Contrary to legend, Tubman did not create the Underground Railroad; it was established in the late eighteenth century by black and white abolitionists. Tubman likely benefitted from this network of escape routes and safe houses in 1849, when she and two brothers escaped north.
Where did Harriet Tubman first escape from?
- Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. In 1849, following a bout of illness and the death of her owner, Harriet Tubman decided to escape slavery in Maryland for Philadelphia. She feared that her family would be further severed and was concerned for her own fate as a sickly slave of low economic value.
When did Harriet Tubman start the Underground Railroad?
The Underground Railroad and Siblings Tubman first encountered the Underground Railroad when she used it to escape slavery herself in 1849. Following a bout of illness and the death of her owner, Tubman decided to escape slavery in Maryland for Philadelphia.
How long did it take Harriet Tubman to build the Underground Railroad?
In the ten years she worked as a “conductor” on the Railroad, Harriet managed to rescue over 300 people. She had made 19 trips and never lost a passenger on the way. For Tubman’s safety, her friends took her to Canada.
When did the Underground Railroad began and end?
The Underground Railroad was formed in the early 19th century and reached its height between 1850 and 1860.
Did Harriet Tubman marry a white man?
Tubman’s owners, the Brodess family, “loaned” her out to work for others while she was still a child, under what were often miserable, dangerous conditions. Sometime around 1844, she married John Tubman, a free Black man.
Is Gertie Davis died?
In the early 1800s, Quaker abolitionist Isaac T. Hopper set up a network in Philadelphia that helped enslaved people on the run.
What age did Harriet Tubman escape slavery?
By age five, Tubman’s owners rented her out to neighbors as a domestic servant. Early signs of her resistance to slavery and its abuses came at age twelve when she intervened to keep her master from beating an enslaved man who tried to escape.
How old would Harriet Tubman be today?
Harriet Tubman’s exact age would be 201 years 10 months 28 days old if alive. Total 73,747 days. Harriet Tubman was a social life and political activist known for her difficult life and plenty of work directed on promoting the ideas of slavery abolishment.
How far did the Underground Railroad go?
Because it was dangerous to be in free states like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, or even Massachusetts after 1850, most people hoping to escape traveled all the way to Canada. So, you could say that the Underground Railroad went from the American south to Canada.
What year is Underground Railroad set in?
The Underground Railroad takes place around 1850, the year of the Fugitive Slave Act’s passage. It makes explicit mention of the draconian legislation, which sought to ensnare runaways who’d settled in free states and inflict harsh punishments on those who assisted escapees.
Does the Underground Railroad still exist?
It includes four buildings, two of which were used by Harriet Tubman. Ashtabula County had over thirty known Underground Railroad stations, or safehouses, and many more conductors. Nearly two-thirds of those sites still stand today.
Did the Underground Railroad really exist?
( Actual underground railroads did not exist until 1863.) According to John Rankin, “It was so called because they who took passage on it disappeared from public view as really as if they had gone into the ground. After the fugitive slaves entered a depot on that road no trace of them could be found.
Did Harriet Tubman have epilepsy?
Her mission was getting as many men, women and children out of bondage into freedom. When Tubman was a teenager, she acquired a traumatic brain injury when a slave owner struck her in the head. This resulted in her developing epileptic seizures and hypersomnia.
How many slaves did Jefferson own?
Despite working tirelessly to establish a new nation founded upon principles of freedom and egalitarianism, Jefferson owned over 600 enslaved people during his lifetime, the most of any U.S. president.
Did Harriet Tubman really jump off a bridge?
Cornered by armed slave catchers on a bridge over a raging river, Harriet Tubman knew she had two choices – give herself up, or choose freedom and risk her life by jumping into the rapids. “I’m going to be free or die!” she shouted as she leapt over the side.
Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad was a network of people, both black and white, who helped escaped enslaved persons from the southern United States by providing them with refuge and assistance. It came forth as a result of the convergence of numerous separate covert initiatives. Although the exact dates of its inception are unknown, it was active from the late 18th century until the Civil War, after which its attempts to weaken the Confederacy were carried out in a less-secretive manner until the Civil War ended.
Quaker Abolitionists
Underground Railroad was a network of people, both black and white, who helped escaped enslaved persons from the South by providing them with refuge and assistance. A number of separate covert operations came together to form the organization. Although the exact dates of its creation are unknown, it was active from the late 18th century until the Civil War, after which its attempts to weaken the Confederacy were carried out in a less-secretive manner until the Union was defeated.
What Was the Underground Railroad?
The Underground Railroad was first mentioned in 1831, when an enslaved man named Tice Davids managed to escape from Kentucky into Ohio and his master blamed a “underground railroad” for assisting Davids in his liberation. When a fugitive slave called Jim was apprehended in 1839 in Washington, the press said that the guy confessed his plan to travel north along a “underground railroad to Boston” while under torture. The Vigilance Committees, which were established in New York in 1835 and Philadelphia in 1838 to safeguard escaped enslaved persons from bounty hunters, rapidly expanded their duties to include guiding enslaved individuals on the run.
MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT: Harriet Tubman and her fellow fugitives used the following strategies to escape through the Underground Railroad:
How the Underground Railroad Worked
The majority of enslaved persons aided by the Underground Railroad were able to flee to neighboring states like as Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 made catching fugitive enslaved persons a lucrative industry in the deep South, and there were fewer hiding places for them as a result of the Act. The majority of fugitive enslaved people were on their own until they reached specific places farther north. The escaping enslaved people were escorted by individuals known as “conductors.” Private residences, churches, and schools were also used as hiding places throughout the war.
The personnel in charge of running them were referred to as “stationmasters.” There were several well-traveled roads that ran west through Ohio and into Indiana and Iowa.
While some traveled north via Pennsylvania and into New England, or through Detroit on their route to Canada, others chose to travel south. The Little-Known Underground Railroad That Ran South to Mexico.
Fugitive Slave Acts
Those enslaved persons who were assisted by the Underground Railroad were primarily from border states like as Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland (see map below). Fugitive slave capture became a lucrative industry in the deep South after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, and there were fewer hiding places for escaped slaves as a result. Refugee enslaved persons usually had to fend for themselves until they reached specified northern locations. In the runaway enslaved people’s journey, they were escorted by people known as “conductors.” Private residences, churches, and schools were among the hiding spots.
