harriet tubman research paper

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Abolition work

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Harriet Tubman

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• Table Of Contents

Who was Harriet Tubman?

Harriet Tubman escaped from  slavery  in the South to become a leading abolitionist before the  American Civil War . She led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom in the North along the route of the  Underground Railroad .

What were Harriet Tubman’s accomplishments?

Harriet Tubman is credited with conducting upward of 300 enslaved people along the Underground Railroad from the American South to Canada. She showed extraordinary courage, ingenuity, persistence, and iron discipline.

What did Harriet Tubman do to change the world?

In addition to leading more than 300 enslaved people to freedom, Harriet Tubman helped ensure the final defeat of slavery in the United States by aiding the Union during the American Civil War . She served as a scout and a nurse, though she received little pay or recognition.

Harriet Tubman (born c. 1820, Dorchester county, Maryland, U.S.—died March 10, 1913, Auburn, New York) was an American bondwoman who escaped from slavery in the South to become a leading abolitionist before the American Civil War . She led dozens of enslaved people to freedom in the North along the route of the Underground Railroad —an elaborate secret network of safe houses organized for that purpose.

Born into slavery, Araminta Ross later adopted her mother’s first name , Harriet. At about age five she was first hired out to work, initially serving as a nursemaid and later as a field hand, a cook, and a woodcutter. When she was about 12 years old, she reportedly refused to help an overseer punish another enslaved person, and she suffered a severe head injury when he threw an iron weight that struck her; she subsequently suffered seizures throughout her life. About 1844 she married John Tubman, a free Black man.

In 1849, on the strength of rumors that she was about to be sold, Tubman fled to Philadelphia , leaving behind her husband (who refused to leave), parents, and siblings. In December 1850 she made her way to Baltimore , Maryland , whence she led her niece Kessiah Jolley and her niece’s two children, James Alfred and Araminta, to freedom. That journey was the first of some 13 increasingly dangerous forays into Maryland in which, over the next decade, she conducted about 70 fugitive enslaved people along the Underground Railroad to Canada.(Owing to exaggerated figures in Sara Bradford’s 1868 biography of Tubman, it was long held that Tubman had made about 19 journeys into Maryland and guided upward of 300 people out of enslavement.) Tubman displayed extraordinary courage, persistence, and iron discipline , which she enforced upon her charges. If anyone decided to turn back—thereby endangering the mission—she reportedly threatened them with a gun and said, “You’ll be free or die.” She also was inventive, devising various strategies to better ensure success. One such example was escaping on Saturday nights, since it would not appear in newspapers until Monday. The railroad’s most famous conductor, Tubman became known as the “Moses of her people.” It has been said that she never lost a fugitive she was leading to freedom.

Rewards were offered by slaveholders for Tubman’s capture, while Abolitionists celebrated her courage. John Brown , who consulted her about his own plans to organize an antislavery raid of a federal armory in Harpers Ferry , Virginia (now in West Virginia ), referred to her as “General” Tubman. About 1858 she bought a small farm near Auburn , New York , where she placed her aged parents (she had brought them out of Maryland in June 1857) and herself lived thereafter. From 1862 to 1865 she served as a scout, as well as nurse and laundress, for Union forces in South Carolina during the Civil War . For the Second Carolina Volunteers, under the command of Col. James Montgomery, Tubman spied on Confederate territory. When she returned with information about the locations of warehouses and ammunition, Montgomery’s troops were able to make carefully planned attacks. For her wartime service Tubman was paid so little that she had to support herself by selling homemade baked goods.

Following the Civil War Tubman settled in Auburn and began taking in orphans and older adults, a practice that eventuated in the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent Negroes. Tubman was a patient of the home from 1911 until her death in 1913, staying in a building known as John Brown Hall. The home later attracted the support of former abolitionist comrades and the citizens of Auburn, and it continued in existence until the early 1920s. Tubman also became involved in various other causes, including women’s suffrage . In the late 1860s and again in the late ’90s she applied for a federal pension for her work during the Civil War. Some 30 years after her service a private bill providing for $20 monthly was passed by Congress.

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Larry A Greene, Harriet, Journal of American History , Volume 107, Issue 1, June 2020, Pages 280–282, https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jaaa168

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Harriet Tubman was one of the outstanding heroines of the antebellum and Civil War eras. Her efforts on the Underground Railroad leading enslaved black men and women to freedom earned her iconic status among nineteenth-century African Americans and all those opposing slavery and advocating racial equality. She personified courage in difficult and desperate situations, which was inspired by faith and a willingness to combat injustice at all costs. Tubman was born between 1820 and 1822 on Maryland's Eastern Shore to Harriet Greene and Benjamin Ross. She married a free black man, John Tubman, in 1849. Fearing that she would be sold after the death of her owner, she escaped to Pennsylvania. Between 1849 and 1860 she led at least seventy people to freedom on at least fourteen trips to Maryland's Eastern Shore. In 1862 she went south to aid the Union war effort, where she worked as a nurse, cook, scout, spy, and liberator of slaves. She went up the Combahee River and helped more than seven hundred slaves to freedom. The ubiquitous Tubman was on Morris Island, South Carolina in 1863 when the Massachusetts Regiment attacked Battery Wagner. These episodes in her life and career on the Underground Railroad were boldly depicted in the film. She finally received a pension, based on the Union war record of her second husband, Nelson Davis. White Union officer and commander of the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, called her “the greatest heroine of the age… Her tales of adventure are beyond anything in fiction and her ingenuity and generalship are extraordinary. I have known her for some time …—the slaves call her Moses” (Mary Thatcher Higginson, ed., Letters and Journals of Thomas Wentworth Higginson , 1921, p. 81).

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Harriet Tubman

Tubman was born into slavery in 1822, and later escaped from Dorchester County, Maryland to Philadelphia where she lived as a freewoman  

Once free, Tubman dedicated her life to the abolition of slavery as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. She brought approximately 70 enslaved African Americans to freedom in the north 

Tubman remained a philanthropist well into her later years, founding the Home for Aged & Indigent Negroes and supporting women’s rights  

"I had reasoned this out in my mind; there was one of two things I had the right to, liberty or death; if I could have one, I would have the other.” – Harriet Tubman, 1886 

Early life .

Born Araminta Ross (and affectionately called "Minty") in March of 1822 to parents Harriet (Rit) Green Ross and Benjamin Ross, Tubman was one of nine children. The Ross family were enslaved  in Dorchester County, Maryland. Chattel slavery determined that Black people were property that were bought and sold. The children of enslaved women were also considered enslaved, regardless of whether their fathers were enslaved or not. Such was the case for Tubman and her siblings as Benjamin was free, but Rit was not (University at Buffalo). The Ross’ enslaver, Edward Brodess, did not allow the family to remain together and worked to split them up through the assignment of work. Separated from Benjamin Ross at a young age, Rit, Araminta and her siblings worked on a different farm owned by the Brodesses in Bucktown, Maryland (NPS n.d.).  

In 1828 at the age of six, Brodess rented out Tubman at his whim to provide childcare for nearby overseers. Compensation for her work would go to Brodess and time periods for how long she would be rented out would vary. This work separated her from her mother and siblings for extended periods of time. Tubman's life would change forever at the age of 13. In 1835, while she was running errands at a local store, she witnessed another enslaved person’s attempted escape (Owens 2022). She refused to assist the freedom seeker's enslaver in capturing the fugitive. As the enslaver became desperate in their attempt to recapture the freedom seeker, he threw a two pound weight. Rather than hitting the intended target, he struck Tubman in the back of the head and fractured her skull.  

She teetered between life and death. Her mother Rit nursed Tubman back to health as much as she could given their limited resources (NPS n.d.). After the incident, physical pain became a consistent part of Tubman’s life. She experienced chronic pain from headaches and uncontrollable bouts of seizures, which Tubman herself referred to as “sleeping spells," (PBS 2022). Historians now know that Tubman had narcolepsy, which is a “chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to control sleep-wake cycles” (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke n.d.). 

Tubman’s place in disability history is often overlooked. It is important to note that narcolepsy was a prominent part of both her identity and story. Vivid visions of freedom came to her while experiencing these seizures (PBS 2022). As a result of her visions, her disability is often associated with her religiosity. However, Tubman’s dedication to her faith and her experience with chronic pain hold equal weight. Both elements were key in her determination to seek liberation for the enslaved. Historian Deidre Cooper Owens spoke to the importance of Tubman’s disability in her essay "Harriet Tubman’s Disability and Why it Matters." Cooper-Owens highlighted that, “she offered up a version of freedom where a disabled Black woman sat at the center of it, where Black women were liberators, and where liberation was communal and democratic” (Owens 2022). 

Journey to Freedom 

The pain of separation from her family and the cruelty of slavery never left Tubman. Forced back to the fields immediately after her injury, Tubman recounted: “there I worked with the blood and sweat rolling down my face til I couldn’t see” (Wickenden 2021). She became determined to find some sense of autonomy wherever she could, despite the confines of enslavement (NPS n.d.). She negotiated with her enslaver to select her own work assignments. He agreed so long as she paid him a yearly fee. From then on, Tubman hired herself out on her own terms.  

With new tasks came the exploration of new geographic areas. Dorchester County’s environment is marshland (NPCA n.d.). As such, the duties given to the enslaved in this area were unique to the landscape of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Tubman became familiar with the intricacies of the environment through these tasks. Down the line, her familiarity with Dorchester County would be key in her journey to freedom. 

In an unexpected turn of events, one assignment required her to work alongside her father in the timber fields. Not only did this allow her to spend time with him despite years of separation, but also to work alongside Black sailors. As regular travelers along the East Coast, these men were well connected. They shared their knowledge of the surrounding areas with Tubman and assisted her in tapping into a network of those also seeking liberation (Wickenden 2021). It was around this time that she met her future husband, freedman John Tubman. The couple married in 1844 when Tubman was 22 years old. Upon their union, she changed her name from Araminta “Minty” Ross, to Harriet (likely after her mother) Tubman (NPS n.d.).  

Tubman cherished moments spent with her father and her time as a newlywed. However, her enslaver Brodess struggled financially and found himself in debt in 1849. He decided to sell more of his enslaved workers as a financial solution. Tubman discovered that Brodess’s financial troubles were likely to lead to the sale of her and her brothers, Ben and Henry (Wickenden 2021). Even Brodess’s death in 1849 did not alleviate Tubman’s fear of the sale and Tubman sought to make her dreams of freedom a reality. She saw her future clearly, detailing to biographer Sarah Hopkins Bradford what she envisioned as she crossed the Mason-Dixon line that separates Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia: “and on the other side of that line were green fields, and lovely flowers, and beautiful white ladies who stretched out their arms to me over the line” (Tubman, 1869).  

Making use of her wealth of knowledge gained over the years, Tubman set her sights on escaping to Philadelphia. The Abolitionist Movement, which was prominent in the city, meant she was sure to find allies and  like-minded confidants (University at Buffalo n.d.). After developing a route, the journey with her brothers began. While on the journey, the trio caught word that Eliza Broddess, Brodess’s widow, placed an ad in the paper calling for their return (Balkansky 2020). Tubman’s brothers decided to return to the plantation for fear of capture and subsequent punishment. Not the slightest bit discouraged, the visions that came to Tubman during narcoleptic bouts assured her she would be free (Wickenden 2021). She pressed onward alone, guided to Pennsylvania by the stars. 

The Moses of Her People: Conducting the Underground Railroad 

With the help of abolitionists along the way, Tubman journeyed from the Brodess’ farm in Maryland to Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, she made connections with abolitionists, namely William Still, a conductor on the Underground Railroad (Larson 2004). Tubman learned more about the Underground Railroad from Still. Often misunderstood as a railroad with tracks and trains, the Underground Railroad (UGRR) actually refers to various safehouses in which abolitionists provided sanctuary for freedom seekers. “Conductors” led the journeys to freedom, while “Station Masters” hosted freedom seekers within their homes, churches, or other safe spaces. The more Tubman learned, the more her desire to see her family free grew. She decided to return for them in 1850.  

After a successful first trip in which she brought both family and friends to freedom, she became a Conductor on the UGRR. She succeeded in her second journey as well and, on her third in 1851, Tubman returned for her husband, John. She quickly discovered that he thought she was dead and had remarried. John’s new wife was pregnant. Though heartbroken, Tubman’s commitment to freedom knew no bounds. She offered to take the couple to freedom, but John refused.  

