It was night, and Harriet Tubman and her brothers began their journey to freedom. But when she looked back, she saw that her brothers were not following behind her. They were frozen in fear, thinking about the fact that they could get caught and face awful consequences. With their fear increasing, they said their goodbyes and headed back to their owners’ house.1 Saddened and alone, Harriet began walking north; nothing was going to stop her from getting what she always wanted, and that was her freedom.
One day, around the age twelve, Harriet Tubman’s owner threw a heavy weight at her after a fit of rage came over him. This fractured her skull, which applied pressure to her brain, and it made her have disabilities while growing up. This wasn’t the only pain Tubman had throughout her childhood. She also saw her sister being sold and taken away from them. Afterward, her parents were saddened and asked themselves why life was the way it was for them.2 Harriet Tubman didn’t know it then, but the struggles she faced when she was a child were only preparing her for the greater things she was going to achieve much later.
By the time Harriet Tubman had grown older and wedded, not many changes had been made in regards to the treatment of African-American slaves. In the 1840s, Tubman, along with her husband, John Tubman, a free man, worked with her brothers as cotton field slaves. During this period, it had become known to her that their master had made plans to sell her and her brothers, leading the family to be separated once again. If the idea of being separated from her family had not been fearful enough for Tubman, the unspoken horrors of being sent further South added to the horror of being torn away from what she already knew.3
Within her, the desire to be free became stronger and stronger. It had grown so much within her that she spoke to her husband John about it, to which he responded that he would tell her master if she ever attempted to run away. John being a free man held a certain power over his wife that she was not capable of fighting. Since her husband had made his opinion known to her what he would do if she were to try and escape, their last known moments together were filled with tension, and Harriet was on edge constantly.4 However, even with the threats coming from John, this did not fully keep Harriet from planning her escape; it had just delayed it. More than ever, she was determined to become free and leave her condition of dependence on not only her master, but also on her husband. She was very careful in discussing her plans to run away and when she would do it.5
On the night of her escape, she gathered her brothers and began singing a song to the other slaves, telling them that they were leaving. She led the way north, but when she turned around, she saw that her brothers were not following. They were afraid that they would get caught and face horrible consequences. They said their goodbyes to their sister and headed back to their master’s house. Even though Harriet was now alone, and much more vulnerable than before, she headed North towards her freedom.6 Tubman would travel during the night, because it made it harder for people to see her, and she would hide out during the day with people she could trust. After long days of traveling, she finally reached a Northern state, where she could be a free woman.
Yet even gaining her freedom, she could not stop thinking about her brothers and how they were still living as slaves. She decided to create a plan to go back and rescue her brothers. She knew that it would be extremely dangerous to return to the southern states because of the Fugitive Slave Act, which stated that it made it illegal for slaves to escape and illegal for anyone to help them. It also made it easier for slave owner to reclaim their slaves after they escaped.7
With the help of the Quakers, she was able to help her brothers and niece to escape.8 She did not want to stop there, so she returned to the South nineteen more times to help rescue more people. They called it the Underground Railroad, which is what Harriet Tubman is famously known for. The courage she showed, to be able to escape and then go back to help others also escape, has been greatly valued ever since. She helped others find the courage within them to fight for the abolition of slavery.