Stationmasters were the individuals in charge of running them.
Others traveled north via Pennsylvania and into New England, while others passed through Detroit on their route to the Canadian border.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was the most well-known conductor of the Underground Railroad during its heyday. When she and two of her brothers fled from a farm in Maryland in 1849, she was given the name Harriet (her married name was Tubman). She was born Araminta Ross, and she was raised as Harriet Tubman. They returned a couple of weeks later, but Tubman fled on her own again shortly after, this time making her way to the state of Pennsylvania. In following years, Tubman returned to the plantation on a number of occasions to rescue family members and other individuals.
Tubman was distraught until she had a vision of God, which led her to join the Underground Railroad and begin escorting other fugitive slaves to the Maryland state capital.
Frederick Douglass
In his house in Rochester, New York, former enslaved person and celebrated author Frederick Douglasshid fugitives who were assisting 400 escapees in their journey to freedom in Canada. Reverend Jermain Loguen, a former fugitive who lived in the adjacent city of Syracuse, assisted 1,500 escapees on their journey north. The Vigilance Committee was established in Philadelphia in 1838 by Robert Purvis, an escaped enslaved person who later became a trader. Josiah Henson, a former enslaved person and railroad operator, founded the Dawn Institute in Ontario in 1842 to assist fugitive slaves who made their way to Canada in learning the necessary skills to find work.
Agent,” according to the document.
John Parker was a free Black man living in Ohio who worked as a foundry owner and who used his rowboat to ferry fugitives over the Ohio River.
William Still was a notable Philadelphia citizen who was born in New Jersey to runaway slaves parents who fled to Philadelphia as children.
Who Ran the Underground Railroad?
In his house in Rochester, New York, former enslaved person and celebrated author Frederick Douglasshid fugitives and assisted 400 escapees in their journey to Canada. In addition to helping 1,500 escapees make their way north, former fugitive Reverend Jermain Loguen, who lived near Syracuse, was instrumental in facilitating their escape. The Vigilance Committee was founded in Philadelphia in 1838 by Robert Purvis, an escaped enslaved person who later became a businessman. Josiah Henson, a former enslaved person and railroad operator, founded the Dawn Institute in Ontario in 1842 to assist fugitive slaves who made their way to Canada in learning the necessary labor skills to support themselves.
Agent,” according to the document.
A free Black man in Ohio, John Parker was a foundry owner who used his rowboat to transport fugitives over the Ohio River.
William Still was a notable Philadelphia citizen who was born to runaway enslaved parents in New Jersey and raised as a free man in the city of Philadelphia.
John Brown
Abolitionist John Brown worked as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and it was at this time that he founded the League of Gileadites, which was dedicated to assisting fleeing enslaved individuals in their journey to Canada. Abolitionist John Brown would go on to play a variety of roles during his life. His most well-known duty was conducting an assault on Harper’s Ferry in order to raise an armed army that would march into the deep south and free enslaved people at gunpoint. Ultimately, Brown’s forces were beaten, and he was executed for treason in 1859.
- The year 1844, he formed a partnership with Vermont schoolteacher Delia Webster, and the two were jailed for assisting an escaped enslaved lady and her young daughter.
- Charles Torrey was sentenced to six years in jail in Maryland for assisting an enslaved family in their attempt to flee through Virginia.
- After being apprehended in 1844 while transporting a boatload of freed slaves from the Caribbean to the United States, Massachusetts sea captain Jonathan Walker was sentenced to prison for life.
- John Fairfield of Virginia turned down the opportunity to assist in the rescue of enslaved individuals who had been left behind by their families as they made their way north.
Fairfield’s strategy was to go around the southern United States appearing as a slave broker. He managed to elude capture twice. He died in 1860 in Tennessee, during the American Reconstruction Era.
End of the Line
Abolitionist He was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and it was during this time that he founded the League of Gileadites, an organization dedicated to aiding fleeing slaves in their journey to Canada. With the abolitionist movement, Brown would play a variety of roles, most notably leading an assault on Harper’s Ferry to raise an armed army that would march into the deep south and free enslaved people under threat of death. Eventually, Brown’s forces were defeated, and he was executed for treason in 1859.
- The year 1844, he formed a partnership with Vermont schoolteacher Delia Webster, and the two of them were jailed for aiding an escaped enslaved woman and her child escape.
- When Charles Torrey assisted an enslaved family fleeing through Virginia, he was sentenced to six years in jail in Maryland.
- was his base of operations; earlier, he had served as an abolitionist newspaper editor in Albany, New York.
- In addition to being fined and imprisoned for a year, Walker had the letters “SS” for Slave Stealer tattooed on his right hand.
- As a slave trader, Fairfield’s strategy was to travel across the southern states.
- Tennessee’s arebellion claimed his life in 1860, and he was buried there.
