Harriet Tubman, originally known as Araminta Ross, was born in Maryland to Harriet Green and Ben Ross, who were both enslaved. Tubman herself was also a slave and thus never knew her precise date of birth(3), but she was aware that she was born in 1820. Even at the tender age of five, Harriet had the task of caring for an infant.
Harriet Tubman had to remain vigilant every night, ensuring the baby remained quiet. Any disruption would result in her receiving three lashes on her neck, resulting in lasting scars. Over time, Tubman became too frail to continue working and was sent back.
Upon arriving home, her mother provided care and assistance in her recovery. She resumed her work and was even employed by different households. At eleven years old, Tubman started wearing a bandana as a representation of entering a
...dulthood. This marked the moment when she changed her name from Araminta to Harriet, in honor of her mother.
Harriet sustained a fractured skull while assisting an escaping slave and being struck by a weight, an injury that took several months to recover from and continues to impact her. As a result, she frequently falls asleep regardless of location or time (3). At twenty-five years old, Harriet wed John Tubman, an African-American man who was free. Initially concerned about the possibility of being separated from John and sold off, Harriet proposed they journey North together to secure their freedom. Unfortunately, he declined her suggestion.
He expressed his fondness for the South and made it clear that he did not want either of them to depart. John warned Harriet that if she managed to flee, he would inform he
master and ensure her return(4). Although scared, Harriet eventually resolved to seek freedom. In 1849, she successfully escaped slavery and journeyed to Philadelphia. To accomplish this, she obtained a list of sympathetic individuals who were willing to offer her assistance from a neighboring abolitionist.
When she arrived at the first house, she was placed in a wagon and concealed before being transported to the next house. Moving from one household to another, she eventually encountered another abolitionist family who agreed to accompany her on the journey to Philadelphia. By 1850, she became involved with the Underground Railroad, ultimately becoming a "conductor"(4).
A "conductor" was someone who was skilled at helping people escape to free territory. This person made multiple trips between the North and the South. One trip was to free her brother, James, and some friends, and another was to rescue her husband, John. However, upon arriving, she discovered that he had remarried, so she returned to the North(4). After returning, Harriet discovered that there were more slaves in need of rescue than she had initially realized.
After returning, she continued to rescue additional slaves and sought refuge at Frederick Douglas’s safe house. They remained concealed there until Douglas accumulated sufficient funds to send all of them to Canada. Once in Canada, she established St. Catherine as her central location for conducting operations within the Underground Railroad.
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