Harriet Tubman – Moses of the Underground Railroad

Harriet Tubman, reverently hailed as "Moses" by the hundreds of enslaved people she guided to freedom in the years leading up to the Civil War, was an extraordinary figure in American history. Beyond her pivotal role in the Underground Railroad, she served as a Union scout and spy, a compassionate humanitarian, and a staunch advocate for women’s suffrage. Her life story is a testament to courage, resilience, and unwavering dedication to the cause of freedom and equality.

Born Araminta Ross around 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland, Harriet Tubman entered a world defined by the brutal realities of slavery. Her parents, Ben Ross and Harriet "Rit" Green, were themselves enslaved, their lives circumscribed by the whims of their owners. As was common practice at the time, the precise details of Araminta’s birth, including the exact date and location, were not officially recorded, reflecting the dehumanizing nature of the institution that sought to erase the identities of those it held captive.

The Ross family belonged to the Brodess family, whose wealth was built upon the exploitation of enslaved labor. Harriet’s mother worked as a cook in the Brodesses’ main house, often referred to as "the big house," while her father, a skilled woodsman, managed the timber operations on the plantation. Despite their efforts, Ben and Rit struggled to keep their family together. Araminta was one of nine children, and she witnessed the heartbreak of family separation firsthand as three of her sisters were sold and disappeared from her life forever. These early experiences instilled in her a deep understanding of the cruelty of slavery and fueled her determination to fight against it.

As a young girl, Tubman was frequently hired out to other slaveholders in the surrounding area, where she endured harsh treatment, including frequent beatings and whippings. These experiences left lasting physical and emotional scars, shaping her into a strong and resilient individual. During her adolescence, she suffered a traumatic head injury when she was struck by a heavy metal weight thrown by an overseer who intended to hit another enslaved person.

The blow left Tubman bleeding and unconscious. Instead of receiving medical attention, she was returned to her owner’s house, where she lay unattended for two days. Although the injury caused debilitating seizures, blackouts, and severe headaches that would plague her for the rest of her life, she was soon forced back into the fields to work. When her field boss complained about her diminished capacity, the Brodess family attempted to sell her, but were unsuccessful. The head injury also triggered vivid visions and dreams, which Tubman interpreted as divine guidance, informing her "missions" later in her life.

Around 1844, Araminta married a free black man named John Tubman. The details of their marriage are scarce, but their relationship must have been complicated by her enslaved status. Shortly after their marriage, she adopted her mother’s first name, becoming Harriet Tubman. In 1849, she fell seriously ill, and the Brodess family once again tried to sell her. Facing the prospect of permanent separation from her family and the continuation of her suffering, Tubman resolved to escape to freedom. She later declared, "There was one of two things I had a right to – liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other." This powerful statement encapsulates her unwavering determination and willingness to risk everything for the chance to live as a free woman.

With the assistance of the Underground Railroad, a clandestine network of safe houses and secret routes established by abolitionists, free blacks, and formerly enslaved people, Harriet Tubman embarked on her perilous journey north. This intricate system of support provided shelter, food, and guidance to those fleeing slavery, enabling them to reach freedom in the Northern states and Canada.

After successfully escaping to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tubman found work in various odd jobs and became involved with a large abolitionist community. Driven by her deep-seated desire to help others escape the bonds of slavery, she joined the Underground Railroad the following year. In December 1850, she embarked on her first rescue mission, returning to Maryland to liberate her sister and her sister’s children. In the spring of 1851, she journeyed back to Maryland, freeing her brother Moses and two other men. Despite Tubman’s efforts to convince her husband, John, to join her in the North, he insisted that he was content with his life in Maryland. That fall, she returned to John, only to discover that he had married another woman.

Over the next decade, Harriet Tubman made approximately 19 trips to the South, risking her own freedom to guide an estimated 300 enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. During this period, she also liberated three of her brothers, Henry, Ben, and Robert, along with their wives and some of their children. As her reputation as a conductor on the Underground Railroad grew, she earned the moniker "Moses," a testament to her role as a liberator of her people, drawing a parallel to the biblical figure who led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery. In 1857, despite her aging parents already being freed, she led them north to St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, where a thriving community of former slaves, including her brothers, other relatives, and numerous friends, had established themselves.