Sources
Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad is a book about the Underground Railroad. Fergus Bordewich is a Scottish actor. A Biography of Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom Catherine Clinton is the first lady of the United States. Who Exactly Was in Charge of the Underground Railroad? ‘Henry Louis Gates’ is a pseudonym for Henry Louis Gates. The Underground Railroad’s History in New York is a little known fact. The Smithsonian Institution’s magazine. The Underground Railroad’s Dangerous Allure is well documented.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most well-known of all the Underground Railroad’s “conductors.” During a ten-year span she made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom. And, as she once proudly pointed out to Frederick Douglass, in all of her journeys she “never lost a single passenger.” Tubman was born a slave in Maryland’s Dorchester County around 1820. At age five or six, she began to work as a house servant. Seven years later she was sent to work in the fields. While she was still in her early teens, she suffered an injury that would follow her for the rest of her life. Always ready to stand up for someone else, Tubman blocked a doorway to protect another field hand from an angry overseer. The overseer picked up and threw a two-pound weight at the field hand. It fell short, striking Tubman on the head. She never fully recovered from the blow, which subjected her to spells in which she would fall into a deep sleep.Around 1844 she married a free black named John Tubman and took his last name. (She was born Araminta Ross; she later changed her first name to Harriet, after her mother.) In 1849, in fear that she, along with the other slaves on the plantation, was to be sold, Tubman resolved to run away. She set out one night on foot. With some assistance from a friendly white woman, Tubman was on her way. She followed the North Star by night, making her way to Pennsylvania and soon after to Philadelphia, where she found work and saved her money. The following year she returned to Maryland and escorted her sister and her sister’s two children to freedom. She made the dangerous trip back to the South soon after to rescue her brother and two other men. On her third return, she went after her husband, only to find he had taken another wife. Undeterred, she found other slaves seeking freedom and escorted them to the North.Tubman returned to the South again and again. She devised clever techniques that helped make her “forays” successful, including using the master’s horse and buggy for the first leg of the journey; leaving on a Saturday night, since runaway notices couldn’t be placed in newspapers until Monday morning; turning about and heading south if she encountered possible slave hunters; and carrying a drug to use on a baby if its crying might put the fugitives in danger. Tubman even carried a gun which she used to threaten the fugitives if they became too tired or decided to turn back, telling them, “You’ll be free or die.”By 1856, Tubman’s capture would have brought a $40,000 reward from the South. On one occasion, she overheard some men reading her wanted poster, which stated that she was illiterate. She promptly pulled out a book and feigned reading it. The ploy was enough to fool the men.Tubman had made the perilous trip to slave country 19 times by 1860, including one especially challenging journey in which she rescued her 70-year-old parents. Of the famed heroine, who became known as “Moses,” Frederick Douglass 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.” And John Brown, who conferred with “General Tubman” about his plans to raid Harpers Ferry, once said that she was “one of the bravest persons on this continent.”Becoming friends with the leading abolitionists of the day, Tubman took part in antislavery meetings. On the way to such a meeting in Boston in 1860, in an incident in Troy, New York, she helped a fugitive slave who had been captured.During the Civil War Harriet Tubman worked for the Union as a cook, a nurse, and even a spy. After the war she settled in Auburn, New York, where she would spend the rest of her long life. She died in 1913.Image Credit: Moorland-Spingarn Research Center |
Harriet Tubman
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Harriet Tubman?
In the United States, Harriet Tubman, née Araminta Ross, (born c. 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland, U.S.—died March 10, 1913 in Auburn, New York) was an abolitionist who managed to escape from slavery in the South and rise to prominence before the American Civil War. As part of the Underground Railroad, which was an extensive covert network of safe homes built specifically for this reason, she was responsible for guiding scores of enslaved persons to freedom in the North. Araminta Ross was born into slavery and eventually assumed her mother’s maiden name, Harriet, as her own.
- When she was approximately 12 years old, she reportedly refused to assist an overseer in punishing another enslaved person; as a result, he hurled an iron weight that accidently struck her, causing her to suffer a terrible brain injury, which she would endure for the rest of her life.
- Tubman went to Philadelphia in 1849, allegedly on the basis of rumors that she was due to be sold.
- In December 1850, she made her way to Baltimore, Maryland, where she was reunited with her sister and two children who had joined her in exile.
- A long-held belief that Tubman made around 19 excursions into Maryland and assisted upwards of 300 individuals out of servitude was based on inflated estimates in Sara Bradford’s 1868 biography of Tubman.
- If anyone opted to turn back, putting the operation in jeopardy, she reportedly threatened them with a revolver and stated, “You’ll either be free or die,” according to reports.
- One such example was evading capture on Saturday evenings since the story would not emerge in the newspapers until the following Monday.
- It has been stated that she never lost sight of a runaway she was escorting to safety.
Abolitionists, on the other hand, praised her for her bravery.
Her parents (whom she had brought from Maryland in June 1857) and herself moved to a tiny farm outside Auburn, New York, about 1858, and remained there for the rest of her life.
Tubman spied on Confederate territory while serving with the Second Carolina Volunteers, who were under the leadership of Col.
Montgomery’s forces were able to launch well-coordinated attacks once she returned with intelligence regarding the locations of munitions stockpiles and other strategic assets.
Immediately following the Civil War, Tubman relocated to Auburn, where she began caring for orphans and the elderly, a practice that culminated in the establishment of the Harriet Tubman Home for IndigentAged Negroes in 1892.
Aside from suffrage, Tubman became interested in a variety of other issues, including the abolition of slavery.
A private measure providing for a $20 monthly stipend was enacted by Congress some 30 years after her contribution was recognized. Those in charge of editing the Encyclopaedia Britannica Jeff Wallenfeldt was the author of the most recent revision and update to this article.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubmandanielled65142021-05-05T Harriet Tubmandanielled65142021-05-05 10:05:50-04:00 As part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, visitors can learn about the life and times of Harriet Tubman – freedom seeker and Underground Railroad conductor, abolitionist and suffragist, human rights activist, and one of Maryland’s most famous daughters – as well as other notable figures from the state’s history.
Tubman, who was born about 1822 in Dorchester County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is one of the most praised, known, and beloved persons in the history of the United States of America.
If this is the case, Harriet Tubman would become the first woman and the first African-American to be featured on U.S.
A courageous leader
Danielled65142021-05-05T Harriet Tubman 10:05:50-04:00 As part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, visitors can learn about the life and times of Harriet Tubman – freedom seeker and Underground Railroad conductor, abolitionist and suffragist, human rights activist, and one of Maryland’s most famous daughters – as well as her contributions to the Underground Railroad movement. Tubman, who was born about 1822 in Dorchester County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is one of the most praised, recognized, and beloved women in American history.
It is possible that a new design for the future $20 note may contain her picture, allowing her life and legacy to be shared even more broadly.
paper currency, a distinction she now has.
Did youknow?
- Harriet Tubmandanielled65142021-05-05T is a fictional character created by author Daniel Elliot. 10:05:50-04:00 As part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, visitors can learn about the life and times of Harriet Tubman – freedom seeker and Underground Railroad conductor, abolitionist and suffragist, human rights activist, and one of Maryland’s most famous daughters – as well as other notable figures from her time. Tubman, who was born in 1822 in Dorchester County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is one of the most praised, known, and beloved women in American history. She is the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress. Her life and legacy will be shared even more if and when the new United States $20 note is announced
- A new design that includes her picture may be introduced. If this is the case, Harriet Tubman would become the first woman and the first African-American to appear on United States paper currency.