In 1850, Congressional passage of the Fugitive Slave Act changed the calculus for Conductors like Tubman. The Act “stipulated that it was illegal for any citizen to assist an escaped slave and demanded that if an escaped slave was sighted, he or she should be apprehended and turned in to the authorities for deportation back to the ‘rightful’ owner down south. Any United States Marshall who refused to return a runaway slave would pay a hefty penalty of $1,000,” (University at Buffalo n.d.). Many freedom seekers opted to flee to Canada instead of the northern US as a result. Tubman conducted eleven trips from Maryland to St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada between 1850 and  1860. All of these journeys–19 in total– over the years made Tubman a hero, with many African Americans–both free and enslaved–dubbing her “Moses” after the biblical figure (Library of Congress 1998 and Balkansky 2020).  

While widely celebrated within her own community, Tubman was infamous among enslavers. Many called for her capture with bounties upwards of $40,000, which would be approximately $1,573,056.41 in today’s dollars. Between 1850 to 1860, Tubman brought approximately 70 individuals (including her parents, Rit and Ben) to freedom. Tubman spoke proudly of her accomplishments and famously stated, “I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger” (Prescod-Weinstein 2022). 

General Tubman: The Union Spy 

In 1857, after working to free her parents, Tubman initially brought them to Canada with her but ultimately settled in Auburn, New York. Auburn was a hotbed of abolition and felt like an ideal place for Tubman and her family to settle. Frances Seward, abolitionist wife of Senator (and later Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln) William H. Seward, offered Tubman land in Auburn (University at Buffalo n.d.). This further encouraged the family to stay. Though Tubman had her freedom, the fight for the liberation of the enslaved still called to her.  

In 1857, she met abolitionist John Brown. Brown was outspoken in his support of antislavery and, though unpopular among white southerners, his efforts were largely supported by those in the North. Tubman and Brown formed a close friendship, with Brown dubbing her “General Tubman” (NPS n.d.). She once claimed to have seen him in many of her narcoleptic dreams before meeting him. The pair worked together, including on Brown’s plans for the raid on Harpers Ferry, (now West) Virginia; Tubman provided her geographical expertise and recruited formerly enslaved people to assist in the raid. While planned as a way to steal guns and start a revolt to free enslaved people across the South, the raid ultimately ended in failure. An army unit, led by future Confederate General Robert E. Lee, captured Brown and put him on trial for "treason, murder, and inciting a slave rebellion" (NPS n.d.). Brown was hung shortly thereafter. Tubman was not in attendance at his hanging due to illness. 

In April 1861, the American Civil War broke out over the issue of slavery. Tubman saw an opportunity to get involved, enlisting in the Union (Northern) Army as a nurse where she cared for wounded soldiers with natural remedies (University at Buffalo n.d.).  In 1863, Tubman took on the role of a scout and organized a group of spies. She recruited enslaved people interested in assisting the Union. Tubman helped Colonel James Montgomery coordinate the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina, which aimed to “harass whites and rescue freed slaves” (University at Buffalo n.d.). The raid was wildly successful with Montgomery’s troops burning down many plantations and freeing approximately 750 enslaved people. (NPS n.d.). With their newfound freedom, many of the formerly enslaved men opted to join the Union’s fight against the Confederacy (the South). To date, Tubman is recognized as the first woman in US history to both plan and lead a military raid. In June 2021, the Army inducted her into the Military Intelligence Corps (Lacdan 2023). 

 Later Life and Legacy 

During her time with the Union Army, Tubman met her second husband, Nelson Davis. The couple married in 1869 in Auburn, NY where he, Tubman, and her freed family members (one of which was their adopted daughter, Gertie), would live out their days (NPS n.d.). Nelson built the family a home, which still stands as of 2024. It is also in Auburn where Tubman founded the Home for the Aged, an institution that provided care for those with “paralysis, epilepsy, and those with vision impairment and blindness,” (Shoot 2021). 

A staunch supporter of the suffrage movement , Tubman worked alongside various upstate-NY based suffragists, such as Lucretia Mott , Susan B. Anthony , and Elizabeth Cady Stanton . The interests of abolitionists were aligned closely with those of suffragists, with both movements concerned with autonomy and freedom. Later in life, Tubman attended various women’s rights conferences (Balkansky 2020). She also collaborated with the AME Zion Church, helping them raise money to build their church in Auburn (NPS n.d.). As collaborative partners, the church then supported Tubman’s dream of making the Home for the Aged a reality.  

Nelson Davis passed away in 1888. In his absence, Tubman continued to dedicate her final 25 years to philanthropic efforts. In 1913, at the age of 91, Harriet Tubman died of pneumonia in the Home for the Aged & Indigent Negroes. In her final words, Tubman called upon her faith and made reference to John 14:3 in the Bible. She stated, “I go away to prepare a place for you, that where I am you also may be” (Larson 2004, p. 289). She was laid to rest in the Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn. 

Of service to her community until the very end, Harriet Tubman’s legacy remains relevant. As of 2024, the United States Mint launched the 2024 Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coin Program . The program is timely as it honors the two hundredth anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s birth. Continued discussions about and homages to Tubman stems from her powerful narrative of taking control of her own destiny and ultimately forging a path for others. She is celebrated not only for the hundreds of enslaved that she freed over the course of her lifetime, but for all of those who still look to her story for guidance. Just as she looked to the North Star to carry her to freedom, her work and values remain a guiding light to many to continue onward–no matter how harrowing the path ahead. 

Primary Source Analysis Strategies

Map of Maryland

Caption: This map highlights in red Dorchester County, Maryland. Located right along the coast, it has direct access to water. 

Analysis Questions: 

At first glance, what do you notice about the map? Now, examine the map closely. What do you notice that you did not see the first time? 

Who is the intended audience of this map? 

Spot Dorchester County. What does being able to locate it on a map make you wonder? 

Portrait of Harriet Tubman

Caption: Tubman is seen posing for a portrait sometime between 1871 and 1876, expression neutral while she rests her hands on a chair. The bottom of the image reads “Harriet Tubman (1822-1913)” and “Nurse, spy and scout”.  

What is the first thing you notice when looking at this image? Why do you think you might have gravitated towards that first? 

Based on the events mentioned in the biography between 1871 and 1876 (when this image was thought to be taken), why might Tubman have had this portrait taken? 

What do you notice about her appearance (her attire, hair, etc)?  

The caption “nurse, spy and scout” omits words such as “conductor, abolitionist, formerly enslaved” etc. Do you believe Tubman would have agreed with the caption? If she dictated it herself, why do you think she might have wanted to be known by those three labels? 

Harriet Tubman and her family

Caption: Tubman (on the far left) is photographed alongside her husband Nelson Davis, adopted child Gertie, and various other family members. This photograph was taken in Auburn, NY on the Tubman-Davis property.  

Analysis Questions:  

When examining this photo of Tubman surrounded by family, what questions come to mind?  

Reflect on Tubman’s journey to freedom. What is the significance of this image of her photographed with so many of her family members? 

In comparison to the previous images of Tubman, what differences do you notice in how she appears in this photograph? 

Educator Notes 

"Teacher's Guide Analyzing Primary Sources," Library of Congress

This resource outlines different lenses that students can examine through primary resources through. There is no specific order to use the columns in. The questions students develop through their examination are meant to encourage further research and curiosity. Educators can then propose other activities (as outlined in the resource) that help students further contextualize different - but related - primary sources

"Primary Source Analysis Tool," Library of Congress

This is a blank version of the previous link. Educators can create their own specific sample questions (most likely based on the medium of the primary source to have students answer in each column, or simply have students fill out this document with the guidance of the original document. 

"Teacher's Guide Analyzing Maps," Library of Congress

Similar to the first resource, this document specifically focuses on how to analyze maps. The questions highlighted in each column still use the “Observe, Reflect, Question” model, but allow students to further hone in on the unique features of maps - such as the one featured in this biography. 

• Lacdan, Joe. “Army Honors Female Combat Pioneer, Renowned Abolitionist.” www.army.mil. August 25, 2023. https://www.army.mil/article/269360/army_honors_female_combat_pioneer_renowned_abolitionist . 
• Balkansky, Arlene. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad. June 16, 2020. https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2020/06/harriet-tubman-conductor-on-the-underground-railroad/  
• “Harriet Tubman’s Story.” National Parks Conservation Association. n.d. https://www.npca.org/articles/2162-harriet-tubman-s-story . 
• Harriet Tubman Timeline. University at Buffalo. n.d. http://math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-tubman.html. 
• “Tubman.” National Parks Service. n.d. https://www.nps.gov/hatu/learn/historyculture/htubman.htm . 
• Larson, Kate Clifford, Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero . New York, Ballantine, 2004. 
• London, Nicole, Stanley, Nelson and Christopher, Haley. 2022. Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom . [San Francisco, California, USA]: PBS. 
• Owens, D. C. Harriet Tubman’s disability and why it matters. Ms. Magazine. February 10, 2022. https://msmagazine.com/2022/02/10/harriet-tubman-disability-democracy/ 
• Prescod-Weinstein, Dr. Chanda. “Harriet Tubman, Astronomer Extraordinaire.” Ms. Magazine, February 3, 2023. https://msmagazine.com/2022/02/03/harriet-tubman-astronomer-underground-railroad-north-star-nasa/ . 
• Shoot, B. (2021). The brain injury that helped end slavery. Folks. n.d. https://folks.pillpack.com/brain-injury-helped-end-slavery/  
• “The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship Abolition, Anti-Slavery Movements, and the Rise of the Sectional Controversy.” Library of Congress, February 9, 1998. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african-american-odyssey/abolition.html . 
• “When John Brown Met Harriet Tubman.” National Parks Service. n.d. https://www.nps.gov/hafe/learn/historyculture/when-john-brown-met-harriet-tubman.htm . 
• Wickenden, Dorothy. “Liberty or Death: On the Prophetic Visions and Unflinching Will of Harriet Tubman.” Literary Hub, March 31, 2021. https://lithub.com/liberty-or-death-on-the-prophetic-visions-and-unflinching-will-of-harriet-tubman/ . 
• http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-tubman.html 

Image Citations 

• Griffith, Dennis, James Thackara, and J Vallance. Map of the State of Maryland laid down from an actual survey of all the principal waters, public roads, and divisions of the counties therein; describing the situation of the cities, towns, villages, houses of worship and other public buildings, furnaces, forges, mills, and other remarkable places; and of the Federal Territory; as also a sketch of the State of Delaware shewing the probable connexion of the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. [Philadelphia, J. Vallance, 1794] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/76693265/ . 
• Lindsley, Harvey B, photographer. Harriet Tubman, full-length portrait, standing with hands on back of a chair. , ca. 1871. [Between and 1876] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003674596/ . 
• Powelson, Benjamin F, photographer. Portrait of Harriet Tubman / Powelson, photographer, 77 Genesee St., Auburn, New York. New York, 1868. [Auburn, N.Y.: Benjamin Powelson, or 1869] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2018645050/ . 
• United States Mint. Harriet Tubman 2024 Proof Silver Dollar Coin. 2024. https://catalog.usmint.gov/harriet-tubman-2024-proof-silver-dollar-coin-24CL.html?cgid=harriet-tubman-commemorative-coins#start= 1 
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Harriet Tubman; Gertie Davis; Nelson Davis; Lee Cheney; "Pop" Alexander; Walter Green; Sarah Parker; and Dora Stewart " New York Public Library Digital Collections.  https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-793f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

MLA – Dawson, Shay. "Harriet Tubman-Davis." National Women's History Museum. National Women's History Museum, 2024. Date accessed.  

Chicago - Dawson, Shay. “Harriet Tubman-Davis" National Women's History Museum. 2024.  www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/ harriet-tubman . 

• Bradford, Sarah Hopkins. Harriet, the Moses of Her People. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2012. muse.jhu.edu/book/19228 . 
• Hobson, Janell, Michelle D. Commander, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Dr. Kate Clifford Larson, Deirdre Cooper Owens, Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black, Janell Hobson, et al. “The Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Project.” Ms. Magazine, February 1, 2023. https://msmagazine.com/tubman200/ . 
• Library of Congress. Research guides: Harriet Tubman: Topics in Chronicling America: Search Strategies & Selected Articles. N.d. https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-harriet-tubman/selected-articles. 

