Research Outline

  Harriet Tubman - Notes/Research

What was her legacy?

 A Beacon of Resilience and Love: Harriet Tubman. As one of the best-known “conductors” of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman showed how someone can leave an inspiring legacy of love, sacrifice, and perseverance despite being born into the worst of circumstances. And, Despite the pain and struggles Tubman faced, Harriet Tubman dedicated her life to compassion and equality, from freeing enslaved people to advocating for women’s suffrage to caring for the elderly. Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, NY consists of four sites that commemorate her life’s work and tells a more complete story of this extraordinary abolitionist.

https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/beacon-resilience-and-love-harriet-tubman#:~:text=A%20Beacon%20of%20Resilience%20and%20Love%3A%20Harriet%20Tubman&text=As%20one%20of%20the%20best,into%20the%20worst%20of%20circumstances.

12 Quotes from Harriet Tubman:

“Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.”

“I had reasoned this out in my mind; there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other; for no man should take me alive.”

“I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say; I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.”

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

“I would fight for my liberty so long as my strength lasted, and if the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me.”

“I grew up like a neglected weed – ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it.”

“Never wound a snake; kill it.”

“It wasn’t me, it was the Lord! I always told Him, ‘I trust to you. I don’t know where to go or what to do, but I expect You to lead me,’ and He always did.”

“Slavery is the next thing to hell.”

“And I prayed to God to make me strong and able to fight, and that’s what I’ve always prayed for ever since.”

“I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”

“I can’t die but once.”

https://www.goalcast.com/2018/01/09/harriet-tubman-quotes-2/

How did she carry out her message?

Harriet Tubman spent her entire life working to correct the injustices done against her people. She worked to bring slaves to freedom and to advance the rights of all African-Americans.Through her travels Harriet developed a wide network of friends whom she enlisted for her numerous social causes. Harriet always asked for help when necessary, from people who had the resources she needed.

.https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/tubman-harriet#:~:text=Harriet%20Tubman%20spent%20her%20entire,rights%20of%20all%20African-Americans.

What drove her to action? 

Harriet’s desire for justice became apparent at age 12 when she spotted an overseer about to throw a heavy weight at a fugitive. Harriet stepped between the enslaved person and the overseer—the weight struck her head. Many years later Tubman found work as a housekeeper in Philadelphia, but she wasn't satisfied living free on her own—she wanted freedom for her loved ones and friends, too. She soon returned to the south to lead her niece and her niece's children to Philadelphia via the Underground Railroad.At one point, she tried to bring her husband John north, but he’d remarried and chose to stay in Maryland with his new wife.

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/harriet-tubman#section_7

How did it affect you? What power was handed down to you from this ancestor?

It affected me deeply because it made me realize how bad things used to be back then. But, it also made me realize  that we can all make a change if we have faith and work together. What was handed down to me from this ancestor was the power of  determination and motivation. Harriet Tubman continued to fight for what she believed in and never gave up no matter how bad things got for her. Although she found refuge and peace she decided to go back and save her people from the cruel and unjust things that were happening in the world. She never gave up and that's something I will always admire about her. 

How did Harriet Tubman fight to break barriers?

Harriet Tubman was a second-generation slave who dedicated her life to fulfilling her cry to the slaveholders, "Let my people go!" She escaped from slavery, herself, yet returned to the South nineteen times to free over three hundred slaves. She had an unflappable faith in God and believed slavery to be an evil created by man. Called "the Moses of her people," Tubman never lost a slave or failed on her missions. She was a scout and a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War and her information was responsible for the destruction of enormous amounts of Confederate resources. After the war, Tubman continued to battle for social reforms and justice for her people.

https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/tubman-harriet

Where is your hero from? 