A dedicated humanitarian
As a result of her widespread admiration among abolitionists in the North, Tubman established herself as a valued friend and counselor to many, earning her a position in the Union Army as a scout, spy, nurse, and confidante of generals. After the Civil War, she relocated to Auburn, New York, where she devoted her time and energy to the misery of the poor, opening her house as a haven for the aged, the sick, and those who were physically handicapped. Even before the American Civil War, she was a tireless advocate for the rights of women, minorities, the crippled, and the elderly in general.
She went on to establish a nursing home for African Americans on her land in New York, which she owned at the time.
Tubman had already been the topic of a slew of articles, recollections, and an autobiography at that point.
It is only necessary to go along the Byway that bears her name to appreciate the significance of her humble origins and the scope of her accomplishment.
Her mission was to help others, combat tyranny, and make a difference in the world – all ideas that are recognized along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, where ordinary individuals performed incredible feats of bravery.
- She was born into slavery as Araminta “Minty” Ross in Dorchester County, Maryland, most likely around the year 1822. Her parents, Harriet (“Rit”) Green and Ben Ross, were both enslaved
- She was born into this situation. A family member of Harriet’s mother’s “ownership,” the Brodess family, rented Harriet out and assigned her to do various jobs, including caring for children, checking muskrat traps, agricultural and forest labor, driving oxen, plowing, and moving logs. During her childhood, most likely in the 1830s, she had a serious brain injury that required surgery. Seizures, migraines, and visions plagued the victim for the rest of his life. Around the time of her marriage to John Tubman, a free Black man, in 1844, she changed her name from Araminta to Harriet, and so became known as Harriet Tubman 1849: She managed to escape slavery and make her way to Philadelphia on her own, primarily through the darkness of the night.
- It is believed that she was born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, in the year 1822 as Araminta “Minty” Ross. The enslavement of her parents, Harriet (“Rit”) Green and Ben Ross, was unavoidable. Several jobs were allocated to Harriet by the Brodess family, who “owned” Harriet’s mother. These jobs included caring for children, checking muskrat traps, agricultural and forest work, driving oxen, plowing, and moving logs. During her childhood, most likely in the 1830s, she sustained a serious brain injury that required surgery. Seizures, migraines, and visions plagued him for the rest of his life. Following her marriage to John Tubman, a free Black man, in 1844, she changed her name from Araminta to Harriet, becoming known as Harriet Tubman. The woman managed to flee slavery and make her way to Philadelphia in 1849, much of the journey taking place at night.
Dispelling the myths about Harriet Tubman
“We believe we are familiar with Harriet Tubman, a former slave who went on to become an Underground Railroad conductor and an abolitionist. However, much of Tubman’s true life narrative has been clouded by years of myths and bogus tales, which have been spread through children’s books and have only served to obfuscate her enormous accomplishments in the process. This woman’s story is significantly more intriguing and astonishing than everything that has been spoken about her previously.” — Kate Clifford Larson, author of Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero (Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero), Several misconceptions and facts regarding Harriet Tubman’s life are debunked by Kate Clifford Larson, author of the well-regarded book Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero (Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero).
- We have included some of the myths in this section with the author’s permission.
- While speaking at public and private gatherings in 1858 and 1859, Tubman regularly stated that she had saved between 50 and 60 persons in eight or nine visits to different locations.
- In her 1868 biography, Sarah Bradford overstated the figures to make a point.
- Other individuals who were close to Tubman expressed strong disagreement with the statistics.
- Additionally, in addition to teaching his family and friends, Tubman also provided education to around 70 other freedom seekers from the Eastern Shore who had discovered their own route to freedom.
- The property was located south of Madison in a location known as Peter’s Neck in Dorchester County, and was owned by Brodess.
- FACT: The sole reward for Tubman’s arrest was provided in an advertising for the return of “Minty” and her brothers “Ben” and “Harry” published on October 3, 1849, in which their mistress, Eliza Brodess, paid $100 for each of them if they were apprehended outside the state of Maryland.
- Sallie Holley, a former anti-slavery activist in New York who sent a letter to a newspaper in 1867 pleading for support for Tubman in her pursuit of back pay and pension from the Union Army, concocted the number of $40,000 as a reward for Tubman’s capture and execution.
- For $40,000, which is the equivalent of many million dollars today, she would have been apprehended, and every newspaper in the country would have run an advertising announcing her arrest.
- It was too perilous for her to venture into unfamiliar territory where she did not know the people or the terrain.
During her captivity in Philadelphia, Tubman had a coded letter composed for her that was delivered to Jackson in December 1854, telling him to inform her brothers that she was on her way to rescue them and that they needed to be prepared to “climb onboard” the “Old Ship of Zion.” There is no evidence that he genuinely provided refuge to runaways in his home.
- FAITHFUL:Harriet Tubman did not participate in the construction of the canal, which was completed between 1810 and 1830 while she was still a kid.
- We do not know whether her father, Ben Ross, was involved in the construction of the canal, but he would almost probably have utilized it to move lumber.
- Tubman used a variety of ways and routes to escape slavery and to return to help others who were in need of rescue.
- She utilized disguises, walked, rode horses and wagons, sailed on boats, and rode genuine trains to get where she needed to go.
- She communicated with people through letters prepared for her by someone else and addressed to trusted persons such as Jacob Jackson, as well as by direct conversation with them.
- Rivers snaked northward, and she followed their course.
- Harriet Tubman took a tiny handgun with her on her rescue operations, mostly to protect herself from slave catchers, but also to discourage weak-hearted runaways from turning around and jeopardizing the group’s overall safety.
- TRUTH: While on her rescue operations, Tubman performed two songs to keep herself entertained.
- Tubman explained that she altered the speed of the songs to signify whether or not it was safe to come out.
- Because “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” was written and composed post-Civil War by an Afro-Cherokee Indian residing in Oklahoma, Tubman would not have been familiar with it prior to the Civil War.
- She was 27 years old when she fled slavery on her own in the fall of 1849, when she was 27 years old.
Photographs shot later in her life, as highlighted by Washington Postcritic Philip Kennicott, “had the effect of softening the wider sense of who she was, and how she achieved her heroic legacy.”
