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Harriet Tubman

by Brielle Simon from Cochrane, Alberta in Canada

"There was one of two things I had a right to: liberty or death." - Harriet Tubman

138711Harriet TubmanMalik ShabazzMy hero is Harriet Tubman. I chose her as my hero because she helped free the people of color from slavery. I found a biography book about her by Robin S. Doak. Robin lives in Maine with her family. The book has 48 pages and was written in 2016. It covers the time from when Harriet was born until she passed away.

138712Harriet TubmanBrielle SimonHarriet Tubman was born into slavery sometime between 1820 and 1822 on the eastern shore of Maryland. Before her name was Harriet, her name was Araminta Ross, also known as “Minty.” Her mother’s name was Harriet Green and her father’s name was Benjamin Ross. Her parents met when their owners married in 1803. They got married in 1808 and had nine children. Harriet and the other slaves were not allowed to go to school, but she was still smart. They had to work all day, every day, and they couldn't do anything they wanted. Children were expected to work as soon as possible. She was once whipped so badly that it left scars. She wasn’t influenced by a certain person but the entire event of slavery. Harriet knew exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up--she wanted to be free. When Harriet's owner died, the slaves heard a rumor they would be sent to slave owners in the South, which caused Harriet to make her first attempt to escape.

Harriet Tubman faced a lot of challenges in her life, like working from a very young age, and being separated from her family for long periods of time. When she was a teenager, her master threw a 2-pound weight which hit her in the head. It fractured her skull and caused her to suffer from seizures, headaches and sometimes narcolepsy. Even with these things working against her, she stayed focused on her dream of freedom, not ready to give up. The people who helped Harriet on her escape were part of a top-secret organization called the Underground Railroad. It included abolitionists, free African Americans and others who shared the vision of freedom. Harriet first fled with two of her brothers. While they got scared and convinced her to turn back, she was determined to get to freedom and ran away again. Harriet was determined, selfless and willing to take risks to accomplish her goal. Not only was escape itself dangerous, but she put everyone else’s freedom before her safety. One of Tubman's greatest qualities was that she cared very much. However, every time she went to rescue other slaves, she kept putting herself at risk of being recaptured, punished or even killed. There were positive things that happened in her life, as well as sad ones. Harriet went to visit her first husband, John Tubman, after she escaped, only to find out that he had remarried. Instead of it making her weaker, it made her stronger.  Harriet accomplished many things, like being the first black woman to lead a raid for the Union army and being a successful conductor of the Underground Railroad.

138709Harriet Tubman was one of the most famous conductors in the Underground Railroad.Brielle SimonI was surprised to learn that not only did Harriet lead an armed raid for the Union, but planned the raid of the area as well. The successful raid freed over 700 slaves. If I was able to meet her, three questions I would ask her would be: “How did you feel when you achieved your goal of freedom?” “What inspired you to keep going, even when those goals were achieved?” and “If you were able to see today/the future, would this be the one you wanted?” I wouldn't want to be Harriet’s child, not because of a bad reason, but because I would be born into a time of slavery and would risk not having a mother many times. The biography book I found was great, but I wish there was just a little bit more about her personality. In this book I learned how much of a negative impact slavery had on the slaves in the 1800s. I also learned about many things Tubman did during that time. A lesson from Harriet's life that I could add to my own would be how she never gave up on her dream. I would suggest this book to people who want to learn about her or who like non-fiction books. I am very happy that I chose Harriet Tubman as my hero because of her bravery, selflessness and determination. After I finished reading the book, I considered Harriet a true hero for many reasons, like how much she cared, how she risked her own life and how she helped heal people and brought them to freedom.

Page created on 2/20/2020 8:17:27 PM

Last edited 3/10/2020 4:43:28 PM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

Harriet Tubman Biography - Details of the life of Harriet Tubman in Encyclopedia Britannica
Harriet Tubman Facts and Quotes - Fun Facts and Quotes about Harriet Tubman
The Underground Railroad - History of the Underground Railroad
Raid On Combahee Ferry - Details of the raid Harriet Tubman planned and led with the Union army
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park - Explore Harriet Tubman's legacy