 This biography is sponsored in part by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary  Sources Eastern Region Program, coordinated by Waynesburg University. Content created and featured in partnership with the TPS program does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress.

For further information or questions, please contact [email protected] .

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African American Heritage

Harriet Tubman (c. March 1822 - March 10, 1913)

Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Ross in Dorchester County, Maryland, was one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad, an abolitionist, suffragist, activist, and served in the Civil War as leader, nurse, cook, scout, and spy. Tubman was arguably the most successful individual who personally led enslaved people to freedom through her service on the Underground Railroad, and during the Civil War, she was given the moniker "Moses."

Tubman's early life was spent enslaved in the Eastern Shore region of Maryland, where she was made to do various tasks including childcare, plowing, and working on the wharf. Three of her sisters were sold and separated from the family during her childhood, but her parents, Rit and Ben Ross, continued to resist and keep the remaining family together. In 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, but would return to Maryland many times to recover her family and reunite them in freedom.

During the Civil War, Tubman served in South Carolina as a nurse, cook, and spy. She also became the only woman to lead a military action during the War when she led Black troops in the Combahee River Raid on June 2, 1863. The raid involved small ships and troops who destroyed roadways, and burned plantations, and collected supplies of livestock and crops. As a result of the raid, 750 enslaved people were liberated.

Records in the National Archives relating to Harriet Tubman include documents relating to her Civil War pension claims, military service records of her husband Nelson Davis (Charles), legislation establishing and images from dedicating the Harriet Tubman and Underground Railroad National Parks, images from the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, and applications for designating places and areas for the National Register of Historic Places related to Tubman. 

Search the Catalog for records relating to Harriet Tubman   Social Networks and Archival Context - Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman, after the Civil War ( NAID 7718799 )

Underground Railroad Resources

National Park Service: What is the Underground Railroad?

The Underground Railroad Byway

Digital Public Library of America: Underground Railroad and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery Project

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Harriet Tubman Resources

DocsTeach: Key Figures Who Worked to End Slavery

DocsTeach: Documents relating to Harriet Tubman

Legislative Archives: Congress and Harriet Tubman's Claim for Pension

Library of Congress: Harriet Tubman Resource Guide

National Park Service: Harriet Tubman sites

US House of Representatives: The "Very Deserving Case" of Harriet Tubman

The New York Public Library

Archives & manuscripts, harriet tubman research material 1839-1941.

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Scope and arrangement, administrative information, using the collection.

Harriet Tubman research materials represent the research process used in the production of the book by Earl Conrad on the life and activities of Harriet Tubman.

This collection of research materials about Harriet Tubman, nurse, spy, scout, and conductor on the Underground Railroad, was assembled by historian-journalist Earl Conrad as supporting documentation for a number of biographical works on this extraordinary daughter of Africa. It was deposited in the New York Public Library's Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature and History by Mr. Conrad after completion of his work.

Bronze tablet in memory of Harriet Tubman unveiled Friday, June 12, 1914, under the auspices of the Auburn Business Men's Association and Cayuga County Historical Society, Auburn, New York.

In Memory of HARRIET TUBMAN Born a Slave in Maryland About 1821 Died in Auburn, New York, March 10th 1913 Called the "Moses" of Her People During the Civil War, With Rare Courage She Led Over Three Hundred Negroes Up From Slavery to Freedom and Rendered Invaluable Service as Nurse and Spy. With Implicit Trust in God She Braved Every Danger and Overcame Every Obstacle Withal She Possessed Extraordinary Foresight and Judgment so That She Truthfully Said -- "On My Underground Railroad I Nebber Run My Train Off De Track and I Nebber Los' a Passenger." This Tablet is Erected by the Citizens of Auburn, 1914.

The Harriet Tubman research materials represent the results of several years of research by historian-journalist Earl Conrad into the life and activities of Harriet Tubman, known as the Moses of her people because of the over 300 slaves she lead to freedom via the Underground Railroad. The collection consists of correspondence between Conrad and potential sources of relevant information and documentation; research notes from published works; statements and texts of interviews with members of Harriet Tubman's family as well as with persons who knew or worked with her, and the various typescripts and drafts preceeding Conrad's completed publications.

The collection was assembled while the research was being done, generally in 1939 and 1940, and therefore reflects the documents and resources available at that time.

The Harriet Tubman research material is arranged in eight series:

This series consists of letters from Earl Conrad to potential sources of information relating to the life and activities of Harriet Tubman, and their responses. The potential sources included historians specializing in the abolitionist movement and the post-Civil War years, librarians in the various communities in which Harriet Tubman had lived or based her operations at one time or another, and such national repositories as the Library of Congress, National Archives, and the British Museum where the official records documenting her life and activities were kept.

Research notes is composed of Earl Conrad's notes taken from relevant published works. These works include histories of the period in which Harriet Tubman was active; biographies of contemporary figures; and articles in various newspapers and magazines (especially those which focused their attention on social movements, i.e. Abolition and Women's Suffrage) such as the National Anti-Slavery Standard , Liberator , and Boston Commonwealth . Notes were also taken from the general press ( New York Times and New York Herald ), the Black press ( Frederick Douglass' Newspaper ) and local newspapers ( Auburn Citizen and Post-Standard ).

Publishers' correspondence includes Conrad's correspondence with various publishers in an attempt to get his completed manuscripts on Tubman published. The letters are important in that they illustrate the strong resistance put forth by the publishing industry against anything relating to the Black experience, even when it dealt with an historical figure of Harriet Tubman's stature. These letters also document the results of an attempt to have the work published in serial form in magazines and newspapers.

Statements and interviews consists of notes and transcripts of interviews with people who knew or worked with Harriet Tubman and members of her family. They were important sources who gave direction toward further documentation of her activities. They also illustrate the impact that she had had on those around her and the high regard in which she was held even into her later years and after her death.

This series consists of other materials which were deposited in the Schomburg Collection by Earl Conrad. Most are related to Tubman, though some are not. Included are programs distributed at the unveiling of a bronze tablet dedicated to her memory in Auburn, New York.

The series consists of other materials which were deposited in the Schomburg Collection by Earl Conrad. Most are related to Tubman, though some are not. Included are newspaper clippings on specific events in her life, pamphlets about her, and articles which appeared shortly after her death.

This series consists of other materials which were deposited in the Schomburg Collection by Earl Conrad. Most are related to Tubman, though some are not. Included are a number of photographs.

This series consists of various drafts and typescripts of the books and articles about Harriet Tubman which developed out of the research materials represented in the preceeding six series. In processing the papers an attempt was made to reconstruct the drafts as they progressed to the final stage. Where this was not possible an attempt was made to key the bits and pieces to the chapters in the publication Harriet Tubman (Washington, D.C., The Associated Publishers, Inc., 1943). Unfortunately, some fragments remained which could not be related to specific parts of the books, therefore these appear at the end of the series in a number of folders labeled "Unidentified Fragments."

Source of acquisition

Donated by Earl Conrad, ca. 1960-1969.

Revision History

Finding aid updated by Lauren Stark. (2022 February 3)

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Processed by Stanton F. Biddle and Paul Williams; machine-readable finding aid created by Apex Data Services; revised by Terry Catapano.

Separated material

Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: photographs.

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“I see Harriet Tubman: the Life and the Life Stories as the most important book on Tubman in the last fifty years.” —William L. Andrews

“ Harriet Tubman: The Life and the Life Stories may be the most comprehensive book on Tubman to date. Humez’s book is extremely well researched, and her writing is both incisive and accessible, making it an excellent resource for students as well as for the general reader, interested in learning more about Tubman’s life or black women’s roles in antislavery activism.” —Denise Simon, Black Issues Book Review , February 2004, New York, NY

If you have trouble accessing any page in this web site, contact our Web manager. E-mail: [email protected]

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Strong enough to fight: harriet tubman vs. the myth of the lost cause.

My favorite quote of [Tubman’s] is, ‘I prayed to God to make me strong enough to fight.’ That’s super interesting for the time we live in—there’s so much that we have to pray to be strong enough to fight for .—Kasi Lemmons ( Sims 2019 ).

1. Introduction: Stories as Sites of Resistance

2. robert lawson’s lost cause narratives.

Awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1941, They Were Strong and Good is a classic book that follows the path of one family’s journey through American history. Robert Lawson introduces us to his forefathers and with them we brave Caribbean storms, travel to the wharf markets of New York, and fight in the Civil War. Amidst these adventures Lawson’s grandparents meet, marry, and raise a family, and later his parents follow the same cycle of life. But this book is more than just the story of one family, it’s a social history of our country. It reminds us to be proud of our ancestors—who they were, what they did, and the effect that they had on the nation we live in today. 9

This is the story of my mother and my father and of their fathers and mothers. Most of it I heard as a little boy, so there may be many mistakes; perhaps I have forgotten or mixed up some of the events and people. But that does not really matter, for this is not alone the story of my parents and grandparents, it is the story of the parents and grandparents of most of us who call ourselves Americans. None of them were great or famous, but they were strong and good. They worked hard and had many children. They all helped to make the United States the great nation that it now is. Let us be proud of them and guard well the heritage they have left us. ( Lawson 1940 )

3. Writing Harriet into History

I am no friend of slavery, but I prefer the liberty of my own country to that of another people, and the liberty of my own race to that of another race. The liberty of the descendants of Africa in the United States is incompatible with the safety and liberty of the European descendants. Their slavery forms an exception (resulting from a stern and inexorable necessity) to the general liberty in the United States. ( Wheat 1991, p. 82 )

4. You Ready to Kill the Snake?

Data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

• Bird, Augusta E. 1996. The Story of Harriet Tubman. In The Best of the Brownies’ Book . Edited by Dianne Johnson-Feelings. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 94–97. [ Google Scholar ]
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• Ito, Robert. 2019. Harriet Tubman Facts and Myths: How the Movie Tried to Get It Right. New York Times . October 19. Available online: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/movies/harriet-tubman-facts.html (accessed on 12 May 2023).
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• Sims, David. 2019. Why Harriet Is Really a Freedom Movie. The Atlantic . October 30. Available online: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/10/kasi-lemmons-why-harriet-is-a-freedom-movie/600976/ (accessed on 18 May 2023).
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Dubek, L. Strong Enough to Fight: Harriet Tubman vs. The Myth of the Lost Cause. Humanities 2023 , 12 , 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/h12040067

Dubek L. Strong Enough to Fight: Harriet Tubman vs. The Myth of the Lost Cause. Humanities . 2023; 12(4):67. https://doi.org/10.3390/h12040067

Dubek, Laura. 2023. "Strong Enough to Fight: Harriet Tubman vs. The Myth of the Lost Cause" Humanities 12, no. 4: 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/h12040067

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Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman has been known by many names—Araminta, Moses, conductor, daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt. All encompass the intersecting identities and experiences that Harriet Tubman encompassed over her lifespan. In March 2022, on the bicentennial of her birth, we look beyond these names to capture not only Harriet Tubman the icon, but Harriet the woman, and Harriet’s legacy of care, activism and bravery that influenced Black women across time.

Objects related to Harriet’s life highlight her impact on her contemporaries—such as the shawl gifted to her by Queen Victoria to acknowledge her international impact. Personal objects like her hymnal reveal her domestic life as a wife and mother, and the devout religious beliefs that inspired her to “conduct” hundreds of African Americans to freedom from bondage.

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In the years after her death in 1913, Harriet became a feminist icon for Black women’s organizations, and Black women artists including Betye Sarr, Alison Saar, Bisa Butler, Faith Ringgold and Elizabeth Catlett saw in Harriet the inspiration for the courage and creativity to document the struggle for equality as Black and as women. A pioneer in what it means to be regarded as an icon, Harriet Tubman served as a physical manifestation of liberation for many. On the bicentennial of her birth, this dynamic woman of many trades continues to be revered as an American hero and a symbol of freedom.

Carte-de-visite portrait of Harriet Tubman, 1868–69. Photograph by Benjamin F. Powelson.