Learn Harriet Tubman’s Story at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, located in Church Creek on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, first opened its doors to the public in March 2017. Several locations surrounding the visitor center were used by Harriet Tubman during her childhood as a slave in Dorchester County. She lived, worked, and prayed in these locations. The place is where she originally fled slavery, and it is where she returned around 13 times over the course of a decade, risking her life time and time again in order to free over 70 friends and family members.
- Located at 4068 Golden Hill Road in Church Creek, Maryland.
- Donations are accepted in lieu of admission to the tourist center, which is free.
- The magnificent visitor center, which is located near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and about 25 minutes from Cambridge, Maryland, has an exhibit hall with compelling and thought-provoking multimedia exhibits, a theater, and a gift shop, among other amenities.
- There is also a huge picnic pavilion with a stone fireplace that may be rented out for special occasions.
- In addition to the visitor center, there are more than 30 historical sites along the Maryland part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, which is a self-guided, beautiful driving tour of the Underground Railroad.
- NOTE: The Harriet Tubman Visitor Center is not to be confused with the Harriet Tubman MuseumEducational Center, which has been in operation for more than 20 years and is maintained entirely by volunteers in the heart of Cambridge’s downtown.
- Visit the Tubman Visitor Center website for additional information, or call or email them at 410-221-2290 or htursp.d[email protected] to learn more about their programs and services.
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
As a result of an executive order issued in March 2013, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument was established and the landscape of Dorchester County, Maryland was designated as a historical landmark for its association with Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. When the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park was established a year later, the National Park Service designated area in Dorchester, Talbot, and Caroline Counties for possible future acquisition by the National Park Service.
It also maintains a sister park, Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, New York.
At the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, you may get stamps for your passport that will allow you to visit all of the National Parks. Learn more about the park by visiting its website. a link to the page’s load
Harriet Tubman: Timeline of Her Life, Underground Rail Service and Activism
A presidential proclamation issued in March 2013 designated the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument and designated the landscape of Dorchester County, Maryland as a historical landmark for its association with Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. The monument is located in Dorchester County, Maryland. The National Park Service designated area in Dorchester, Talbot, and Caroline Counties for potential future purchase when the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park was established a year later.
Additionally, the National Park Service operates a sister park, Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, which is located near Auburn, New York, and is where Harriet Tubman lived in her latter years.
Learn more about the park by visiting their website.
c. 1822: Tubman is born as Araminta “Minty” Ross in Maryland’s Dorchester County
Since her parents, Ben Ross and Harriet “Rit” Green, are both enslaved, Ross was born into the same condition as her parents. Despite the fact that her birthdate is frequently given as about 1820, a document from March 1822 indicates that a midwife had been paid for caring for Green, suggesting that she was born in February or March of that year. When Tubman is around five or six years old, her enslavers rent her out to care for a newborn, which takes place around the year 1828. She gets flogged for any perceived errors on her part.
- Her responsibilities include checking muskrat traps in damp wetlands, which she does on foot.
- An overseer tosses a two-pound weight at another slave, but the weight strikes Tubman in the head.
- 1834-1836: She only just manages to survive the traumatic injury and will continue to suffer from headaches for the rest of her life.
- Tubman works as a field laborer, which she prefers over inside jobs, around the year 1835.
- In 1840, Tubman’s father is released from the bonds of servitude.
- When she marries, Tubman takes on the last name of her mother, Harriet.
Tubman’s owner passes away on March 7, 1849, causing her to dread that she may be sold. Tubman and two of her brothers leave for the north on September 17, 1849, in an attempt to escape slavery. The guys, on the other hand, feel anxious and persuade their sister to return.
October 1849: Tubman runs away
She successfully navigates her way to Philadelphia by following the North Star. Because Pennsylvania is a free state, she has managed to avoid being enslaved. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 is signed into law on September 18, 1850. It obligates all areas of the United Those, even states that had previously banned slavery, to take part in the repatriation of fugitive slaves. In December 1850, Tubman assists in the rescue of a niece and her niece’s children after learning that they are about to be sold at an auction.
Instead, Tubman leads another group of fugitives to Canada, where they will be out of reach of the Fugitive Slave Act and will be safe.
How Harriet Tubman and William Still Aided the Underground Railroad.
June 1857: Tubman brings her parents from Maryland to Canada
Due to his involvement with the Underground Railroad, her father is in risk of being killed. April 1858: In Canada, Tubman encounters abolitionist John Brown, who encourages him to continue his work. Her knowledge of her husband’s ambitions to instigate a slave insurrection in the United States leads her to agree to help him recruit supporters for the cause. It takes place on October 16, 1859, when Brown launches his raid on the government arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia).
The antislavery politician William H.
Her parents decide to relocate to the United States after being dissatisfied in Canada.
Featured image courtesy of Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images Tubman assists former slave Charles Nalle in evading the United States marshals who are attempting to return him to his enslaver on April 27, 1860, in Troy, New York.
December 1860: Tubman makes her last trip on the Underground Railroad
Tubman joins Union forces in South Carolina in 1862, following the outbreak of the American Civil War. She decides to become a nurse while simultaneously operating a laundry and works as a chef to supplement her income.
c. 1863: Tubman serves as a spy for the Union
She collaborates with former slaves from the surrounding region in order to gain intelligence on the opposing Confederate army. READ MORE: Harriet Tubman’s Activist Service as a Union Spy (in English) Tubman conducts an armed attack along the Combahee River in South Carolina on the first and second of June, 1863. The expedition damages Confederate supplies and results in the liberation of more than 700 enslaved individuals. Tubman holds the distinction of becoming the first woman to command a military mission in the United States.
- Tubman is allowed a vacation in June 1864, and she travels to Auburn to see her parents for the first time.
- After the Civil War is over, she travels to Washington, D.C., where she notifies the surgeon general that Black troops are being treated in terrible conditions in military hospitals during the reconstruction period.
- After the Underground Railroad, there was a flurry of activity.
- She is unsuccessful, in part because of the turbulence surrounding President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, and in part because of Seward’s protracted recuperation from stab wounds sustained during an assassination attempt on Lincoln’s life.
- She protects her rights, but she is forcibly taken from the situation.
- (though the official publication date is listed as 1869).
- Harriet Tubman in her early twenties, around 1868 Image courtesy of the Library of Congress/Getty Images On March 18, 1869, Tubman marries Nelson Davis, a 25-year-old freed slave and Civil War veteran who was a former slave himself.
