Born into slavery in 1829 on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Tubman endured hardships, such as beatings, and a severe head injury when she was struck by a twenty-pound weight hurled at a runaway slave that affected her for life. She also witnessed loved ones being sold downriver and dealt with the indignity of forced labor.
Tubman also could not determine one's lot in life. She could not own land, start a business, or vote. She was also forbidden to receive an education or simply enjoy family life, which impacted Tubman and other slaves immensely. After a showdown with her master over broken promises to free her, she fled to the nearby free state of Pennsylvania, leaving behind her husband, John Tubman, and other family members whom she would return to get later.
While in the North, she embarked on a mission to help other slaves. She not only delivered anti-slavery speeches but also joined forces with noted Abolitionists Frederick Douglass and William Garrison. She confided in them a plan to return and deliver others from the misery of involuntary servitude. One of her first missions involved rescuing family members who would reside with her in upstate New York.
While in the North, she embarked on a mission to help other slaves. She not only delivered anti-slavery speeches but also joined forces with noted Abolitionists Frederick Douglass and William Garrison. She confided in them a plan to return and deliver others from the misery of involuntary servitude. One of her first missions involved rescuing family members who would reside with her in upstate New York.
By the start of the Civil War, the woman Moses had made as many as nineteen trips into slave territory, escorting at least 300 slaves to safety in the Northeast and Canada as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, which consisted of a system of back roads, waterways, safe houses, and trusted allies that helped enslaved persons make it to freedom.
During this time, Tubman aided the Union Army, which she hoped would one day free her people. She served as a Union spy due to her hands-on knowledge of the South. She led a raid on a Southern stronghold that brought about the freedom of nearly 700 slaves. She became the first woman in American History to lead U.S. forces into Battle.
Tubman's humanitarian efforts continued after the war. She bought land in Auburn, New York, where she built a two-story home for family and friends. In addition, she established an infirmary and cabins for the destitute with money from her massive garden, and a small army pension to keep the mission afloat. Later in life, Tubman fought for women's Suffrage with contemporaries like Susan B. Anthony.
Tubman passed away in 1913 at the dawn of a new century. A crowd of friends, neighbors, loved ones, and dignitaries turned out to pay tribute to an American hero who was laid to rest with full military honors. Her story has been passed down from generation to generation and received top billing during the establishment of Black History Month in the 1970s. Eventually, her New York estate and birthplace in Maryland would become national parks.
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