- Sarah Bradford, Harriet Tubman The Moses of Her People (New York: Corinth Books Inc., 1961), 29. ↵
- Sarah Bradford, Harriet Tubman The Moses of Her People (New York: Corinth Books Inc., 1961), 14-15. ↵
- James McGowan, Harriet Tubman: A Biography (Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood. 2011), 4-6. ↵
- Rosemary Sadlier, Harriet Tubman Freedom Seeker, Freedom Leader (Dundurn, 2012), 48-49. ↵
- Rosemary Sadlier, Harriet Tubman Freedom Seeker, Freedom Leader (Dundurn, 2012), 48. ↵
- Sarah Bradford, Harriet Tubman The Moses of Her People (New York: Corinth Books Inc., 1961), 29. ↵
- Encyclopedia of African American History, 2010, s.v. “Fugitive Slave Act of 1850,” by Alfred L. Brophy. ↵
- Rosemary Sadlier, Harriet Tubman Freedom Seeker, Freedom Leader (Dundurn, 2012), 50. ↵
84 comments
Charli Delmonico
This article was so interesting! I already knew some information about Harriet Tubman and her life, especially the hardships she faced before, during, and after her escape, but this article told the main points of her story very well. It’s so sad that she had to leave her brothers when she first escaped, and it warms my heart that she was so selfless to go back and save all the enslaved people that desperately needed her help.
Bianca Villarreal
The bravery and courage that this woman had is admirable. To not only escape on her own knowing the terrible consequences she would face if caught, she went back plenty more times to help others. Tubman is selfless, and she deserves to be known in history. Seeing a powerful woman of color is amazing to see these days let alone to see one during the 1800s. She didn’t let any man stop her, not her brothers, not her husband. She was threatened and had been hurt by her slave owner and she still did what she did.
Gabriel Lopez
It was nice reading more about Harriet Tubman’s background story. I never knew that she was given a head fracture from her owner or that she had a husband that was a free man. I admire Tubman’s bravery to try to escape while knowing the consequences if she’s caught, but I admire her courage to do it nineteen more times even more. This article does a great job at showing this.
Vicente Leza
Harriet Tubman is such an inspiration to so many. Her courage and selfless action has inspired many people to stand up against oppression. I love that there is a light shed on the fact that Tubman not only fought against slavery and oppression from her master. But also the tension that was made from her husband. It shows how strong Tubman was to have the ability to overcome not just one but two fights in her life.
Courtney Reeves
I found the story of Harriet Tubman and her journey to freedom extremely interesting as a kid. The journey that she took required a lot of courage to go against the system and to fight for others’ freedom. She was an exceptional leader and paved the way for many African Americans to obtain their freedom. It’s crazy to think how one person created so much change. It actually gives me hope that I could change the world, too, someday.
Amanda Quiroz
I remember learning about her. I remember admiring her strength, especially as woman during the time of The Underground Railroad. It amazes me how someone could have so much courage. Harriet Tubman was a strong woman, indeed. This arresting. I learned even more about her and her journey through this article.
Kelsey Sanchez
I am surprised by how she stood up for herself and was willing to still escape even though her brothers were not behind her. She was a strong woman that she was not only determined to help rescue her family but other people as well. Harriet Tubman simply wanted what slaves wanted and that was freedom. I am glad she is an important role model in history because that shows us that we can be capable of having our freedom. We can represent ourselves and know why freedom is a thing we should value.
Nelly Perez
I loved learning about her in history class. She had courage to escape slavery and help others. I was surprised to hear that she got hit in the head with a weight. I wonder what kind of song Harriet sang to her brothers that temporarily calmed them down even though they ran back to their masters since they were afraid of getting caught. At least in the end, she managed to escape. I learned more about her through this article.
Kristina Tijerina
I love reading about Harriet Tubman, she was such a determined and selfless woman during the time of slavery. It takes so much out of someone to escape the cruel world they’re living in, and Harriet Tubman managed to escape and do it over again 19 times to help save others. She put herself in so much danger especially after the Fugitive Slave Act was put into place, making it easier for slaves to get in trouble and get claimed by their previous owners. She’s such an inspiration for going back to help her family along with others after she saved herself. It’s hard to believe what kind of danger she was willing to put herself through as long as it meant getting to freedom.
Nicholas Robitille
I had always heard of Harriet Tubman’s involvement in the underground railroad, but I had never heard of Harriet Tubman’s daring escape from her own slavery. It is very inspiring to see her brave rush for freedom and the origins of the underground railroad. This article truly shows the reality of the fear that slaves faced when escaping.