Best known as the enslaved woman who brought emancipation to anyone who crossed her path, the legacy of Harriet Tubman’s lifework has inspired countless people across generations and geographic locations. Tubman was born into chattel slavery as Araminta “Minty” Ross in Dorchester County, Maryland, around 1822. Tubman was put into labor at an early age, and by the age of ten, she was hired out as a woodcutter, pest trapper and field worker. She preferred these jobs over domestic tasks in the “big house” under the scrutiny of her white mistress. Tubman’s strength of character was visible at this early stage. At age twelve, her intervention in a violent exchange between an overseer and a fugitive slave left her with substantial injuries.

After being struck on the head with a large iron weight, Tubman began suffering from severe headaches and a chronic sleep disorder called narcolepsy. In addition to her sudden attacks of sleep, she also experienced vivid religious dreams and hallucinations throughout her life. This injury left her anything but impaired. 

In her final years on the plantation before escaping, Tubman became a familiar figure in the fields. A primed field hand, she was described as a “small, muscular woman” standing at 4’11”, yet carrying half cords of wood like any other man in the fields. She was often seen with her skirt looped around her waist and a vividly colored bandanna tied around her head.

In Harriet Tubman I Helped Hundreds to Freedom , 1946–47; printed 1989. Created by Elizabeth Catlett. 2017.21.7

In Harriet Tubman I Helped Hundreds to Freedom

This 1946–47 linocut expresses the major themes that connect the large body of work Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012) produced during her lifetime: race and feminism.  Her medium of choice changed from sculpture to printmaking after moving to Mexico to join the leftist art collective, the Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP). Catlett’s artistry and politics inspired her linocuts featuring prominent Black people and themes. Much of the work she produced during her time in Mexico reflected the radical, worker-centered activism of the TGP and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

This linocut of Harriet Tubman from the series " The Black Woman (formerly the Negro Woman) " reveals Catlett’s desire to explore these major issues through the lens of Black women. We see Tubman in the simple attire that reflects the homespun clothing of enslaved women and the Black women sharecroppers of the 1940s, which collapses the historical narrative to show how long Black women have struggled against oppression. Tubman’s sinewy arm points towards freedom for the hundreds of Black people who come behind her, pointing to her strength and the weariness of the labor of this long journey.

God’s time [Emancipation] is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free. Harriet Tubman to Ednah Dow Cheney New York City, ca. 1859

During this period, the dream of freedom had spread across antebellum plantations and Tubman’s visions were no different. First, her father was set free when she was about eighteen, and then she also learned that the last will of her previous owner manumitted Tubman’s family. However, her new owner refused to acknowledge this and Tubman’s mother, Tubman herself and her siblings remained in bondage.

Her desire for freedom only grew over the years, particularly after marrying John Tubman, a freedman. The threat of her family’s separation and her difficult marriage forced Tubman to take action. On September 17, 1849, Tubman and her two brothers set out to escape the plantation, heading north. Her brothers soon turned back, and Tubman completed her journey alone with the help of the Underground Railroad on the nearly hundred-mile journey to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But her dreams of flying over corn and cotton, the North Star beckoning, did not end with her finding liberty.

Between 1850 and 1860, Tubman made over a dozen journeys across the Mason-Dixon line, guiding family and friends from slavery to freedom. During this time, her captaincy earned her the nickname “Moses," after the religious leader. The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act passed by Congress created a more dangerous journey for any enslaved person traveling northbound. With the government compelling northern law enforcement to now capture free Black Americans, Tubman’s strategies as a conductor became more militant and she began carrying a firearm for protection.

I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger. Harriet Tubman Suffrage Convention, New York, 1896

Golden Legacy Illustrated History Magazine: The Saga of Harriet Tubman, "The Moses of Her People," Vol. 2, 1967. Published by Fitzgerald Publishing Co. 2019.22.12

The Saga of Harriet Tubman, "The Moses of Her People"

The Golden Legacy Illustrated History Magazine is a graphic novel series published by Bertram A. Fitzgerald. These graphic novels were produced between 1966 and 1976 to “ implant pride and self-esteem in black youth while dispelling myths in others. ” “We believe this can be accomplished through our visual presentation of worldwide achievements in an effortless and enjoyable manner with a magazine which can be widely distributed.”

This issue about Harriet Tubman was written by Joan Bacchus Maynard , an artist, community organizer and preservationist who was a member of the grassroots organization to save Weeksville, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, founded by free African Americans. Tubman is depicted on the cover as a fierce and courageous figure, and the danger of her work as conductor is palpable in the rifle she carries to protect herself and those she leads to freedom.

Through her friendship with fellow abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, Tubman created her own network within the Underground Railroad. After a decade as a conductor, Tubman was called to action when the American Civil War began in 1861. She proved herself resourceful as a nurse, and she treated Union soldiers and fugitive African Americans alike using the medicinal value of native plants, a skill she learned as a young, enslaved woman working in the woods. After just two years of service, Harriet was tasked with moving behind enemy lines to gather intelligence from a web of informants. First a nurse, laundress and cook, now a spy and scout, Harriet Tubman also became the first woman in US history to lead a military expedition when she led Black troops in the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina in 1863.

I had reasoned this out in my mind; 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; for no man should take me alive; I should fight for my liberty as long as my strength lasted, and when the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me. Harriet Tubman to Sarah Bradford Harriet, The Moses of Her People (1886)

Despite her renown and her heroism, Tubman was only paid $200 for the entirety of her service—less than half of what her white male counterparts received monthly. Additional compensation from the government came several decades later in the form of a pension as the widow of Nelson Davis, a Black union soldier she married after the war rather than for her own service. After the introduction of a bill by a Republican congressmember to grant Tubman a pension, President William McKinley later signed a bill granting Tubman a pension for her role as an Army nurse. Financial issues throughout the remainder of her life did not stop Tubman from lending her service to anyone in need. In 1896, on the land adjacent to her home, Harriet’s open-door policy flowered into the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged and Indigent Colored People, where she spent her remaining years until her death in 1913. This home, located in Auburn, New York, a city about an hour outside of Syracuse and near Seneca Falls—the recognized birthplace of American feminism and women’s rights—became a site of pilgrimage for African Americans.

Angela Tate, Curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture gives a deeper look into objects related to Harriet Tubman's life.

Postcard for the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged

Pinback button for the Harriet Tubman Home

Brick from the Harriet Tubman Home

The NMAAHC bridges the connection between emancipation and modern-day freedom struggles in the collection of Harriet Tubman’s personal effects. In 2009, Charles L. Blockson, a historian and expert on the Underground Railroad, donated to the Museum a collection of items relating to Harriet Tubman’s life and legacy that were collected and given to him by Tubman’s descendants. Items such as a fork and knife from the Tubman household demystify and ground Tubman, giving her a sense of personhood.

Knife and fork from the Tubman household, 1870s.

Apron owned by Harriet Tubman, 1870–1913.

Handkerchief owned by Harriet Tubman, 1870s–1913.

The legacy of Harriet Tubman holds multitudes. Myths and legends about her acts of valor on the Underground Railroad have inspired artists to retrace her courage and skill in works of art. Tubman’s name readily evokes the image of strength (as seen in the christening of a cargo ship named after her in World War II ) and the complexities of being a Black woman—a pillar of courage to the public and a place of refuge for one’s family, friends and community.

Gospel Hymns No. 2 , 1876. Personal hymnal of Harriet Tubman. 2009.50.25

Harriet Tubman was a hero and icon during her lifetime and afterwards. Objects in the Museum's collection tell the story of her life at home with family and the accolades she received from the public. Her personal piety formed the basis of her pursuit of freedom and to go back and conduct others to freedom. Tubman’s small 8 x 5 inch hymnal is inscribed with the names of its two owners: Harriet Tubman and her great-niece Eva Northup. Though Tubman never learned to read, her spiritual beliefs were strengthened by the hymns and spirituals associated with African American uplift and freedom. Tubman’s favorite hymn was “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” a hymn associated with the hidden messages between conductors on the Underground Railroad and the bondspeople traveling through it. The importance of this hymn to Tubman’s legacy is present in Alison Saar’s sculpture titled after the song.

Swing Low: Harriet Tubman Memorial, 2007. Created by Alison Saar. 2011.63

Swing Low: Harriet Tubman Memorial

Alison Saar (b. 1956), is a Los Angeles-based sculptor and mixed media artist who focuses on women and the African diaspora. This sculpture is titled after a Negro spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” which expresses a longing for a return to heaven. But it could also be a song of liberation, where the lyrics held coded messages that told of when Underground Railroad conductors like Harriet Tubman would arrive to assist in stealing away to freedom. This is a small-scale version of Saar’s 13 feet tall monument to Harriet Tubman that stands in Harriet Tubman Memorial Plaza, in south Harlem at St. Nicholas Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard at West 122nd Street. Saar depicts Tubman "not as the conductor of the Underground Railroad, but as the train itself, an unstoppable locomotive.” Tubman’s forward motion tears up the roots of slavery. The skirt of her dress holds chains, knives, glass bottles and the faces of those she led to freedom.

Interview with Alison Saar, the artist who created "Swing Low: A Memorial to Harriet Tubman" at West 122nd Street, St. Nicholas Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

Photograph album owned by Emily Howland showing the last page featuring a photograph of Harriet Tubman.

In 2017, the common image of Harriet Tubman—that of an elderly woman in a white shawl—was forever changed with the discovery of a never-before-seen photograph of Tubman from the late 1860s at the back of a photo album owned by Emily Howland. Howland was a philanthropist, suffragist and educator who was also active in abolitionist circles. In 2017, her photo album was acquired jointly by the NMAAHC and the Library of Congress. Of the nearly fifty photographs of abolitionists, educators and statesmen included in the albums pages, there was the newly discovered photograph of Harriet Tubman. The carte-de-visite portrait of Harriet Tubman was taken in Auburn, New York, when Tubman was in her mid-forties. This image of Tubman at the height of her powers is especially interesting when noting how stylish she appears to be. She drapes her ruffled arm gracefully across a chair and the other rests on her checked skirt and she appears solemn yet assured.

I Go To Prepare A Place For You , 2021. Created by Bisa Butler. 2021.38

I Go To Prepare A Place For You

Bisa Butler, an artist who uses textiles and quilting to share stories of African American history and culture, used Benjamin Powelson's portrait of Tubman from the Howland Album to recreate her vibrancy and strength. The quilt’s symbolism displays Tubman's need to conceal herself, her personality, and to express her religious beliefs. According to Butler , the sunflower motif is intended to “acknowledge Harriet Tubman’s reliance (and that of many people escaping slavery) on the North Star to help point the way towards freedom. The sun is also a star, and the sunflower symbolizes that guiding light. The sunflower is known as a spiritual and devotional flower because they follow the sun as it moves from East to West in the sky. The sunflowers appear to worship the sun and I use that to indicate Tubman’s devout faith.”

Portraits of Harriet Tubman in the NMAAHC collection document her as a woman, as a wife and mother, and as a caretaker. Observing these images of Tubman at different stages of her life provides further context for her story and legacy. These images give the famed Underground Railroad conductor a more tangible connection to the significant role of Black women’s activism and highlights the way images shape how we remember important Black women.

Harriet Tubman, 1871–76; printed later. Photograph by Harvey B. Lindsley.

Postcard of Harriet Tubman, Nelson Davis, and daughter Gertie, ca. 1887; printed later. Photograph by William Haight Cheney.

Albumen print of Harriet Tubman, ca. 1908; printed ca. 1920. Photograph by Tarby Studios.

Photographic postcard of Harriet Tubman, 1911–12; printed 1917–30.

The NMAAHC shares the story of Harriet Tubman through its collections relating to her life, her activism, her strength and her community. The materials here provide a second glance at what we think we know and celebrate about Tubman on the 200th anniversary of her birth.

Browse Objects in the NMAAHC Collection Relating to Harriet Tubman

Written by Angela Tate, Curator of Women’s History, and Romya-Jenevieve Jerry, Annie Bell Shepherd Curatorial Intern in African American Women’s History Published on March 4, 2022

https://www.militarytimes.com/military-honor/black-military-history/2018/02/07/general-tubman-female-abolitionist-was-also-a-secret-military-weapon/

http://www.harriet-tubman.org/

https://nmaahc.si.edu/about/news/album-previously-unknown-photo-young-harriet-tubman-go-public-view-first-time

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/combahee-ferry-raid

Share Your Story 

Because of Harriet, we understand there is always a path forward. Because of Harriet, we are empowered to be bold and confident against all odds. As you reflect on Tubman’s life and legacy, share who you are because of Harriet on social media using #HiddenHerstory.

