Emma Parks Ford Honors ELA 7th March 2024. “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. (DBQ)” That is what Harriet Tubman said after ultimately deciding to run away after the death of her master in 1849. This brave decision is what led to the rescue of many slaves on the Underground Railroad. Araminta Ross was born into slavery in Dorchester, Maryland around 1822. At the age of 5, she was already taking care of other children, when at that age most kids would be building a Lego set or improving on their reading. In 1844, she married a free black man named John Tubman, and from then on was more famously known as Harriet Tubman. Tubman was …show more content…
The Underground Railroad was a network of homes owned by people who disagreed with slavery. Slaves would travel through the designated routes during the day, and take shelter in these abolitionist owned homes and buildings in the day. Tubman’s bravery and selflessness is what saved the lives of many on the Underground Railroad. How Tubman escaped the Underground Railroad herself is very significant to the rest of the events that followed, making it very significant. In Document A, a map is presented that shows Tubman’s route from Dorchester, Maryland to Philadelphia. Tubman escaped to Philadelphia through the Underground Railroad once she had the chance, enduring and overcoming any obstacles that came her way, of which there were many. Some of the biggest obstacles for Tubman were avoiding detection, the possibility of catching illness, and encountering hunters or wild animals. She traveled 120-130 miles from Dorchester to the free state of Pennsylvania on foot (Document A). Records in Document B state that Tubman was making trips through the Underground Railroad from December of 1850 to December of 1860. It can be seen that the time period between each trip has increased. Tubman spent about 10 years assisting slaves