Harriet Tubman
by Alice from Suwanee
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| Harriet Tubman (http://www.nps.gov/ ()) |
When Harriet Tubman reached freedom in the North, she said, "When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven" (Biography.com Editors). Harriet Tubman was an extremely famous conductor of the Underground Railroad. She escaped slavery and reached freedom in Pennsylvania. Driven by her desire to help others escape their enslavement and let them experience freedom, she then spent her lifetime rescuing other slaves and guiding them to the North. Harriet Tubman is remembered as a hero for her strong character and extraordinary actions as an abolitionist.
Harriet Tubman was strongly influenced by her mother and her faith in God. Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross -- she later changed her name to Harriet, after her mother) was born in 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland, to Harriet Green and Ben Ross. She was one of nine children. However, when she was young, three of her sisters were sold to plantations far away from the rest of the family, dividing them. Later on, her mother refused to let their family be separated any more, and managed to prevent Harriet's youngest brother being sold, therefore setting an example of strength for her daughter (Biography.com Editors). In addition, Harriet Tubman's belief in God supported her during her difficult journeys to and from the South. Harriet Tubman once said, "I always tole God, I'm gwine to hole stiddy on to you, an' you've got to see me trou [through]" (History.com Staff). These parts of her life showed great significance in shaping her personality and sustaining her strength during stressful times.
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| Harriet Tubman - |
Harriet Tubman was a hero to many because she showed great intrepidity and selflessness. During her lifetime, many African-Americans were enslaved, separated from their families, and forced to work for no pay, otherwise receiving extremely harsh punishments. Harriet Tubman and people like her were needed to help slaves escape and end slavery. According to the text, when Harriet Tubman was twelve, she refused to help restrain a runaway slave, who was being punished. As a result, an angry overseer threw a two-pound weight at her head, which caused the repeated occurrence of seizures, severe headaches, and narcoleptic episodes throughout the rest of her life (Biography.com Editors and University at Buffalo). This evidence shows Harriet Tubman's bold intrepidity by describing how she stood up for what she believed was right and refused to harm someone else, despite the consequences. This action was very bold and took an immense amount of courage. In addition, Harriet Tubman made extremely large sacrifices and took great risks in order to protect others, and was willing to pay the ultimate price so that other people could escape slavery. For example, after arriving in Philadelphia, she made several dangerous, difficult journeys back to the south to rescue family members and other slaves, eventually earning the nickname "Moses" for her leadership. In fact, by 1860, Harriet Tubman had travelled back to the South nineteen times (PBS). This information shows that she valued the lives of others more than her own. These journeys could have led to her capture, or even her death. However, she decided that these consequences were worth paying if she could free others from their enslavement. She repeatedly placed a higher priority on saving others than she did on even her own life. Based on this information, one cannot fail to see how Harriet Tubman's intrepidity and selflessness made her a hero to many people, especially to her fellow African-Americans. Harriet Tubman's actions impacted the civil rights movement, aided in abolishing slavery in the United States, and are an inspiration to countless people today. Not only did she help hundreds of slaves run away, she also attacked the injustice towards them in a very plain-spoken, bold manner by refusing to do what she believed was wrong and working hard for a purpose she believed was right. Her actions played an important role in the termination of the severe discrimination of slavery, and demonstrated African Americans' virtues to those with doubts. Furthermore, she fought back against what she saw as extremely immoral and showed courage, an endeavor that has spoken to people and continues to do so to this day. Harriet Tubman's name lives on, and will for many years, because of the famous steps she took to freedom. Because of her virtuous character and the impressive extents to which she took her actions, Harriet Tubman is honored and respected. She stood up for African-American rights from when she was a young child to the day she died. Her numerous accomplishments and legendary deeds earned more rights for her and many other African-Americans. She never lost a passenger or even allowed one to turn back or give up (History.com Staff). Harriet Tubman was respected by many other famous abolitionists, including Frederick Douglass who said, "Excepting John Brown -- of sacred memory -- I know of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than [Harriet Tubman]" (PBS).
Page created on 10/27/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last edited 10/27/2015 12:00:00 AM
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