Tubman is robbed by a group of guys who deceive her into believing they can give her with Confederate wealth. It is the year 1873. Tubman and her husband adopt a daughter, whom they name Gertie Davis, who is born in the year 1874.
June 1886: Tubman buys 25 acres of land next to her home in Auburn to create a nursing home for Black Americans.
The rewritten biography of Harriet Tubman, Harriet, the Moses of Her People, is released in October 1886. Tubman’s husband, who had been suffering from TB, died on October 18, 1888. Tubman becomes increasingly interested in the fight for women’s suffrage in the 1890s. Tubman asks for a pension as a widow of a Civil War veteran in June 1890. On October 16, 1895, Tubman is authorized for a war widow pension of $8 per month, which will be paid for the rest of her life. The National Association of Colored Women’s inaugural meeting was held in July 1896, and Tubman delivered the keynote address.
- Anthony during a suffrage conference in Rochester, New York, in November 1896.
- Tubman is also invited to visit England to commemorate the queen’s birthday, but Tubman’s financial difficulties make this an impossible for the time being.
- Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, courtesy of Charles L.
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
- In 1899, the United States Congress increases Tubman’s pension to $20 per month, although the increase is for her nursing services rather than for her military efforts.
- It will be run by the AME Zion Church, which has taken over the rights to the site and will be operating it.
- Supporters are raising money to help pay for her medical expenses.
March 10, 1913: Tubman dies following a battle with pneumonia
Harriet, the Moses of Her People, a rewritten biography of Harriet Tubman, is released in October 1886. Tubman’s husband passes away on October 18, 1888, after contracting TB in the previous year. 1900s:Tubman becomes more active in the fight for the right to vote for women. Tubman asks for a pension as a widow of a Civil War veteran in the month of June in 1890. In the month of October 1895, Tubman is authorized for a $8-per-month war widow pension. The National Association of Colored Women was founded in July 1896, and Tubman was one of the speakers at the first meeting.
- Anthony introduce Tubman.
- A visit to England to celebrate the queen’s birthday has also been extended to Tubman, but due to Tubman’s financial difficulties, this is deemed impractical.
- Charles L.
- Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
- Tubman’s pension is increased to $20 per month in 1899, although the increase is for her nursing skills rather than her military service.
Because the AME Zion Church has acquired the deed to the land, it will be operated by the church. Tubman is admitted to the Harriet Tubman Home on May 19, 1911, due to illness. Supporters are raising money to help pay for her medical treatment and other costs of living.
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Taking a look at Harriet Tubman, who is considered the most renowned conductor on the Underground Railroad, our Headlines and Heroes blog. Tubman and those she assisted in their emancipation from slavery traveled north to freedom, occasionally crossing the Canadian border. While we’re thinking about the Texas origins of Juneteenth, let’s not forget about a lesser-known Underground Railroad that ran south from Texas to Mexico. In “Harriet Tubman,” The Sun (New York, NY), June 7, 1896, p. 5, there is a description of her life.
- Prints Photographs Division is a division of the Department of Photographs.
- Culture.
- She then returned to the area several times over the following decade, risking her life in order to assist others in their quest for freedom as a renowned conductor of the Underground Railroad (also known as the Underground Railroad).
- Prior to the Civil War, media coverage of her successful missions was sparse, but what is available serves to demonstrate the extent of her accomplishments in arranging these escapes and is worth reading for that reason.
- Her earliest attempted escape occurred with two of her brothers, Harry and Ben, according to an October 1849 “runaway slave” ad in which she is referred to by her early nickname, Minty, which she still uses today.
- Photograph courtesy of the Bucktown Village Foundation in Cambridge, Maryland.
- Her first name, Harriet, had already been chosen for her, despite the fact that the advertisement does not mention it.
She had also married and used her husband’s surname, John Tubman, as her own.
Slaves from the Cambridge, Maryland region managed to evade capture in two separate groups in October 1857.
In what the newspapers referred to as “a vast stampede of slaves,” forty-four men, women, and children managed to flee the situation.
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Tubman and the majority of her family had been held in bondage by the Pattison family.
While speaking at antislavery and women’s rights conferences in the late 1800s, Tubman used her platform to convey her own story of slavery, escape, and efforts to save others.
There are few articles regarding her lectures during this time period since she was frequently presented using a pseudonym to avoid being apprehended and returned to slavery under the rules of the Federal Fugitive Slave Act.
“Harriet Tribbman,” in “Grand A.
Convention at Auburn, New York,” Anti-Slavery Bugle (Salem, Ohio), January 21, 1860, p.
“Grand A.
Convention in Auburn, New York,” Anti-Slavery Bugle (Salem, Ohio), January 21, 1860, p.
A description of Harriett Tupman may be found in “A Female Conductor of the Underground Railroad,” published in The Daily Dispatch (Richmond, VA) on June 6, 1860, page 1.
In addition, when Tubman’s remarks were mentioned in the press, they were only quickly summarized and paraphrased, rather than being printed in their whole, as other abolitionists’ speeches were occasionally done.
With the rescue of Charles Nalle, who had escaped slavery in Culpeper, Virginia, but had been apprehended in Troy, New York, where Tubman was on a visit, Tubman’s rescue attempts shifted from Maryland to New York on April 27, 1860, and continued until the end of the year.
At the Woman’s Rights Convention in Boston in early June 1860, when Tubman spoke about these events, the Chicago Press and Tribunereporter responded with racist outrage at the audience’s positive reaction to Tubman’s story of Nalle’s rescue as well as her recounting of her trips back to the South to bring others to freedom.
- Later media coverage of Tubman’s accomplishments was frequently laudatory and theatrical in nature.
- On September 29, 1907, p.
- This and several other later articles are included in the book Harriet Tubman: Topics in Chronicling America, which recounts her early days on the Underground Railroad, her impressive Civil War service as a nurse, scout, and spy in the Union Army, and her post-war efforts.
- In keeping with contemporary biographies such asScenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman(1869) and Harriet, the Moses of her People(1886), both written by Sarah H.
- Taylor, financial secretary at Tuskegee Institute, certain content in these profiles may have been embellished from time to time.
