Harriet Tubman was born around the 1820s in Dorchester County, Maryland.
Her parents worked on a plantation, that often grew just one crop, cotton. They named their daughter Arminta Ross, later her name was changed to Harriet. Her owner was Edward Brodas; people rented Harriet so she can work for them. At age 5 Harriets job was to wind yarn.
She would sleep on the kitchen floor at night, and shared leftover food with the dogs. Harriet became very ill while working barefoot during the winter so people didnt want to Harriet to work for them. Her mother cared for her until she had gotten well. Then when she was 7 another family rented her. There she had to clean the house and take care of a baby. Many nights she had to stay up rocking the baby.
Her owners wife whipped her hard if she fell asleep or if the baby cried. One day Harriet took a sugar cube from the kitchen, as her punishment she was beaten, and was sent home. Her owner then decided she shouldnt work inside, so he sent her outdoors to split fence rails and load wood onto wagons. When Harriet was about 15 years old she watched a young boy named Jim go into a store in town without permission. The man in charge of the slaves followed Jim, and asked Harriet to help tie Jim up so he could take him back to his owner. Harriet refused, while Jim ran out the door the man picked up a 2-pound weight and tried to throw it at Jim, but missed and it hit Harriet on the head.
She fell to the floor, knocked out. For several years Harriet was near death. Her mother was by her side nursing her. As Harriet started to heal, she began to depend on God to help and guide her. Thats when she began realizing that she could help others escape. Harriet was hired to someone who did not beat her.
At first he wanted Harriet to do housework, but Harriet wanted to work outdoors so she cut trees with the men. After several years John Stewart, Harriets owner allowed her to buy the rights to work for herself. She paid him $50 per year and in return he let her keep the money she earned working in her spare time. In 1844, Harriet married a free African-American named John Tubman, he was a tailor and Harriets hard work impressed him.
Harriet wanted to escape to the North, but John did not even want to talk about escaping. Harriet started to have nightmares, about being sold south. Her nightmares then started coming true. Harriet decided to escape the night before being sold.
Harriet visited the Plantation where her parents lived she wanted them to know where she was going. Harriet knew it was too dangerous for her to speak to them directly so Harriet sang a Negro spiritual song while walking past her family Harriet left that night without telling anyone, not even her husband. She then went to the home of a Quaker women in a near by town. Quakers believed that slavery is wrong and that they should help people escape it. The womens house was on an underground railroad.
This was an escape route with a lot of safe houses. The people who own them helped runaway slaves to find freedom. Harriet then arrived to Philadelphia. She heard about an anti-slavery society. The members worked to stop slavery. Harriett then decided to become a conductor, who then helped other people to escape.
Harriett found a job in the kitchen of a hotel. As soon as she saved enough money she planned to rescue her family. Harriet first slave to rescue was her sister Mary Ann that came out to be a success. In the 1850s Harriett rescued her brother then went to go get her husband, but he was still not interested going north. As time went by Harriett helped many slaves to escape to freedom.
Once the Civil War began Harriet helped the slaves that were in the Union Army. She fed the slaves, and treated their diseases. To earn money Harriet started a laundry. African .
