Should Harriet Tubman Be Considered A Hero

Should Harriet Tubman be considered a hero? A hero doesn’t have to be someone who flies around using superpowers to defeat villains. Heros are average people who do above average things for others. There are three things that make someone a hero: overcoming challenges, making personal sacrifices, and being a leader in your community. If a hero sees a problem he or she acts upon it, they don’t sit around watching the problem happen. Someone who may not be expected to be a hero, could be just that. At the time no one expected Harriet to be a hero, but she possed all three qualities, that’s something not many people have achieved. Tubman overcame adversity, which is one of the traits a hero has. In the reading, “Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad,” by Ann Petry it says, “Then he shouted, ‘Too many, too many. It’s not safe. My place was searched last week. It’s not safe!’ and slammed the door in her face,” (page 213) and, “Yet at any moment she was liable to be seized by one of those curious fits of sleep, which might last for a few minutes or for hours,” (page 217). Harriet was an african-american woman who was born a slave and an accident caused her to become narcoleptic. Harriet also ran the risk of people refusing to help and because of that she would have to calm the other runaways while left to deal

“It was Jerry and Shadrach, arrested and jailed with no warning,” as well as, “If they were caught, the eleven runaways would be whipped and sold South, but she-she would probably be hanged,” page (212). Everytime Harriet led a group of escaped slaves there was a risk for both herself and the slaves she led, especially after the fugitive slave law. If caught, the runaways would be beaten and the person helping them would be beaten, hung, or fined, depending on the color of their skin. Harriet didn’t have to help the people she did, she knew the risks ,but helped them