This request was made in an essay written by Taylor shortly before to the release of his book, “The Troubles of a Heroine,” in which he requested that money be delivered directly to Tubman in order to pay off the mortgage on her property so that she may convert it into a “Old Folks’ Home.” On March 10, 1913, Tubman passed away in the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged Negroes in Auburn, New York, where she had lived for the previous twelve years.
While these newspaper stories provide us with crucial views into Harriet Tubman’s amazing heroics, they also serve as excellent examples of the variety of original materials available inChronicling America. More information may be found at:
- Harriet Tubman, the most renowned conductor on the Underground Railroad, is the subject of our Headlines and Heroes column. Tubman and those she assisted in their emancipation from slavery traveled north, occasionally crossing the border into Canada. Allow me to draw your attention to a lesser-known Underground Railroad that ran south from Texas to Mexico, in honor of the Texas origins of Juneteenth: On the 7th of June, 1896, The Sun (New York, NY) published a story on Harriet Tubman on page 5. Photojournalist and photographer Powelson Prints Division of Photographs The Library of Congress and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History each have collections of African American artifacts. Culture. On Maryland’s Eastern Shore in 1849, Harriet Tubman managed to elude enslavement. In the next decade, she returned to the same location several times in order to assist others in their quest for freedom as a well-known conductor of the Underground Railroad. As a result of her proficiency in navigating routes, as well as her knowledge of safe homes and trustworthy persons who assisted others fleeing slavery and achieving freedom, she was nicknamed “Moses.” Even while media coverage of her successful missions was sparse prior to the Civil War, the limited coverage that did exist serves to demonstrate the scope of her accomplishments in arranging these escapes during that period. Araminta Ross was born in the year 1822, and became known as Harriet Tubman later on. An October 1849 “runaway slave” ad in which she is referred to by her early nickname, Minty, reveals that her first attempt at emancipation was with two of her brothers, Harry and Ben. A reward of three hundred dollars was offered in the Cambridge Democrat (Cambridge, Maryland) in the month of October 1849. Bucktown Village Foundation, Cambridge, Maryland, provided the image. Even though her initial effort failed, Tubman was able to escape on her own shortly after. It is possible that she had already adopted the first name Harriet before to appearing in this advertisement, maybe in honor of her mother, Harriet Green Ross, despite the fact that the advertisement does not indicate this. Aside from that, she had married and adopted the last name of her husband, John Tubman. According to Kate Clifford Larson’s bookBound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero, she returned to Maryland roughly 13 times between December 1850 and 1860, guiding 60-70 family members and other enslaved folks to freedom. Slaves from the Cambridge, Maryland region managed to evade capture in two separate groups during the month of October 1857. It is believed that Tubman did not personally assist them, but that she did it in an indirect manner by providing specific instructions. In what was characterized in the newspapers as “a vast stampede of slaves,” forty-four men, women, and children managed to flee. There was a massive rush of slaves.” November 7, 1857, p. 3 of The Anti-Slavery Bugle (Salem, Ohio), in the Anti-Slavery Bugle (Salem, Ohio). It was reported in several papers regarding these escapes that fifteen people had managed to get away from Samuel Pattison’s custody. Tubman and the majority of her family had been held captive by the Pattison family. It was Tubman who had the strongest ties to the area. While speaking at antislavery and women’s rights conferences in the late 1800s, Tubman used her platform to convey her own story of slavery, escape, and efforts to save others. She also stressed the importance of continuing to struggle for freedom and equal rights now, as she did then. This period is particularly challenging to research since she was frequently presented under a pseudonym in order to avoid being apprehended by law enforcement and deported back to slavery in accordance with the requirements of the Fugitive Slave Act. A description of Harriet Garrison may be found in “The New England Convention,” The Weekly Anglo-African (New York, NY), August 6, 1859, on page 3. Anti-Slavery Bugle (Salem, Ohio), January 21, 1860, p. 2: “Grand A. S. Convention in Auburn, New York,” “Grand A. S. Convention in Auburn, New York,” Anti-Slavery Bugle (Salem, Ohio), January 21, 1860, p. 2: “Harriet Tribbman” On June 6, 1860, The Daily Dispatch (Richmond, VA) published an article titled “A Female Conductor of the Underground Railroad,” which featured Harriett Tupman (perhaps just a misspelling). Tubman’s talks were also only briefly summarized and paraphrased when they were published in newspapers, rather than being printed in their whole, as other abolitionists’ speeches were occasionally done. Because she was illiterate, she did not appear to have any written copies of her remarks. With the rescue of Charles Nalle, who had escaped slavery in Culpeper, Virginia, but had been apprehended in Troy, New York, where Tubman was on a visit, Tubman’s rescue activities shifted from Maryland to New York on April 27th, 1860. Nalle was released twice by a huge, primarily African-American crowd, and Tubman is credited with taking the initiative in his rescue in some versions. At the Woman’s Rights Convention in Boston in early June 1860, when Tubman spoke about these events, the Chicago Press and Tribunereporter responded with racist outrage at the audience’s positive reaction to Tubman’s story of Nalle’s rescue as well as her recounting of her trips back to the South to bring other slaves to liberty. Despite the fact that antislavery media celebrated Nalle’s rescue, they did not reveal Tubman’s identity at the time of the rescue. Following Tubman’s death, his contribution in the Civil War was frequently praised and dramatized. On June 8, 1860, The Press and Tribune (Chicago, IL) published “Our Boston Letter,” which appeared on page 2 of the paper. On September 29, 1907, p. 14, The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, CA) reported that “Another Trying to Down Her, She Choked into Half Unconsciousness,” and that “Another Trying to Down Her, She Choked into Half Unconsciousness,” Tubman’s lifetime devotion to achieving black freedom and equality was the subject of a lengthy 1907 story that appeared alongside the artwork in The San Francisco Call. This and several other later articles are included in the book Harriet Tubman: Topics in Chronicling America, which recounts her early days on the Underground Railroad, her impressive Civil War service as a nurse, scout, and spy in the Union Army, and her post-war efforts. Harriet Tubman: Topics in Chronicling America is available for purchase online. In keeping with contemporary biographies such asScenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman(1869) and Harriet, the Moses of her People(1886), both written by Sarah H. Bradford, and Harriet Tubman, the Heroine in Ebony(1901) by Robert W. Taylor, financial secretary at Tuskegee Institute, certain content in these profiles may have been embellished at times. Tubman was on the verge of becoming bankrupt when he came upon these books. This request was made in an essay written by Taylor shortly prior to the release of his book, “The Troubles of a Heroine,” in which he urged that money be delivered directly to Tubman in order to pay off the mortgage on her home so that she may convert it into a “Old Folks Home.” The Harriet Tubman Home for Aged Negroes in Auburn, New York, was where Tubman died 12 years later, on March 10, 1913. While these newspaper stories provide us with crucial views into the amazing heroics of Harriet Tubman, they also serve as excellent illustrations for the plethora of original materials accessible inChronicling America. Learn more by visiting the following link:
Harriet Tubman, the most renowned conductor on the Underground Railroad, is the subject of this week’s Headlines and Heroes column. Tubman and those she assisted in their emancipation from slavery traveled north to freedom, occasionally crossing the border into Canadian territory. Allow me to draw your attention to a lesser-known Underground Railroad that ran south from Texas to Mexico, in honor of the Texas origins of Juneteenth. On the 7th of June, 1896, The Sun (New York, NY) published an article about Harriet Tubman on page 5.
