Harriet Tubman was born around 1820 into slavery on a plantation in Dorchester County, Maryland. Her parents, Harriet (“Rit”) Green and Benjamin Ross, named her Araminta Ross and called her “Minty.
In 1849 Harriet Tubman made her first attempt to escape slavery. While the first attempt was not successful, she escaped on her second attempt.
She became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, leading enslaved people to freedom before the Civil War, all while carrying a bounty on her head. She was also a nurse, a Union spy and a women’s suffrage supporter. Tubman is one of the most recognized icons in American history and her legacy has inspired countless people from every race and background.
References:
- Hopkins, S. Bradford. 1961. Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People [1886]. New York: Corinth Books. LCCN 61008152.
- Conrad, Earl. 1943. Harriet Tubman. Washington DC: Associated Publishers. OCLC 08991147.
- “Harriet Tubman.” History.com. 2009.
Photo:
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, The New York Public Library. “Harriet Tubman; “The Moses of her people”; Herself a fugitive, she abducted more than 300 slaves, and also served as a scout and nurse for the Union forces.” New York Public Library Digital Collections.