A very important figure during reform era was Harriet Tubman. Tubman was a slave from a young age and was continuously beaten and whipped by her masters. During her time as a slave Tubman was accidentally hit in the head with a piece of metal and suffered serious head trauma which lead to major health problems throughout her life. Tubman served as a cook, nurse, army scout, spy, and humanitarian, however, what she was most known for was helping slaves escape their owners. Tubman would travel late in the night on a secret route where she would help dozens of slaves escape to freedom. Along this secret route where safehouses and secret hiding places that would ensure the safety of the slaves trying to get to freedom. During the 1860's Tubman joined the Northern abolitionists(Harriet). In 1863 she became the first woman to command an armed military raid where she destroyed cotton, food and liberated over 700 slaves (Harriet). Tubman lived a long life living until 91 years of age. Tubman left a huge impact on American culture and without women/people like Harriet Tubman the world would not be what it is today.
Her Escape to Freedom
Tubman was given a piece of paper by a white neighbor with two names, and told how to find the first house on her path to freedom. At the first house she was put into a wagon, covered with a sack, and driven to her next destination. Following the route to Pennsylvania, she initially settled in Philadelphia, where she met William Still, the Philadelphia Stationmaster on the Underground Railroad. With the assistance of Still, and other members of the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society, she learned about the workings of the UGRR.
In 1851 she began relocating members of her family to St. Catharines, (Ontario) Canada West. North Street in St. Catharines remained her base of operations until 1857. While there she worked at various activities to save to finance her activities as a Conductor on the UGRR, and attended the Salem Chapel BME Church on Geneva Street(The Life of Harriet Tubman).
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad, a vast network of people who helped fugitive slaves escape to the North and to Canada, was not run by any single organization or person. Rather, it consisted of many individuals -- many whites but predominently black -- who knew only of the local efforts to aid fugitives and not of the overall operation. Still, it effectively moved hundreds of slaves northward each year -- according to one estimate, the South lost 100,000 slaves between 1810 and 1850(The Underground Railroad).
After freeing herself from slavery, Harriet Tubman returned to Maryland to rescue other members of her family. In all she is believed to have conducted approximately 300 persons to freedom in the North. The tales of her exploits reveal her highly spiritual nature, as well as a grim determination to protect her charges and those who aided them. She always expressed confidence that God would aid her efforts, and threatened to shoot any of her charges who thought to turn back(The Life of Harriet Tubman).
Works Cited
"The Life of Harriet Tubman - New York History Net." New York History Net - A Project of the Institute for New York State Studies. Web. 26 Oct. 2010.
Harriet Tubman Life. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. .
"Harriett Tubman Biography." Lakewood Public Library (Lakewood, Ohio). Web. 26 Oct. 2010. .
"SPECTRUM Biographies - Harriet Tubman." IncWell. Web. 26 Oct. 2010.
"The Underground Railroad." PBS. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. .
