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
Maricela Guerra
Those who fight for what is right and what they feel should be changed should be recognized just like Harriet. She was just a brave woman who knew what she wanted and knew that the life she was living wasn’t right for her and so she decided to change it. She will forever be remembered in history for her just being herself and fighting for what she believed in, overall the author did a very good job on this article. A very well done.
Miranda Alamilla
I feel like most people who come across this article know a descent amount of Harriet Tubman’s history due to Middle School and High School history classes. However, I don’t think any of us were prepared to see that there was so much more that we didn’t know about her. Somethings I didn’t know about her were the many hardships she faced. I know that she helped many after helping herself, but I never knew that a former owner of hers had fractured her in a fit of anger, that her brothers left her alone to find freedom because of fear, and that she had to watch her sister be sold a torn apart from her family. Harriet Tubman’s story is truly inspiring and amazing.
Suvesh Vasal
Harriet Tubman is a national hero. It takes an immense amount of courage to do something of that magnitude once. But to do it 19 more times? that’s nothing short of incredible. I really enjoyed this article. It is important that we share articles on this website that are about important dates and people. In a world where a lot of bad things happen, its important to highlight the good people and the things they do.
Alexandra Cantu
I love reading historic articles about miraculous people. They were regular people who decided to make a difference in this world. Harriet Tubman is a strong powerful brave woman. She was determined to be free and leave the awful world of slavery. She wanted nothing more than to be free. Today Harriet Tubman is known as one of the greatest African American women to pave the way for African Americans and fight for their freedom.
Timothy ODekirk
This is a true story of hardship and survival that makes this article truly intriguing and entertaining. The part of this story that disturbed me the most was the fact that Harriet Tubman was abused so early in her life, that she had many disabilities because of it. I was aware of Harriet Tubman before reading this article, but I was unaware of the specific details and the horror that she endured throughout her life. Reading about a heavy weight being thrown at her and fracturing her skull disturbed me greatly and gave me the knowledge of the true horror that Tubman endured. Due to the specific detail of Harriet Tubman’s life as a slave, the horrors that she endured, and the horrors that she endured while escaping from her torment makes this article extremely fascinating to read.
Cristina Cabello
Harriet Tubman is a very inspirational woman. This article did a great job at giving her justice. I did not know that she had disability problems growing up. Due to the weight being thrown at her. Ever since elementary school I still remember how they made us learn about the big dipper. Then in music class they would have us sing her song of the path to freedom.
Jose Figueroa
Everyone learns about Harriet Tubman at some point during school. The underground railroad served as a way for slaves to finally gain freedom. Reading this added even more to how inspirational Harriet is. She had to face the challenges of leaving her husband, master and even risked her life 19 more times going back to free more slaves. Reading this further adds to her importance, great job!
Hanadi Sonouper
I appreciate reading such wonderful and historic articles about miraculous people who were born to make an impact on historical phenomena. Harriet Tubman is a heroic woman in my eyes, when I read this particular article, she portrays all qualities that a strong and independent human being should possess. She has a deep determination to be free and leave the dreadful world of being beaten and threatened during this horrific time, Tubman wanted nothing more than to be free and live a happy life with her husband. She made the choice to leave, and the choice to leave came at a consequence when she left her family behind for a better life. However, even after all of her actions, she became widely known as one of the greatest African American women to pave the way for others to do the same and fight for freedom.
Luis Morales
The story of Harriet Tubman is one of inspiration and will, will to overcome any obstacles in life. I did not know that she was married to a free man. It is curious to me that Harriet kept her husbands last name, even though he treated her poorly their entire marriage. The pictures were great and really added to the story.
Auroara-Juhl Nikkels
I did not know that she was married, let alone to a free man. I wonder why he threatened to tell her master if she ever tried to run away. Everyone pretty much knows about Harriet Tubman and her tremendous help in the Underground Railroad and bringing so many slaves to the free states. I like the way you began your article!