Harriet Tubman Research Paper

The freedom of slaves can not be discussed without mentioning Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman was an amazing woman, born into slavery without rights, without any kind of privileges, without hope in any worldly sense. But despite her burdens, Harriet Tubman— at great risk— was able to free many slaves from captivity using the Underground Railroad, earning her the moniker “Black Moses.” Tubman made people think twice about slavery and helped the slaves recover their freedom. She also fought for women’s suffrage and showed that women are as capable as men. She changed the world’s perspective on African Americans and women. Harriet Tubman was born in 1820 a slave in Dorchester County, Maryland, to Harriet and Ben Ross (Janney,page 26). Her

She led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, a secret network of safe houses where runaway slaves could stay on their journey North to freedom (57). She was determined that God will help her rescue as many people as possible. Her admirers called her General Tubman, but many more people called her Moses(57). Tubman, like Moses, led many of her people out of slavery and into the promised land . Before God used Moses and Harriet, he took them away from all that they loved and knew (Janney 14). “Years before the Civil War, Tubman returned to that “Egypt” nineteen times, rescuing some three hundred slaves right out from under the noses of their masters” (14). Tubman would save more blacks from slavery than any other abolitionist (14). She also was dedicated to saving every last slave that she rescued (Tubman: Conductor of the Underground Railroad). She said “On my Underground Railroad I [never] run my train off [the] track [and] I never [lost] a passenger”(Tubman: Conductor of the Underground Railroad). Tubman never failed to get her passengers to safety, which was a miracle. She was the most praised figure of the secret network that freed slaves to the North. She became an almost mythical figure in American history (45). She was very courageous and completely devoted to her people’s rescue, even at the cost of her safety and her life (Clinton 25). Whenever Tubman led a group of slaves

Most Northerners came to admire the courage of runaways and those who endangered themselves by assisting them (Janney, page 50). A Quaker named Miss Parsons met Tubman on a farm one day, and said that if she ever needs any help, she should come to her. Tubman went to Parsons farm and encountered the Underground Railroad for the first time (Janney page 53). Parsons told her about two other stops on the railroad and named her people who would help her, and Tubman left to make her way north. She started working with Quaker abolitionist Thomas Garrett and Frederick Douglass. Tubman met John Brown, and helped recruit supporters for the Harper’s Ferry attack. Brown called her “General Tubman”. (Timeline of the Life of Harriet Tubman) Tubman was part of the anti slavery meetings because she was friends with the abolitionists of the day. In a primary source, there was an ad that showed where anti slavery meetings were happening, explained why people should attend the meetings, and what they were doing there. It said “ Anti slavery meetings will be held in this place...To be addressed by agents of the western anti- slavery society. Three millions...in chains-- the church and government sustains the horrible system of oppression” (“Primary Sources for African American History LibGuides) . Her friends and allies from the