoke to her.
When Tubman was about 22 years old, she married a free black man named John Tubman. She also changed her first name to Harriet to honor her mother, becoming Harriet Tubman, as she is now known. In 1849, she heard rumors that she would be sold and forever separated from her family. To avoid this fate, Tubman decided to escape, even though her husband did not want to accompany her. She fled to Philadelphia, traveling the early Underground Railroad routes. Recalling her arrival in Pennsylvania, she said: "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."
How exactly did the Underground Railroad work? Its name is symbolic; this "railroad" was not really underground or a railroad. It was an intricate system of escape involving a long journey on foot—often three weeks or more. Slaves followed the North Star from the "slave states" in the South to the "free states" in the North or to Canada. Between 1820 and 1865, while abolitionists fought to persuade the U.S. government to outlaw slavery, the Railroad became the most popular way to flee the South. The dangerous journey took place at night, which made travelers harder to spot. People who helped the slaves were called "conductors." They included free blacks, white abolitionists, and Christian activists. Conductors hid runaway slaves in safe houses, gave them food and clothing, or led them to the next safe place. The safe houses, known as "stations," were about 10 to 15 miles apart, although they were located closer together as the escapees got farther north and became more tired. Routes between stations were known as "lines" and the fugitive slaves were referred to as "freight" or "packages."
Not long after achieving freedom, Tubman heard that her niece and niece’s family were about to be sold. Courageously, she returned to Maryland and led them to Philadelphia. Over the next few years, she went back several more times, each time returning with more family members. Tubman wanted her husband to leave with her too, but he had remarried and refused to go.
Inspired by her successes with her family, Tubman wanted to help others as a conductor in the Underground Railroad, but her task had gotten harder. In 1850, the American government passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which required that fugitive slaves be returned to their masters when caught. Runaway slaves were in greater danger than ever before, and many chose to go farther north—to Canada, where slavery was illegal and they were safe from slave catchers. Over the years, Tubman helped over three hundred slaves escape to Canada in about 19 trips.
Tubman’s escape methods were recognized as brilliant, for she never lost any "freight." To conceal her identity, Tubman wore a maid’s clothes and, since she was known to be illiterate, pretended to read. For protection, she carried a loaded gun. She also used the gun to force frightened or tired slaves to continue north. She told them, "You’ll be free or die." This was for everyone’s safety, as a slave who returned home might be coerced into giving information about the Railroad’s routes. In October 1857, Tubman helped over forty slaves run away from her hometown. One owner awoke one morning to find the 15 slaves who ran his farm gone. Thousands of dollars were offered as reward for Tubman’s capture, but neither Tubman nor any of her fugitives were ever caught. People nicknamed her "Moses" because, like the prophet Moses in the biblical book of Exodus, she led many people to freedom.
Tubman’s work with the Underground Railroad was interrupted by the American Civil War, which began in 1861 when 11 southern states, known as "the Confederacy," attempted to secede from the northern states, or "the Union." Tubman went to work for a Union general as a scout, spy, nurse, and cook. By helping the Union side, which wanted to end slavery, Tubman was still fighting for the abolitionist cause. She even led one armed assault, freeing over seven hundred slaves. In 1865, the Union triumphed, and slavery ended with the war.
After the war, Tubman moved to New York State, remarried, and devoted herself to speaking out for the women’s suffrage movement. Sometime in the 1890s, she underwent brain surgery, choosing to bite down on a bullet instead of receiving anesthesia.
A Boston newspaper honored her for her achievements, but her life’s work had left her so impoverished that she had to sell a cow just to buy a train ticket to the ceremony. Despite her financial struggles, she donated land and later had a rest home built on it for aging and needy black people. In 1911, she was admitted to this very same rest home. She died penniless on March 10, 1913, surrounded by loved ones.
Tubman’s last words were from the Bible: "I go to prepare a place for you." Until her final breath, she was thinking about God and other people. She was buried with full military honors in Auburn, New York. Dozens of schools, museums, and centers throughout North America have since been opened in her name, and prestigious military academies study her legendary escape strategies to this day. Harriet Tubman was a true hero.