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Harriet Tubman

By: History.com Editors

Updated: February 20, 2024 | Original: October 29, 2009

Harriet Tubman was an escaped enslaved woman who became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, leading enslaved people to freedom before the Civil War, all while carrying a bounty on her head. But 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.

When Was Harriet Tubman Born?

Harriet Tubman was born around 1820 on a plantation in Dorchester County, Maryland. Her parents, Harriet (“Rit”) Green and Benjamin Ross, named her Araminta Ross and called her “Minty.”

Rit worked as a cook in the plantation’s “big house,” and Benjamin was a timber worker. Araminta later changed her first name to Harriet in honor of her mother.

Harriet had eight brothers and sisters, but the realities of slavery eventually forced many of them apart, despite Rit’s attempts to keep the family together. When Harriet was five years old, she was rented out as a nursemaid where she was whipped when the baby cried, leaving her with permanent emotional and physical scars.

Around age seven Harriet was rented out to a planter to set muskrat traps and was later rented out as a field hand. She later said she preferred physical plantation work to indoor domestic chores.

A Good Deed Gone Bad

Harriet’s desire for justice became apparent at age 12 when she spotted an overseer about to throw a heavy weight at a fugitive. Harriet stepped between the enslaved person and the overseer—the weight struck her head.

She later said about the incident, “The weight broke my skull … They carried me to the house all bleeding and fainting. I had no bed, no place to lie down on at all, and they laid me on the seat of the loom, and I stayed there all day and the next.”

Harriet’s good deed left her with headaches and narcolepsy the rest of her life, causing her to fall into a deep sleep at random. She also started having vivid dreams and hallucinations which she often claimed were religious visions (she was a staunch Christian). Her infirmity made her unattractive to potential slave buyers and renters.

Escape from Slavery

In 1840, Harriet’s father was set free and Harriet learned that Rit’s owner’s last will had set Rit and her children, including Harriet, free. But Rit’s new owner refused to recognize the will and kept Rit, Harriet and the rest of her children in bondage.

Around 1844, Harriet married John Tubman, a free Black man, and changed her last name from Ross to Tubman. The marriage was not good, and the knowledge that two of her brothers—Ben and Henry—were about to be sold provoked Harriet to plan an escape.

After the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman Led a Brazen Civil War Raid

Tubman applied intelligence she learned as an Underground Railroad conductor to lead the Combahee Ferry Raid that freed more than 700 from slavery.

6 Strategies Harriet Tubman and Others Used to Escape Along the Underground Railroad

From elaborate disguises to communicating in code to fighting back, enslaved people found multiple paths to freedom.

Harriet Tubman: 8 Facts About the Daring Abolitionist

Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in the North in 1849 and then risked her life to lead other enslaved people to freedom.

Harriet Tubman: Underground Railroad

On September 17, 1849, Harriet, Ben and Henry escaped their Maryland plantation. The brothers, however, changed their minds and went back. With the help of the Underground Railroad , Harriet persevered and traveled 90 miles north to Pennsylvania and freedom.

Tubman found work as a housekeeper in Philadelphia, but she wasn’t satisfied living free on her own—she wanted freedom for her loved ones and friends, too.

She soon returned to the south to lead her niece and her niece’s children to Philadelphia via the Underground Railroad. At one point, she tried to bring her husband John north, but he’d remarried and chose to stay in Maryland with his new wife.

Fugitive Slave Act

The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act allowed fugitive and freed workers in the north to be captured and enslaved. This made Harriet’s role as an Underground Railroad conductor much harder and forced her to lead enslaved people further north to Canada, traveling at night, usually in the spring or fall when the days were shorter.

She carried a gun for both her own protection and to “encourage” her charges who might be having second thoughts. She often drugged babies and young children to prevent slave catchers from hearing their cries.

Over the next 10 years, Harriet befriended other abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass , Thomas Garrett and Martha Coffin Wright, and established her own Underground Railroad network. It’s widely reported she emancipated 300 enslaved people; however, those numbers may have been estimated and exaggerated by her biographer Sarah Bradford, since Harriet herself claimed the numbers were much lower.

Nevertheless, it’s believed Harriet personally led at least 70 enslaved people to freedom, including her elderly parents, and instructed dozens of others on how to escape on their own. She claimed, “I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.”

Harriet Tubman's Civil War Service

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Harriet found new ways to fight slavery. She was recruited to assist fugitive enslaved people at Fort Monroe and worked as a nurse, cook and laundress. Harriet used her knowledge of herbal medicines to help treat sick soldiers and fugitive enslaved people.

In 1863, Harriet became head of an espionage and scout network for the Union Army. She provided crucial intelligence to Union commanders about Confederate Army supply routes and troops and helped liberate enslaved people to form Black Union regiments.

Though just over five feet tall, she was a force to be reckoned with, although it took over three decades for the government to recognize her military contributions and award her financially.

Harriet Tubman’s Later Years

After the Civil War, Harriet settled with family and friends on land she owned in Auburn, New York . She married former enslaved man and Civil War veteran Nelson Davis in 1869 (her husband John had died 1867) and they adopted a little girl named Gertie a few years later.

Harriet had an open-door policy for anyone in need. She supported her philanthropy efforts by selling her home-grown produce, raising pigs and accepting donations and loans from friends. She remained illiterate yet toured parts of the northeast speaking on behalf of the women’s suffrage movement and worked with noted suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony .

In 1896, Harriet purchased land adjacent to her home and opened the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent Colored People. The head injury she suffered in her youth continued to plague her and she endured brain surgery to help relieve her symptoms. But her health continued to deteriorate and eventually forced her to move into her namesake rest home in 1911.

Pneumonia took Harriet Tubman’s life on March 10, 1913, but her legacy lives on. Schools and museums bear her name and her story has been revisited in books, movies and documentaries.

Harriet Tubman: $20 Bill

Tubman even had a World War II Liberty ship named after her, the SS Harriet Tubman.

In 2016, the United States Treasury announced that Harriet’s image will replace that of former President and slaveowner Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (who served under President Trump) later announced the new bill would be delayed until at least 2026. In January 2021, President Biden's administration announced it would speed up the design process to mint the bills honoring Tubman's legacy.

HISTORY Vault: Black History

Watch acclaimed Black History documentaries on HISTORY Vault.

Early Life. Harriet Tubman Historical Society.

General Tubman: Female Abolitionist was Also a Secret Military Weapon. Military Times.

Harriet Tubman Biography. Biography.

Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, Residence, and Thompson AME Zion Church. National Park Service.

Harriet Tubman Myths and Facts. Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman Portrait of An American Hero by Kate Clifford Larson, Ph.D.

Harriet Tubman. National Park Service .

Harriet Tubman. National Women’s History Museum.

Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People. Harriet Tubman Historical Society.

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad. National Park Service.

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Harriet Tubman - Essay Samples And Topic Ideas For Free

Harriet Tubman was a crucial figure in American history known for her role as an abolitionist, humanitarian, and a scout and spy during the Civil War. An essay on Harriet Tubman might explore her remarkable life, her contributions to the abolition of slavery through the Underground Railroad, or her legacy in American history. The essay could also delve into the broader socio-political context in which she operated and the enduring impact of her humanitarian efforts. A vast selection of complimentary essay illustrations pertaining to Harriet Tubman you can find in Papersowl database. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Harriet Tubman: a Biography

Introduction/ Early Years Around 1820-1821 in Maryland, a baby named Harriet was born. Harriet was called Minty. Minty’s dad was named Ben, and her mom was named Harriet Rose. Minty’s parents were saves, so they never learned to read or write, so they couldn’t write down Minty’s birthdate. Minty was also a slave just like her parents, so she had lots of different masters. One time Minty was working in the field, when a slave ran through the corn field […]

Harriet Tubman Thesis Statement

Harriet Tubman was born a slave but grew up to be one of the most important and influential people in the American Civil War. She was born to Harriet and Ben Ross. Tubman was a slave to Edward Brodas. She also was the first black woman to lead an assault in the American Civil War (History back cover) and was a nurse in the Union Army (Michals). She had multiple nicknames such as “Moses” because she delivered her people (the […]

Why Segregation should be Stop?

Segregation was abolished years ago, but some states still allow it. When segregation was in act African Americans were separated from the Caucasians because they were thought to be better. The African Americans fought for a change until it finally happened. Now that it is over states should not be able to treat colored as if they are trash. The government needs to put an end to it once and for all. Colored people are going to continue to fight […]

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Rosa Parks Vs. Harriet Tubman

Known for changing the cause of history, these two women Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman would forever be mentioned because of their roles in Women Suffrage. Although both women came from different backgrounds and different time era, they influenced the Women Civil Right Movement. Harriet Tubman who is mostly known for being the Conductor of the Underground Railroad was born a slave on January 29, 1822, in Maryland. When she was five, she was rented out to a family who […]

Harriet Tubman: Great Women in History

Harriet Tubman was known the “Moses” of her people because she left a mark in history that will never be forgotten. Around the 1820s, Tubman was born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland. Throughout her lifetime, she played a major role in the lives of many during a time period of hard times in the United States. Tubman was, in fact, a hero because of all the sacrifices she faced to fight for freedom all the people. Harriet Tubman accomplished […]

Slave Codes and Secret Messages

In 1831, the underground railroad was invented and it was a way for slaves to escape and find their freedom. The underground railroad were secret routes that would help the slaves get their way safely to Canada. In the underground railroad, they didn’t only have secret routes to help them, but they would also use codes and hidden messages to help them do whatever they needed and tell them everything they needed to know. These codes were so important because […]

About Harriet Tubman and Slavery

Slavery was legalized in America in 1776, and it lasted until 1865 when the Thirteenth Amendment was passed in 1865. An abolitionist is a person who is apart of the movement to end slavery. Harriet Tubman was one of the most famous abolitionists. She was known as the “Moses” of her people. Her work was part of an intricate system called the Underground Railroad organized by other abolitionists. Harriet has always been a fighter. She was born Araminta Ross in […]

Harriet Tubman – 1,000 Slaves Escaped Per Year

"Did you know about 1,000 slaves escaped per year? But the women who started it was a brave african american name Harriet Tubman. She had many dangerous missions to save slaves but she had a quote that said “ I would fight for my liberty as long as my strength lasted, and if the time came for me to go, the lord would let them take me”. But the brave Harriet Tubman had a hard life with many challenges. She […]

The Abolitionist Movement

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Harriet Tubman and her Journey Towards Freedom

Could you imagine the life of a african american back in the south during the 1820’s. Having the lack of freedom, doing hard labor in the burning heat, or doing rough labor in the bone chilling cold. No we really can’t. With the amazing freedom everyone has today in this amazing country. Today all races can go around the United States without getting beat or even killed. Today everyone is treated with equality. But the world was not always so […]

Harriet Tubman Biography

Introduction Did you know that harriet tubman was an african american that helped many hundreds of slaves from the southern state get their freedom back. In addition Harriet Tubman built the underground railroad.Harriet Tubman was born in the 1820’s in Maryland. Harriet’s family and herself were slaves. “When Harriet Tubman was about 6 years old she was working” (Pebblego). Also harriet built the underground railroad too. You will also be learning about her early life. Early life In this paragraph […]

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Harriet Tubman (Araminta Ross) Biography

To begin with, Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Ross was born into slavery. Harriet changed her name in honor of her mother. Harriet “Rit” Green, mother, cooked for the Brodess family, and father, Benjamin Ross, was a timber worker, owned by Anthony Thompson until 1840, he was freed. Harriet, along with her eight siblings, and parents were owned by the Brodess family. At the age of five Harriet was hired as a nursemaid, and if the baby began to cry, she […]

Harriet Tubman: the Road to Freedom

Harriet Tubman is well known for her courage and bravery. She was a nurse,civil rights activist, and led many African Americans to freedom. She was born in Dorchester County, MD. around 1820, or so they think. And she died in Auburn NY.on march 10, 1913. Her original name was Araminta Ross but she later changed her name to Harriet like her mother. Unfortunately no records were kept over Harriet Tubman so her exact date of birth is unknown. Harriet Tubman […]