In April 1858, Tubman met the radical abolitionist John Brown, who advocated the use of violence to dismantle slavery. While she did not agree with his tactics, she supported his goals and assisted him in planning and recruiting for the raid on Harpers Ferry. Her knowledge of support networks and resources in the border states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware proved invaluable to Brown and his planners. However, she was not present during the failed attack on October 16, 1859. John Brown was subsequently convicted of treason and executed in December. Tubman later remarked that "He done more in dying than 100 men would in living," highlighting her admiration for his unwavering commitment to the cause of abolition.

In the meantime, Tubman had acquired a small plot of land on the outskirts of Auburn, New York, a city known for its strong antislavery sentiments. She soon relocated her parents from the harsh Canadian winters to her property in New York, along with other family members and friends. Her land quickly became a haven for relatives and boarders, offering a safe and supportive environment for black Americans seeking a better life in the North. She conducted her final rescue mission in November 1860.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Tubman volunteered her services to the Union Army. Initially, she worked as a cook and a nurse, tending to the needs of the soldiers. Her presence became a familiar sight in the camps, particularly in South Carolina. By 1863, she was serving as a scout, utilizing her knowledge of covert travel and subterfuge to gather intelligence from enemy territory.

During Colonel James Montgomery’s assault on a series of plantations along the Combahee River in South Carolina, Harriet Tubman played a crucial advisory role and accompanied the raid. On June 2, 1863, she expertly guided three steamboats around Confederate mines in the waters leading to the shore. The Union troops then launched an attack on the plantations, seizing valuable food and supplies and liberating over 700 enslaved people. Tubman’s bravery and strategic contributions to the Combahee River Raid were widely celebrated in the newspapers. She later collaborated with Colonel Robert Gould Shaw during the assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, and is said to have prepared his final meal.

Tubman continued to serve the Union Army until the end of the war. Despite her years of dedicated service, she never received a regular salary and faced years of denial before finally receiving a pension in 1899. After the war, she settled in Auburn, New York, where she devoted herself to caring for her family and assisting others in need. To support herself and her parents, she worked various jobs and took in boarders. One of her boarders was a Civil War veteran named Nelson Davis, who was 22 years her junior. They married on March 18, 1869, and in 1874, they adopted a baby girl named Gertie.

Harriet also became actively involved in the women’s suffrage movement, working alongside prominent figures such as Susan B. Anthony and Emily Howland. When the National Federation of Afro-American Women was established in 1896, she was the keynote speaker at its inaugural meeting. This surge of activism ignited a renewed wave of admiration for Tubman among the American press.

As Tubman aged, she continued to experience complications from the head injury she sustained as a child. Sometime in the late 1890s, she underwent brain surgery at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital. During the procedure, she refused anesthesia and reportedly bit down on a bullet, mirroring the actions of Civil War soldiers undergoing amputations.

At the turn of the century, Tubman became deeply involved with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Auburn. In 1903, she donated a parcel of land to establish a home for "aged and indigent colored people." The Harriet Tubman Home opened five years later, providing a much-needed haven for those in need.

By 1911, Tubman’s health had deteriorated to the point that she had to be admitted to the rest home named in her honor. A New York newspaper described her as "ill and penniless," prompting a fresh wave of donations from her supporters. Surrounded by friends and family, Harriet Tubman passed away from pneumonia on March 10, 1913. On her deathbed, she reportedly told those present, "I go to prepare a place for you."

She was buried with military honors at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York.

Harriet Tubman’s legacy extends far beyond her lifetime. Widely admired and respected during her life, she became an American icon in the years following her death. She has inspired generations of African Americans fighting for equality and civil rights and has been praised by leaders across the political spectrum.

Over the years, numerous schools, a military ship, monuments, and two museums have been named in her honor. On the 100th anniversary of her death, the state of Maryland dedicated a state park in her name, and the U.S. Congress is considering designating a National Park in her honor.

On April 20, 2016, the U.S. Treasury announced that Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. The final concept designs for the new bill are expected in 2020 in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Bill of Rights, which granted women the right to vote in the U.S.

Although historians have debated certain details, such as the exact number of people she led to freedom or the amount of the bounty placed on her head, her extraordinary achievements in the face of adversity remain an enduring inspiration to people around the world.