Sometimes, when we think of legionary outlaws who gave their lives to help an oppressed and downtrodden people, characters like Robin Hood or another dashing male hero come to mind. In Black history, we have just such a character, but this champion of her people didn’t ride the forests with merrymakers. Harriet Tubman, a humble black woman, is truly considered a figure so deeply legendary that her exploits would rival those of Robin Hood or any other hero of cultural legend. No wonder she is often referred to as the « Moses of her people ».
Harriett Tubman was born in 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland, to a family of slaves on Anthony Thompson’s estate. During her years as a slave, she endured many hardships and harsh treatment that left her scarred and even susceptible to epileptic seizures resulting from a head injury. It was common for slaves to change hands, and this was also part of Harriet’s life. Finally, in 1849, she fled to freedom, but by no means did she flee her people.
In the years that followed, Harriet Tubman became a true warrior for the salvation of her people, who were trapped in slavery. Harriet didn’t just find a safe place and count her blessings for achieving freedom. She saw the necessity of the Underground Railroad in the salvation of hundreds of others like her, and it became her life’s mission to maintain the regional stations of this railroad for as long as it took to give freedom to all those who had the courage to escape slavery via this Resource.
Harriet Tubman showed the kind of courage, ingenuity and intelligence that a field general for any army would be proud to boast about. All Tubmen total thirteen separate missions to bring African-Americans to freedom along the Underground Railroad. That means she personally led more than seventy slaves to freedom and had a direct influence on the liberation of at least as many others. And by keeping the Underground Railroad operational and out of reach of the slave hunters and authorities who sought to shut it down, she indirectly contributed to the salvation of hundreds, if not thousands, of others. Who can say how many prosperous and influential black families in this country today owe the lives of their ancestors and the success they have achieved since those dark days to the courageous work of Harriet Tubman.
When the Civil War came, Harriet didn’t retire satisfied with having done her job for her people. She continued to work tirelessly for abolitionist movements and to do her part for the war effort. She became one of the North’s first female spies during the war, and her military skills were so well developed that she was actually placed in a leadership position to command the raid on Combahee Ferry in 1863.
After the end of the Civil War, Harriet Tubman continued her work on behalf of the abolitionist and women’s rights movements until she retired to write her memoirs. Her contribution during this crucial period in Black history was so revered that the U.S. Postal Service honored her with a stamp in 1978.
There were many heroes and heroines in the long, bitter struggle for liberation, freedom and equality for African Americans in this country. During that brutal period when Harriet Tubman stood in the shoes of her people, the fate of black Americans was as much life and death as at any other time in history. No wonder her name is revered as one of the icons of the pre-Civil War struggle for freedom. And no wonder she was called Moses to her people and remembered that way for generations to come.
Here are five of her most famous quotes:
- « I never lost a man, and I never left one behind. »
- « Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Don’t forget your roots, and pursue your visions with passion. »
- « I am free and have remained free because I am committed to always being myself. »
- « I’ve seen death up close and I know I no longer fear it. »
- « If you hear the dogs barking, keep walking. If you see torches in the night, keep walking. If you want a taste of freedom, keep walking. »
See also our article: Marronnage and the Maroons