Harriet Tubman’s Early Years and Escape from Slavery

Harriet Tubman, the woman who faced much adversity in her life, especially in her earlier years, was a very influential black civil rights abolitionist. During the 1850s, African-Americans were not treated equally to whites. Many blacks were slaves and Harriet Tubman was no exception, she was treated terribly throughout her early life being tortured by her owner for years. Harriet Tubman was able to persevere through adversity and slavery and was able to set free hundreds of slaves, thus allowing […]

Harriet Tubman – Pioneer for the Underground Railroad

"During the early 19th century, Harriet Tubman was one of the pioneers for the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad helped enslaved people escape to freedom through various passageways and routes1. The railroad consisted of a series of hidden passages and safe houses where escapees and abolitionists helped lead slaves to the North (and South) to freedom. These routes led African-American slaves to freedom to the free states and other countries such as Canada, Nova Scotia, and Mexico. Although the years […]

Harriet’s Rough Beginning

Harriet Tubman Imagine being born into slavery with all your family members. That’s how Harriet Tubman’s life was. However, she knew one day she can escape from this. Before this she was born throughout 1800 - 1820, her exact birthday is unknown. Harriet is really brave girl. By the age of five Tubman’s owners wanted to rent her to be their slave. Her owners abused her all the time but this didn’t stop her from acting so bad. Her owner […]

Harriet Tubman: Path to Freedom

Harriet Tubman is one of the most influential African Americans in history, but she would not have been so successful if it was not for her life growing up and the challenges she faced. Harriet Tubman encountered adversity as a child and without struggling as a child, she would not have been successful in what she accomplished. Harriet Tubman is one of the most influential figures in American history because she became head of the espionage for the Union Army, […]

Who was Harriet Tubman?

Introduction Did you know Harriet Tubman started working as a slave when she was 6 years old? Harriet or Minty had a weight thrown at her head and it cracked her head and she suffers from seizures and headaches. She also had narcolepsy then Minty got married to a free black man named John Tubman. Harriet Tubman took her name from her mother Just because John was a free man it didn’t make Harriet a free person two. Harriet knew […]

All about Harriet Tubman

Introduction Do you know the name Harriet Tubman. Well you should, this girl she was brave and stood up for freedom and other people. Harriet Tubman isn’t here real name either it was Araminta Ross! “She was in the army for some of here life”. and was a slave as well. Early life Harriet Tubman(Araminta Ross) January 29 1822 was born into slavery in Maryland. When she go older she married a free man but was still a slave. In […]

César Chávez and Harriet Tubman’s Methods of Fight

Have you ever wondered how it was back in time? Cesar Chavez helped farmers and Harriet Tubman helped slaves. They both accomplished their goal of fighting for human rights cesar chavez helped improve farmers life, On the introduction the paragraph stated “Chavez and his supporters successful improved the lives of farmers around the country,and his speeches about justice,community,and education still resonate with community activists and politicians today” Harriet tubman saved more than 300 slaves and told her story to many […]

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Biography of Harriet Tubman

Harriet tubman was born in the year of 1822 a slave on Maryland’s eastern shore ,her real name was Araminta Ross but a lot of people do not know that because they think she supposed to be know as Harriet Tubman.She changed her name to Harriet in honor of her mother and took her husband’s last name, Tubman.She was the first slave to get picked by her slave owners which was by Brodas to Mrs. James Cook. She endured the […]

How Harriet Tubman Change the World

Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave that led to be one of the most prevalent civil rights activists in the 1800s. Not only has she saved many men and woman from slavery, she has also led soldiers in Union operations and brought light on the corrupt industry that was slavery. Tubman's contributions to the civil rights movement in the 19th century have greatly affected our lives and could possibly one of the most remembered civil rights activists. I think it's […]

The Life of Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman also known as Araminta Ross was born on January 29,1822. She thought she was born in 1825 since they had no record. Her parents are Bob Ross and Harriet Greene she lived in Dorchester County, Maryland She was born into a slave family. She worked in the house until she was twelve. At twelve she was moved to the fields with her mother, father, and older siblings. When she was thirteen she had a 2 lb weight accidentally […]

Harriet Tubman’s Sacrifices to Become an American Hero

Harriet Tubman is considered an American hero and an influential role model. She was a five-foot tall African American abolitionist who lead hundreds of slaves away from something that was considered inescapable. She is a well-known female that many people believe is inspirational. Harriet Ross Tubman, born Araminta “Minty” Ross, was born a slave on the plantation of Edward Brodess in Dorchester County, Maryland. Her mother was Harriet “Rit” Green, owned by Mary Pattison Brodess; and her father was Ben […]

Frederick Douglass: an Activist of America

Husband, Father, Slave; Three things that were Frederick Douglass. He was an experienced abolitionist who broke free of slavery and continued his work through orating. He substantially affected American social policies by writing paramount autobiographies of his life as a slave and arguing for the allowance of colored soldiers in the Union army. Frederick Douglass implied that he was an honrable man because of his words and effort, plus other’s ideas about him as he attempted annhilatting the slavery business. […]

Harriet Tubman’s Impact on Today’s History

"The topic I’m researching is about a lady named Harriet Tubman. I choose Harriet Tubman as a topic because she is a great part of today’s history. She stuped solitude and showed an individual that subjection is terrible she was a decent individual that put her life on the and cherished others When Harriet Tubman was an infant, she would get whips that grave her lasting and passionate scars, when she was 12 years old she saw somebody going to […]

Women in History: Harriet Tubman

As life got tougher, Hariet Tubman became a stronger woman. She was a woman with a mission because of her horrible childhood. She is known this day to be one of the most famous African American women in history due to her bravery to escape slavery, her work to save any slaves using the Underground Railroad, and the role she played during the Civil War to change slaves lives. Here is her story. Hariet was born Araminta “Minty” Ross to […]

Essay about who was Harriet Tubman?

Harriet Tubman was someone who was truly ahead of her time. She was a abolitionist slave who risked her life to help slaves escape to freedom. Despite the dangers that she faced, she was a very brave and heroic person. Although she received her freedom, she chose to go back South to help other slaves so that they could be free too. Harriet Tubman was born around the year of 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland. No one knows the exact […]

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How To Write An Essay On Harriet Tubman

Introduction to harriet tubman's life and legacy.

Writing an essay on Harriet Tubman requires a deep understanding of her life, her role in the abolitionist movement, and her lasting impact on American history. Begin by introducing Tubman as a key figure in the struggle against slavery in the United States. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and became a leading abolitionist, guiding many slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. In your introduction, highlight the significance of her contributions and set the stage for a detailed exploration of her life, the challenges she faced, and her enduring legacy.

Exploring Tubman's Early Life and Escape from Slavery

In the first part of your essay's body, delve into Tubman's early life and the remarkable journey of her escape from slavery. Describe the conditions of her life in Maryland, where she was born and spent her early years as a slave. Discuss the factors that led to her decision to escape and the risks involved in such a daring endeavor. This part of the essay should paint a vivid picture of Tubman’s strength, resilience, and unwavering desire for freedom, setting the tone for her later achievements.

Tubman's Contributions to the Abolitionist Movement

The next section should focus on Tubman's significant contributions to the abolitionist movement. Detail her involvement in the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses used to help enslaved African Americans escape to free states. Describe her methods, the challenges she faced, and her success in never losing a “passenger.” Also, explore her role in the broader abolitionist movement, including her work with other prominent figures like John Brown and Frederick Douglass. This part of the essay is crucial in highlighting Tubman's bravery, strategic acumen, and impact on the fight against slavery.

Concluding with Tubman's Enduring Legacy

Conclude your essay by reflecting on Harriet Tubman's enduring legacy. Discuss how her life and actions have continued to inspire generations long after the abolition of slavery. Consider her role as a symbol of courage and freedom, and her influence on subsequent civil rights movements. Your conclusion should tie together the key aspects of Tubman’s life and legacy, emphasizing her significance not just as a historical figure, but as a continuing source of inspiration in the ongoing struggle for equality and justice. A well-crafted conclusion will leave readers with a deeper appreciation of Harriet Tubman's extraordinary life and her crucial role in American history.

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Primary Sources: People - American Women: Tubman, Harriet

• Abzug, Bella
• Addams, Jane
• Angelou, Maya
• Anthony, Susan B.
• Arendt, Hannah
• Baker, Ella
• Barton, Clara
• Beecher, Catharine
• Blackwell, Elizabeth
• Bolton, Roxcy
• Braden, Anne
• Brown, Elaine
• Carson, Rachel
• Cather, Willa
• Catt, Carrie Chapman
• Child, Lydia Marie
• Chisholm, Shirley
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• Davis, Angela Y.
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• Gilman, Charlotte Perkins
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• Howe, Julia Ward
• Hurston, Zora Neale
• Jacobs, Harriet
• Jones, Mother
• Keller, Helen
• King, Coretta Scott
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• Stein, Gertrude
• Steinem, Gloria
• Stowe, Harriet Beecher
• Tallchief, Maria
• Tarbell, Ida M.
• Terrell, Mary Church
• Tubman, Harriet
• Walker, Alice
• Walker, C. J., Madam
• Warren, Mercy Otis
• Wells, Ida B.
• Welty, Eudora
• Wharton, Edith
• Wheatley, Phillis
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• Woodhull, Victoria C.
• First Ladies

Online Sources: Harriet Tubman

• Library of Congress: Harriet Tubman Images
• Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman (Freely Available via Accessible Archives) more... less... Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Harriet Ross to slave parents in 1820. She married around 1844 and changed her name to Harriet Tubman. In 1849, she escaped from her owners, was captured but quickly escaped again, making it to Philadelphia where she found work. She went on to become a leading abolitionist.
• Bill Granting a Pension to Harriet Tubman Davis (1/19/1899)
• Approved Pension File for Harriet Tubman Davis, Widow of Private Nelson Davis (alias Nelson Charles), Company G, 8th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment (WC-415288)

Book Sources: Harriet Tubman

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Known as the “Moses of her people,” Harriet Tubman ran away from slavery but went back to the South approximately 13 more times, risking her life to bring others to freedom along the Underground Railroad. In the Civil War she worked as a Union spy and scout, and was celebrated for her courage. Read more about it!

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Harriet Tubman Research Papers

Harriet Tubman was born around the year of 1820, in Dorchester County, Maryland. Although many know her as Harriet Tubman, this was not her birth name; she was birthed as Araminta Ross. The name Harriet came from her mother, Harriet Green, who was a cook. Her father, Ben Ross, was a skilled woodsman. Tubman faced a lot of pressure and issues growing up as a child. At the age of five, she had a job that consisted of nursing an infant. She had to constantly rock and hold the baby, so it would not cry. If the baby was heard crying by the mistress, then Tubman would suffer consequences that would involve her getting whipped. About two years later, she was hired to collect rats from traps, which caused her to become ill. Once around this time, due to fear of punishment, Tubman ran away for about three days after she was caught sneaking sugar. During these days, she was hidden in a pigpen, where she competed with them for food. By the time Tubman turned twelve, she was able to work in the fields. Also, around this time, she received a …show more content…

Since Harriet was still a slave, their marriage was not official. Also, since she was still a slave, there was a risk of her being sold. It is believed that the two were separated when she escaped to freedom. He had remarried by the time she returned. Twenty-three years later, in 1867, John Tubman died in an altercation with another man. Twenty-five years later after the beginning of her first marriage with John Tubman, she married Nelson Davis, which was in 1869. Unlike her first marriage, Harriet and Nelson’s marriage was official. The two were married at a Presbyterian church in Auburn, New York. Together, the couple ran a farm and brick business. In 1874, Harriet and Nelson adopted a baby girl, known as Gertie Davis. Years later, in 1888, Nelson Davis died.2 Aside from Harriet Tubman ’s childhood and love life, she had many more adventures throughout her

Araminta Harriet Ross Research Papers

When Tubman was about seven years old she was hired out to collect muskrats from traps (Early). In order to do this job, she had to constantly be waist deep in water which later caused her to contract measles. Five years later at age 12, her life was changed forever. Araminta was at a grocery store where she tried to help a fugitive slave escape. Once she saw the slave run out of the store, she stood in front of the doorway to block Barrett, the owner.

