Trailblazing Woman: Harriet Tubman

HARRIET TUBMAN (1822-1913)

Harriet Tubman was best known for being a conductor for the Underground Railroad, a Civil War nurse and spy, and advocate for human rights.

Tubman — born Araminta Ross — was born into slavery in Maryland (MD) in the early 1820s. She was put to work as a nursemaid at age 5. Around age 13, she suffered a severe head injury when she refused to help an overseer punish another enslaved person, leaving her with chronic pain in the form of headaches, seizures, and narcolepsy. 

In 1848, following rumors that she was about to be sold, Tubman fled to Philadelphia, leaving behind her husband and family. In 1850, she made her way back MD to see her family and bring them to freedom. 

Tubman continued leading groups of enslaved people from MD to Ontario, Canada through the Underground Railroad during the 1850s. Those trips ultimately led to 70 individuals being freed, as well as providing information to about 50 other slaves, helping them find freedom as well.

In 1861, Tubman enlisted in the Union (Northern Army) as a nurse. She took on the role of scout and spy in 1863, where she recruited enslaved people to “harass whites and free rescued slaves.” To date, Tubman is recognized as the first woman in US history to both plan and lead a military raid for her efforts in helping to plan a raid on Harpers Ferry, (now West) Virginia with fellow Abolitionist, John Brown.

Tubman lived out her days in Auburn, NY, where she lived with her second husband and family (including her parents). Post Civil War, Tubman was actively involved in the suffrage movement. She also founded the Home for the Aged, an institution that provided care for those with “paralysis, epilepsy, and those with vision impairment and blindness.” 

Tubman died in 1913 at the age of 91. 

Sources: 

An illustration of Harriet Tubman, a conductor for the Underground Railroad, a Civil War nurse and spy, and advocate for human rights.

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