Gavin Bramble and Colin Mullaney: The Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman:
Childhood:
Harriet Tubman was born about 1826 in Dorchester, Maryland; her parents were Benjamin Ross and Harriet Ross. Because she was born into slavery, the exact date of her birth is unknown (slave owners often did not keep track of their slaves' birthdays). As a result of her slavery, Harriet's childhood was very unstable and horrific. While growing up the property of the Brodess Family, she had many names and nicknames; her "official" name at birth was Araminta Ross but her parents called her "Minty." As she grew older, she came to be known as "Harriet." Once she grew old enough to work, Harriet was rented out to other families in the area, and some of the families were very abusive towards her. Harriet wrote of one particular experience that was very traumatic; the family she was rented out to was a wealthy family who had a newborn baby. Harriet's job was to look after the baby, despite the fact that she was only seven years old. In addition, Harriet's "mistress" (her boss), who she called "Miss. Susan," would often hit and yell at her if the baby cried. On one occasion, Harriet stole a lump of sugar from the kitchen, and Miss. Susan beat her so hard that Harriet ran away. Eventually, Harriet was found eating out of a trough in a pig pen on a neighboring farm and she was returned to the Brodess family. Harriet's childhood was also destabilized by the fact that her various relatives, including her father and sisters, were sold to other slave owners. This meant she would not see them again until her adulthood. Another time, Harriet was returned to the Brodesses for being "defective". In reality, she had a case of the measles that took six weeks to recover from.
Adulthood:
Harriet married a free man named John Tubman. At the time, it was not uncommon for a marriage between a free person and a slave to occur; however, Harriet remained enslaved because her husband did not have enough money to buy her from Brodess family. Her name was officially changed to "Harriet" sometime after her marriage. Harriet suffered a terrible head injury one day when at a store. She saw a fight going on between an enslaved man and his owner and the slave owner ordered her to help restrain the slave. Harriet refused and the slave owner threw a weight which hit her in the skull. It is not clear if the man intended to hit her or the man he was trying to restrain. As a result of the injury, Harriet would often pass out, hallucinate, or fall asleep randomly. However, Harriet believed her hallucinations were a message from God and she was inspired to change the world. At some point, when she was about 27 years old, Harriet decided to escape from her masters. Harriet had attempted to escape before (with her brothers Harry and Ben, but they had had second thoughts). Unfortunately, this time she had to leave behind her parents, siblings, and husband.
Elderly Years:
After discovering her husband had remarried, Harriet married a man named Nelson Davis, a Civil War soldier. During her work on the Underground Railroad, Harriet could tell it was leading up to something bigger; she could tell all the rising tension over slavery, created in part by the Underground Railroad, would cause a war between the North and the South when she said "peace as much as they likes it- I know it's going to be war." When asked about her opinion on the Civil War she stated "never wound a snake, kill it." Harriet meant that debating over slavery and creating reforms and laws would not be enough to stop the fundamental evil; therefore, a war was necessary. When the war began in approximately 1861, Harriet worked as a Union (Northern) spy and nurse. Harriet believed slavery was an evil that must be stopped at all costs (hence her interest in the Underground Railroad and support of the Civil War), however she did not blame slave owners for their injustices, rather, she believed they needed guidance and to know that slavery would not exist unquestioned as long as she lived. After the war, she moved to Auburn, New York, a strong abolitionist community, where she cared for her parents and others who had escaped slavery. When she died on March 10, 1913, she was very poor; she spent her final years living off of her husband's pension. However, Harriet was greatly respected in the community and a statue was built in her honor after her death. While giving a talk about her work, Harriet stated "I was a conductor on the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say; I never ran my train off track and I never lost a passenger." Despite her success and legacy, Harriet explained her work modestly and sincerely by saying "I freed a thousand slaves; I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves." In addition to her legacy for her work on the Underground Railroad, her faith in God became an inspiration to many, especially quotes like "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" and "Lord, I'm going to hold steady onto You and You've got to see me through."
Harriet did not write much about her own first experience on the Underground Railroad except for the first station she stopped at. Harriet recalled that the woman at the first station told her to begin sweeping the yard. At first, Harriet thought she was being taken captive as a slave but she soon realized it was a disguise. Harriet would go on to learn all the secrets of the Underground Railroad from quilt designs to wagon spokes. Once Harriet reached the free North she likely got a low paying job as a dish washer or house cleaner. Harriet would remember the moment she first crossed into Pennsylvania for the rest of her life. She stated "I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such glory over everything" and "I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me... I was a stranger in a strange land." Harriet's loneliness may have compelled her to help her family and friends escape. Once in Philadelphia, Harriet learned that her niece was going to be sold in Baltimore. Harriet, with the help of her brother in law, managed to help her niece and two small children escape instead of being sold. This was the first of several missions that Harriet would lead south. Some estimate Harriet led 13 missions while others argue she led as many as 19 missions. During her time living in the North, the Fugitive Slave Acts were passed which meant escaped slaves living in the North, like Harriet, could be arrested and returned to the South. As a result, the Underground Railroad was extended into Canada, where slavery was illegal. Harriet became a devout Christian over the years and attributed everything she accomplished to God. Meanwhile in Maryland, Harriet's father was freed and began working for pay and he was able to buy Harriet's mother from the Brodess family. In addition, Harriet became a legend in the area where she had grown up due to the fact that many of the slaves who she had helped escape had lived and worked in that region; it seemed to those living in Dorchester, Maryland that slaves were vanishing into thin air. It was around that time that Harriet earned the nickname "Moses" (referring to Moses in the Bible who led the Israelites out of Egypt) and she became wanted by bounty hunters and slave owners. Harriet became a master of disguise and learned ways to get more and more slaves out at a time. For example, Harriet traveled in the winter when the nights were longer. Harriet was known as a strict conductor who would not tolerate much noise or opposition to her commands which may have contributed to her success as a conductor; if any escaping slave refused to follow her orders, she was known to carry a pistol. On one journey, when Harriet was in Maryland, she went to visit her husband John Tubman in hopes of getting him to come with her. However, she discovered he was already married to another woman. She left his house very angry but, instead of letting her anger control her, she decided to help another group of slaves escape instead. On her final journey in 1860, Harriet helped her parents escape to the North where, despite already being freed, they could live a safer life. During her years on the Underground Railroad, Harriet developed close relationships with several revolutionary people such as Fredrick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony.