The Role Of Harriet Involvement In John Brown's Raid

Her abilities to track through the woods, disguise herself, and lead others on secret missions equipped her well to help carry on activities in the enemy lines. In June 1863, colonel Montgomery asked Tubman to help guide soldiers up South Carolina 's Combahee river. Harriet guided colonel Montgomery and 150 soldiers along the river past the confederate lines. The successful union force brought back 700 to 800 slaves who were laborers in a nearby plantation, as well as much enemy property. This feat made Tubman famous.

Ida B Wells The Underground Railroad Analysis

She was very strong and helping . Tubman was known for being a slave but also helped other slaves escape . Tubman acted heroically when she escaped slavery and still went back to slaves through the underground railroad . She helped people with a route to escape from the south to the north . In the text it says “The Underground Railroad was not an actual railroad, but was instead a network of safe houses and routes slaves could take to escape from the South to freedom in the North.

Harriet Tubm Main Conductor Of The Underground Railroad

Harriet Tubman was an African American/Negro. She was also the main Conductor of the Underground Railroad. She was born in 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland, USA. She was originally born with the name Araminta Ross. She was also known by her nicknames: Minty and Moses.

Harriet Tubman During The American Civil War

Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross c 1822 -. 10/03/1913), was African American, humanitarian, and, during the American Civil War spy abolitionist Union. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made thirteen missions to rescue his friends and about seventy slave family, using the network antislavery activists and safe houses known as subways. Abolitionist later helped John Brown recruit men for his attack on Harpers Ferry, and in the postwar era struggled for women 's

Harriet Tubman Accomplishments

This is where she would change her original last name from Ross to Tubman. She would also change her first name to Harriet to resemble her mother, Harriet Greene Ross. Harriet had heard that her brothers, Ben and Henry, were going to be sold, so she had to make an escape plan. On September 17, 1849, Harriet, Ben, and Henry would escaped the plantation they were on. But the brothers would change their mind and decide to go back, but Harriet didn't.

What Was Harriet Tubman's Greatest Achievement

Harriet Tubman spent most of her life trying to help slaves. She was a slave herself, she was born in Dorchester Country, Maryland in the year 1822. She started working at a very young age, by the age of 5 she was already doing child care and consequently by 12 she was doing field work and hauling logs, as she got older the job got harder. When she turned 26 Harriet decided to make a life-changing decision when her master died, she decided to abscond. She married a free black man.

Compare And Contrast Harriett Tubman And Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman mostly known for her abolitionist work was a very influential woman that saved many slaves’ lives. She was born into slavery with siblings and parents by her side. She died on March 10, 1913, but is still remembered for all of her work. Harriet Tubman had a hard life in slavery, worked in the Civil War, rescued slaves, worked on the underground railroad and can be compared to Nat Turner who also lived in the period of time when there was slavery. First off, Harriet Tubman was a slave that suffered many beatings and punishments for her actions that would cause her to have seizures in her later life.

Harriet Tubman An Abolitionist

Undoubtedly, Harriet Tubman was the most influential abolitionist of the early to mid-1800s.  Born a slave in 1820, Tubman escaped her plantation in 1849, and returned 19 times to rescue over 300 enslaved people.  Tubman was called “Black Moses” because she, like Moses of the Old Testament, led her people out of persecution and into freedom. She had narcolepsy (a mental disorder that causes one to fall asleep randomly) but still served as a nurse, a scout, and a spy for the Union during the Civil War.  

Harriet Tubman Early Life

Harriet Tubman died of pneumonia in 1913. Harriet Tubman, widely known and well-respected while she was alive. Became an American icon/ idol in the years after Tubman past away. A survey at the end of the 20th century named her as one of the most famous civilians in American before the Civil war, third only Betsy Ross and Paul Revere. She keeps on inspiring generations of American struggling for civil rights with her bravery and awesome

Women In The Civil War Essay

She also acted as a civil war nurse, an advocate for civil rights and a leader in the underground railroad. Harriett Tubman, born Araminta Ross, was birthed in 1819 or 1820 as a slave. She changed her name to Harriett in honor of her mother and propositioned her owner to marry a freedman John Tubman. Her owners agreed to the marriage if she continued to work their plantation. Harriett led a challenging life and relied on her faith in God to assist her in her freedom and freedom of others.

Comparing The Works Of Susan Sparrow, And Harriet Tubman

She received many injuries do to getting hit. “Harriet later recounted a particular day when she was lashed five times before breakfast … encountered a slave who had left the fields without permission. The man’s overseer demanded that Tubman help restrain the runaway. When Harriet refused, the overseer threw a two-pound weight that struck her in the head.” (bio.com)

Harriet Tubman Optimism Essay

In 1849 Harriet gained freedom and decided to help people in the same position she was in. Although she had already gained freedom she returned many times to help free her family and other slaves. Harriet became known as the “conductor” of the Underground Railroad which was a secret network of safe houses designed for helping people escape slavery. She also worked as a spy for the Union during the Civil War. After the end of the Civil War, Tubman continued to help slaves and other people who needed it.

Harriet Tubman Essay

In order to further aid those in need, she allowed many individuals in need to stay at her house and eventually bought a plot of land to house aged people of color. After the Civil War, Harriet settled with family and friends on land she owned in Auburn, New York. She married former enslaved man and Civil War veteran Nelson Davis in 1869 (her husband John had died 1867) and they adopted a little girl named Gertie a few years

In Harriet’s younger days she received a severe blow which was severe for a long time, and made her very sluggish or underactive. At some point during her formative years, Araminta took her mother's name, Harriet. In 1844, she adopted the surname of her first husband, a free African American named John Tubman. The couple had only been married for five years when Harriet decided that she too would enjoy the taste of freedom, by running away. Born a slave on Maryland’s eastern shore, she endured the harsh existence of a field hand, including brutal beatings.

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• Harriet Tubman Essays

Harriet Tubman Essays (Examples)

Filter by keywords:(add comma between each), example essays.

Harriet Tubman -- Legend and

Tubman was not a pure pacifist, despite her devout belief in God. She carried a pistol as well as prayed on her journeys and was a friend of John Brown, the legendary hite armed rebel of Harper's Ferry. He called her General Tubman. "hen the Civil ar began, Tubman prophetically stated that it would end slavery, much to the disbelief of her abolitionist friends. General Tubman, who in a sense had been fighting her own small-scale civil war since 1849, became actively involved in the war effort. In addition to caring for wounded colored soldiers, she used her intelligence-gathering skills to help subvert the Confederacy at the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina" (Gill 2004, p.3). Yet the federal government's refusal to grant her a pension for her services during the Civil ar meant that Moses died penniless, in her nineties. Tubman's legacy came not in the love shown to…...

mla Works Cited Clinton, Catherine. Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom. First Edition. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2004. Gill, Tiffany. "Harriet Tubman: The Lives of a Historical Fugitive." The Crisis. Mar/April 2004. 4 Mar 2007.   http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4081/is_200403/ai_n9364246/pg_1

Harriet Tubman Was Born Into Slavery as

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery as Harriet Ross, around 1819 in Maryland. For her work as an Underground Railroad conductor, during which she freed many slaves, she is affectionately known as the "Moses of Her People." he was thus a type of savior who slaves hoped would rise to set them free (Library of Congress). Her extraordinary spirit and courage served as an inspiration not only for the slaves at the time, but also for many who would learn of her life many years afterwards. As a slave, Harriet Tubman's life was one of regular abuse and unremitting hardship. At the age of 13 for example, her attempt to save a fellow slave from punishment was rewarded with a blow to the head with a two-pound iron weight (Civil War Biographies). This resulted in periodic blackouts for the rest of her life, although Harriet did not let this deter her…...

mla Sources Civil War Biographies. "Harriet Tubman." 2004.   http://www.civilwarhome.com/tubmanbio.htm  Library of Congress. "Harriet Tubman." 2004.   http://americancivilwar.com/women/harriet_tubman.html  The Encyclopedia of New York State. "The Life of Harriet Tubman." New York History Net, 1996-2004.   http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/life.htm

Harriet Tubman The Making of a Hero

Harriet Tubman: the Making of a Hero There are people who are way before the times that they are born into and must live in. A shining example of this is the woman Harriet Tubman, who led the Underground Railroad in the mid-1800's, freeing over 70 people in her 13 trips to the south. [1] hat was it about this remarkable woman that gave her the strength and courage to risk her life time after time, and then to help so many others to find their freedom also? Let's look at the key characteristics of this person, to find just what she was made of: Her childlessness. She did not have children with John Tubman in their 4 yrs. Of marriage. "we do know that her childlessness greatly increased her chances for successful escape and made her later Underground Railroad and war work more easily possible." [2] Her determination not to be 'sold down south', as her two…...

mla Works Cited Bradford, Sarah. Harriet Tubman: the Moses of her People. New York: Corinth Books, 1961. Clinton, Catherine. Harriet Tubman: the Road to Freedom. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2004. Humez, Jean M. Harriet Tubman: the Life and the Life Stories . Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2003.

Harriet Tubman A Biography African-American

It had been built on land which Tubman had actually purchased and which adjoined her own property in Auburn. During her time in the home she told many stories to whoever would listen regarding her adventures and all that she had done in her life. When she passed away, she was buried with full military honors (Larson, 2004). In honor of her there is a memorial plaque at the courthouse in Auburn, New York, and she is also further honored every March 10th, which is the day of her death. She has been commemorated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on that day as well, and a ship bearing the name SS Harriet Tubman was launched in 1944 (Larson, 2004). In 1978 the United States Postal Service issued a stamp that commemorated her as well. It was designed by Jerry Pinckney and issued on February 1st of that year…...

mla Bibliography Humez, Jean. (2003). Harriet Tubman: The Life and Life Stories. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. Larson, Kate Clifford. (2004). Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero. New York: Ballantine Books. Anderson, E.M. (2006). Home, Miss Moses. Higganum, CT: Higganum Hill Books. Harriet Tubman bio page (n.d.)   http://www.harriettubmanbiography.com/

Harriet Tubman Imagining a Life

This book uses an unusual approach to portray an important individual's life. The author uses first-hand accounts of the life and times of Harriet Tubman, so the account is true, but she also "imagines" specific scenes and times, and how Harriet might have acted as she experienced them. This is true fiction, but the author has researched her individual so well that it is almost as if she knows her, and knows how she would react in these situations. That makes it a much more interesting and engaging book, because it is almost as if the reader is right there with Tubman, experiencing what she experienced, and it makes it much easier to read this book and imagine what Tubman experienced throughout her life. There were many elements of Tubman's life that I had not read about before. For example, I did not know that she lived to be nearly 100…...

mla References Lowry, Beverly. Harriet Tubman: Imagining a Life. New York: Doubleday, 2007. Beverly Lowry. Harriet Tubman: Imagining a Life. New York: Doubleday, 2007, 194. Ibid, 200. Ibid, 327.

Catherine Clinton's Biography Harriet Tubman

John Tubman was one such individual who had a substantial influence upon the life of Harriet Tubman. They were married as teens in Maryland, Clinton notes that their early marriage was filled with "happiness and repose, they loved each other tenderly and with great passion." Little has been known about the relationship between these two individuals, through Clinton's diligent research she paints a picture of a happy couple torn apart through their conflicting moral values. John Tubman was content to live out his life on the farm; he felt that despite the conditions under which he lived, they were not as worse as comparable circumstances at other farms. His indecisiveness when it came to his personal freedom ultimately led him to adamantly refuse to run away with Harriet. When Harriet Tubman fled to Canada without her husband, it signified a tremendous turning point in her life. Clinton very carefully…...