- Prints Photographs Division is a division of the Department of Photography.
- In 1849, Harriet Tubman managed to flee slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
- She was given the nickname “Moses” because of her ability at navigating routes and her knowledge of safe places and trustworthy persons who assisted victims from enslavement to freedom.
- Araminta Ross Tubman was born around the year 1822.
- October 1849, “Three Hundred Dollars Reward,” Cambridge Democrat (Cambridge, MD).
- While the initial effort failed, Tubman was able to escape on her own a short time later.
- This may have been done in honor of her mother, Harriet Green Ross.
According to Kate Clifford Larson’s bookBound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero, she went to Maryland roughly 13 times between December 1850 and 1860 to free 60-70 family members and other enslaved persons.
Tubman did not personally guide them, but she is credited for indirectly assisting them by providing specific instructions.
“There was a massive rush of slaves.” The Anti-Slavery Bugle(Salem, Ohio), November 7, 1857, p.
The Anti-Slavery Bugle(Salem, Ohio), November 7, 1857, p.
According to several publications regarding these escapes, a total of fifteen people managed to get away from Samuel Pattison.
Tubman had deep ties to the local community.
There are few articles regarding her lectures during this time period since she was frequently presented using a pseudonym to avoid being apprehended and returned to slavery under the rules of the Fugitive Slave Act.
3.
S.
2.
S.
2.
1.
In addition, when Tubman’s remarks were mentioned in the press, they were only quickly summarized and paraphrased, rather than being printed in their whole, as other abolitionists’ speeches were occasionally.
Tubman’s rescue attempts expanded beyond Maryland to New York on April 27, 1860, with the rescue of Charles Nalle, who had escaped slavery in Culpeper, Virginia, but had been apprehended in Troy, New York, where Tubman was on a visit at the time.
At the Woman’s Rights Convention in Boston in early June 1860, when Tubman spoke about these events, the Chicago Press and Tribunereporter responded with racist outrage at the audience’s positive reaction to Tubman’s story of Nalle’s rescue and recounting of her trips back to the South to bring others to freedom.
- Later media coverage of Tubman’s accomplishments was frequently laudatory and dramatic.
- On September 29, 1907, p.
- This and several other later articles are included in the book Harriet Tubman: Topics in Chronicling America, which recounts her early days on the Underground Railroad, her impressive Civil War service as a nurse, scout, and spy in the Union Army, and her post-war efforts.
- Certain content in these profiles may have been embellished at times, in keeping with contemporary biographies such asScenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman(1869) and Harriet, the Moses of her People(1886), both by Sarah H.
- Taylor, financial secretary at Tuskegee Institute.
This request was made in an essay written by Taylor shortly before to the release of his book, “The Troubles of a Heroine,” in which he requested that money be delivered directly to Tubman in order to pay off the mortgage on her home so that she may transform it into a “Old Folks’ Home.” On March 10, 1913, Tubman passed away in the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged Negroes in Auburn, New York, where she had resided for the previous twelve years.
These newspaper stories provide us with crucial views into the amazing heroism of Harriet Tubman, as well as samples of the variety of original materials available inChronicling America*. More information may be found here:
Aboard the Underground Railroad- Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged
Images of the Harriet Tubman Home for theAged, Harriet TubmanNationalHistoric Landmarks photographs |
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913), a renowned leader in the UndergroundRailroad movement, established the Home for the Aged in 1908. Born into slaveryin Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman gained her freedom in 1849 when she escapedto Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, Tubman made connections and found support among other white and black abolitionists. Although Harriet Tubman found her freedom, she was separated from her family. Between 1850 and 1860, Tubman returned to the Eastern Shore of Maryland 13 times and freed more than 70 people, who were her family and friends so they can all be free together as a family.Maryland planters offered a $100 rewardfor Tubman’s capture at one point during her time as an Underground Railroad conductor.Active during the Civil War, Tubman assisted the Union Army as a spy, nurse, cook,and guide.
From Port Royal, South Carolina, in June of 1863, she aided a detachmentof 150 African Americans in a raid up the Combahee River, destroying Confederatemines, storehouses and crops, and liberating about 800 slaves.Dedicating herlife after the Civil War to helping former slaves, especially children and theelderly, Tubman also became active in the women’s rights movement and the AMEZion Church.
Seward in Auburn, New York, for which she had lenient terms of repayment.
After the war she returned toher home in Auburn and began what was to be her life-long work of caring for agedand indigent African Americans.
In1896, Harriet purchased 25 adjoining acres to her home on which stood the buildingnow known as the Home for Aged.
Tubman continued to live at her home,until her own health deterioted and she was cared for at the Home for the Aged.She died there in 1913 at the age of 92 or 93 and was laid in state at the ThompsonAME Zion Church.
The Home for the Aged and Tubman’s home are owned by theAME Zion Church, the Home for the Aged is open to the public by appointment (visitfor more information).The Thompson AME Zion Church is currently closed and undergoing a historic structure study and report.
The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged is a partner park. Also of interest,The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Parkis located in MarylandPrevious |List of Sites|Home|Next