Curriculum Harriet Tubman Learning Center

Staff has also made it clear to parents that they are welcome at the school anytime. Studies have demonstrated that parents have a significant impact on the child's learning process (National Center for Family Literacy, 1995) and this has definitely proven to be the case at Harriet Tubman. However, initial efforts to include the family and the community once again raised questions about teacher training, this time in the area of teamwork where the teacher would have to engage in a three-way partnership with the principal, other teachers and parents. This concern was addressed in the mentor teacher training program. Educators must bridge the gap between education in the classroom and real-life situations. Regardless of qualifications in subject areas, teachers still fail to conform to the realities of the classroom. The majority of novice teachers struggle during their first year and quit. Colleges and universities need to create a seminar or…...

mla Bibliography Dell'Angela, T. (2006, September 20). Rookie teachers will be graded by a 'coach'. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from Web site:   http://susanohanian.org/show_inthenews.html?id=377  Levine, a. (2002, June 29). Only the poor and minorities left behind. Retrieved from Web site:   http://www.tc.columbia.edu/news/article.htm?id=4097  National Center for Family Literacy. (1995). Family literacy: Parent/child interaction time (participant's manual). Louisville, KY.

Women in the Civil War

Real Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman -- Journal Article Review The stories, myths, and facts surrounding Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad may seem to be a settled matter to the public, but this is far from true (Larson 9). Over the past several decades, historians have been sifting through primary source material for additional information about Tubman's contributions to the Underground Railroad during the Pre-Civil ar period. The routes that Tubman used ran through Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York to St. Catharines in Canada. This journal article will examine this new evidence and the arguments presented by Kate Larson to justify her findings and conclusions. A New Perspective Larson lists various types of primary source material documenting the Underground Railroad and sounds surprised that historians had, until recently, largely ignored this wealth of information (9-10). These sources revealed that there were scores of men and women who took great risks to ensure that the…...

mla Works Cited Larson, Kate Clifford. "Racing for Freedom: Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad Network through New York." Afro-Americans in New York Life and History 36.1 (2012): 7-33.

Leadership Comparison of Leadership Styles

Thus, in comparison to King's leadership style of pacifism and quiet strength, Powell's is a style involving the characteristics of confrontation, sacrifice of personal desires for the best interest of the groups, and confidence in the leader. While Powell's leadership style does not make him a better leader than King, it certainly exemplifies the fact that leadership styles must change based on circumstance. King's quiet strength gained him the respect he needed to become a champion of the civil rights movement. Powell's confrontational attitude gave him the motivation and confidence he needed to confront other nations in the name of peace. Finally, Harriet Tubman's leadership style involved a combination of the styles and characteristics advocated by both King and Powell. Tubman's situation as a slave and eventual leader of the Underground ailroad forced her to accept the confrontational style of Powell to some degree. She displayed both confidence in herself…...

mla References Ling, P.J. (2003, April 1). Martin Luther King's Style of Leadership. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from the BBC. Web Site:   http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/martin_luther_king_01.shtml  Harari, O.A Leadership Primer from General (Ret.) Colin Powell, Secretary of State. Retreived March 29, 2009, from the HR Chally Group. Web Site:   http://www.chally.com/enews/powell.html  U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs. (2008, April

Primary Source Material Analysis: Harriet Tubman Mrs. Sarah H. Bradford wrote a small book in 1868 for the purpose of raising funds to benefit Harriet Tubman's efforts to buy a house and support herself and her aging parents (Introduction). This book was composed immediately before Bradford set sail for Europe in 1868 and its publication costs were covered by several benefactors. The book is remarkable because it is written by a hite abolitionist and suffragist who had become acquainted with Harriet's work on the Underground Railroad through friends and associates. The stories that Bradford included in the book were corroborated through independent sources and therefore represent a collection of accounts detailing Harriet's struggle to move her family and other slaves north to freedom in Canada along the Underground Railroad. To substantiate the veracity of these accounts Bradford includes in the preface several letters attesting to Harriet's contributions, including one from Frederick Douglass…...

mla Works Cited Bradford, Sarah H. Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman. 1869. Salem, NH: Ayer Company, 1992. Print. Miller, Anne Fitzhugh and Miller, Elizabeth Smith. Miller NAWSA Suffrage Scrapbooks, 1897-1911. Scrapbook 1905-1906. Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Washington, D.C. Web. 9 Sep. 2013.   http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D-rbcmillerbib:3:./temp/~ammem_fED1 :: Tubman, Harriet. "General Affidavit" [Claim of Harriet Tubman: General affidavit of Harriet Tubman Davis regarding payment for services rendered during the Civil War]. The Center for Legislative Archives, National Archives, c. 1898. Web. 9 Sep. 2013.   http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/claim-of-harriet-tubman/ .

How Did Nursing Change Social Roles of Northern Women During the Civil War

Nursing & omen's Roles Pre-and-Post Civil ar The student focusing on 19th century history in the United States in most cases studies the Civil ar and the causes that led to the war. But there are a number of very important aspects to 19th century American history that relate to women's roles, including nursing and volunteering to help the war wounded and others in need of care. This paper delves into the role nurses played in the Civil ar (both Caucasian and Black nurses), the way in which the Civil ar changed the woman's work roles, the role women (both Black and Caucasian) played before, during, and after the war, and the terrible injustices thrust on women of color in a number of instances throughout the 19th century. The oman's role in America prior to the Civil ar "A woman's work is never done," is an old maxim but it has never become…...

mla Works Cited Brockett, Linus Pierpont, and Vaughan, Mary C. (1867). Woman's Work in the Civil War: A Record of Heroism, Patriotism and Patience. Chicago, IL: Zeigler, McCurdy & Co. Child, Lydia. (1837). The Family Nurse [or] Companion of the American Frugal Housewife. Bedford, MA: Applewood Books (originally published by Charles Hendee in Boston).

Technology Is Good Agree That Technological Process

Technology Is Good agree that technological process is always good. Learning is an important facet of life and without it, we cannot grow. Growth is an important aspect of life. It is human nature to be curious and it is the human spirit to explore. Intelligence increases with each new discovery and with all of the exciting possibilities that technology has to offer, we should look forward with enthusiasm. This is not to say that, as a society, we will not encounter problems that might arise from the advancement of technology. Just recently, we have seen some of the repercussions of technology with the first so-called cloned human baby. Many people are opposed to technology because of problems just like this. In fact, many people refer to Dr. Frankenstein and his monster whenever technology seems to interfere with moral issues. If we can learn to approach each situation responsibly and sensibly,…...

Image Comparisons

Art The curvilinear forms of the human bodies are framed by the intense angularity of the architectural elements behind them. On the left, a tree provides extra verticality, but both images offer a geometric background that contrasts with the undulating forms of female bodies, drapery, and the softness of the infants. The heads of the mothers in both compositions are where the eye is drawn. Even if slightly off-center, the heads form the thematic midpoint. The Virgin's head is placed slightly higher on the canvas, but in both cases the heads are the emphasis in the composition. Both compositions use monochrome, with no color. The Schongauer engraving depicts the mother Mary and infant Jesus seated on the ground inside an ordinary medieval walled compound; whereas the photograph on the right depicts a Madonna-like image of a black-clad mother smiling with her two happy children. The silkscreen Warhol self-portrait is rendered in stark…...

Women in History

omen to History omen have contributed to the history of the world from the beginning of time. Their stories are found in legends, myths, and history books. Queens, martyrs, saints, and female warriors, usually referred to as Amazon omen, writers, artists, and political and social heroes dot our human history. By 1865, women moved into the public arena, as moral reform became the business of women, as they fought for immigrant settlement housing, fought and struggled for the right to earn living wages, and stood up to the threats of the lynch mobs. The years beginning in 1865 is known as the Civil ar era and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It was a time of great changes, especially for African-American women such as Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. omen of all races had to fight for equal rights, even the right to vote (http://women.eb.com/women/nineteenth09.html).omenhave indeed 'come a long…...

mla Works Cited Women in American History. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. http://women.eb.com/women/crossroads05.html. http://women.eb.com/women/crossroads12.html. http://women.eb.com/women/modernamerica06.html. http://women.eb.com/women/modernamerica02.html. http://women.eb.com/women/nineteenth09.html. A accessed 07-04-2002). Bryson, Donna. "MOTHER TERESA LED LIFE OF HARD WORK AND LOVE DIMINUTIVE NUN NEVER WAVERED FROM HER SELF-IMPOSED MISSION TO BRING COMFORT TO THE WORLD." Denver Rocky Mountain News. September 14, 1997, pp 3A. http://ask.elibrary.com/getdoc.asp?pubname=Denver_Rocky_Mountain_News&puburl=http~C~~S~~S~InsideDenver.com~S~&querydocid=:bigchalk:U.S.;Lib&dtype=0~0&dinst=0&author=Donna+Bryson&title=MOTHER+TERESA+LED+LIFE+OF+HARD+WORK+AND+LOVE+DIMINUTIVE+NUN+NEVER+WAVERED+FROM+HER+SELF%2DIMPOSED+MISSION+TO+BRING+COMFORT+TO+THE+WORLD++&date=09%2D14%2D1997&query=+Mother+Teresa&maxdoc=90&idx=7.(accessed07-04-2002). Lloyd, Marion. "Nun's Sainthood effort moves fast; Callers report miracles of Mother Teresa." The Washington Times. August 28, 1999, pp A6. accessed 07-04-2002). http://ask.elibrary.com/getdoc.asp?pubname=The_Washington_Times&puburl=http~C~~S~~S~www.washtimes.com&querydocid=:bigchalk:U.S.;Lib&dtype=0~0&dinst=0&author=Marion+Lloyd&title=Nun%27s+sainthood+effort+moves+fast%3B+Callers+report+miracles+of+Mother+Teresa++&date=08%2D28%2D1999&query=+Mother+Teresa&maxdoc=90&idx=6

Scarlett Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Anthony, Harriet Tubman and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. As to her documentation on such a wide and diverse subject as women during the mid 19th century, Edwards utilizes both primary and secondary sources, such as letters written at the time of the war, personal diaries kept by homebound wives, sisters and sweethearts, newspaper accounts from sources like the New York Herald, government and legal records, and a select group of secondary sources covering more than a hundred years worth of extrapolations on the Civil War and how and why American society altered so drastically after the war during the period known as Reconstruction. Edwards also relates the personal stories of a number of Southern women who witnessed the devastation of the war firsthand. For example, there is Harriet Jacobs, a plantation slave who escapes from her Master and hides in his attic for seven years until the end of the war, and…...

mla BIBLIOGRAPHY Edwards, Laura F. Scarlett Doesn't Live Here Anymore: Southern Women in the Civil War Era. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2004.

What was the meaning of freedom for enslaved people in the United States on the eve of the Civil War during the antebellum period?

To tackle a three-page essay on the meaning of freedom for enslaved people in the United States, it is very important to keep in mind that there was no single idea of freedom.  The condition of slaves varied tremendously throughout the United States.  Some slaves lived near urban areas and had relatively high amounts of personal autonomy as well as exposure to free people of color, while other slaves were in isolation on plantations and may not ever encounter free people or color or even regularly encounter slaves held captive on other plantations.  In addition, men, women,....

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Genre theory refers to the use of familiar themes and ideas as a way of signaling to the audience what to expect from a work of fiction. Genre theory can be used in various types of fiction and is often discussed when talking about both literature and movies. Genre theory can provide a good springboard for analysis of a particular work, because works can exemplify genres, deviate from genres, or even flip genres completely upside down.  As fictional works have developed, genres have become more specific.  Genres were initially very broad, both....

What are some good titles for an essay on Harriet Tubman?

Harriet Tubman has always been a great choice for an essay topic because her life story is dynamic, interesting, and incredibly inspiring.  Born into slavery, Tubman not only escaped, but also risked her own freedom returning to the South in order to help others escape from slavery using the Underground Railroad .  She deserves respect as one of the country’s leading freedom fighters, but it took decades for her story to be fully told.  A full-length movie describing her life was only released in 2020 and while most people recognize her as a....

Need assistance developing essay topics related to Harriet Tubman. Can you offer any guidance?

Certainly! Here are five potential essay topics related to Harriet Tubman: 1. The Leadership and Activism of Harriet Tubman: Explore the ways in which Harriet Tubman's leadership and activism contributed to the abolitionist movement and the fight for civil rights. 2. Harriet Tubman's Role in the Underground Railroad: Analyze Harriet Tubman's contributions to the Underground Railroad and the impact her actions had on the lives of enslaved individuals seeking freedom. 3. Harriet Tubman and the Women's Rights Movement: Discuss Harriet Tubman's involvement in the women's rights movement and her advocacy for gender equality in addition to racial equality. 4. The Legacy of Harriet Tubman:....

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