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Dorchester County, MD on Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1822, she was named Araminta by her enslaved parents, Ben and Rit Ross. Nearly killed at the age of 12 by a blow to her head, "Minty" recovered and grew strong and determined to be free.Changing her name to Harriet upon her marriage to freeman John Tubman in 1844, she escaped five years later when her enslaver died and she was to be sold. One hundred dollars was offered for her capture. Vowing to return to bring her family and friends to freedom, she spent the next ten years making about 13 trips into Maryland to rescue them. She also gave instructions to about 70 more who found their way to freedom independently.

https://www.nps.gov/people/harriet-tubman.htm

Why are these historical figures not as celebrated in the History books?

Harriet Tubman’s name is known world-wide and her exploits as a self-liberated Underground Railroad heroine are celebrated in children’s literature, film, and history books, yet no major biography of Tubman has appeared since 1943. Jean M. Humez’s comprehensive Harriet Tubman is both an important biographical overview based on extensive new research and a complete collection of the stories Tubman told about her life—a virtual autobiography culled by Humez from rare early publications and manuscript sources. This book will become a landmark resource for scholars, historians, and general readers interested in slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and African American women.

https://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/2269.htm

What are their roots and struggles? 

Tubman’s date of birth is unknown, although it probably occurred between 1820 and 1825. She was one of nine children born between 1808 and 1832 to enslaved parents in Dorchester County, Maryland. Her mother, Harriet “Rit” Green, was owned by Mary Pattison Brodess. Her father, Ben Ross, who was owned by Anthony Thompson (Thompson and Brodess eventually married). The most severe injury occurred when Tubman was an adolescent. Sent to a dry-goods store for supplies, she encountered a slave who had left the fields without permission. The man’s overseer demanded that Tubman help restrain the runaway. When Tubman refused, the overseer threw a two-pound weight that struck her in the head. Tubman endured seizures, severe headaches and narcoleptic episodes for the rest of her life. She also experienced intense dream states, which she classified as religious experiences. The line between freedom and slavery was hazy for Tubman and her family.

https://www.biography.com/activist/harriet-tubman

What made their lives meaningful?

In addition to freeing slaves, Tubman was also a Civil War spy, nurse and supporter of women's suffrage. After escaping slavery on her own in 1849, Harriet Tubman helped others journey on the Underground Railroad. Wanting to bring an end to slavery, Tubman also coordinated with abolitionists. During the Civil War , she became a nurse and a spy for the Union. And despite her ongoing financial struggles, she continued to fight for equality and justice by speaking out against prejudice and advocating women's suffrage. It's clear Tubman led a momentous life that made the world a better place.

https://www.biography.com/news/harriet-tubman-timeline-facts#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20freeing%20slaves,and%20supporter%20of%20women's%20suffrage.&text=After%20escaping%20slavery%20on%20her,journey%20on%20the%20Underground%20Railroad.&text=It's%20clear%20Tubman%20led%20a,the%20world%20a%20better%20place.

Which factors Or reasons gave them the courage or will To participate in socially just Causes ?

In 1844, Harriet was married to John Tubman although their marriage never produced children. In 1849, after the death of her owner, Harriet learned she was going to be forcibly separated from her family. She made a plan to escape. Her husband refused to go with her and threatened to report her to the new master. Harriet and her brothers fled the plantation. But, after a short distance, her brothers decided to return, leaving Harriet to make her way alone. She traveled at night and hid by day, her only guide the North Star. Years later Harriet recalled, "I looked at my hands to see if I was de same person now I was free. Dere was such a glory ober eberything… And I felt like I was in heaven" (Bradford 1866, 30) 2 . Her joy was short lived as she fully realized she was alone and thought of her family in slavery. Unless she tried to liberate them, she would never see them again or even know their fate (Bradford 1886).

https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/tubman-harriet

How can we honor them? 

Harriet Tubman is a true American heroine. Known as the “Moses of her people,” Tubman escaped slavery and helped  many others achieve freedom through the underground railroad. But you may not have known that she was a soldier, spy, and nurse in the Union Army in the American civil war. It is because of Tubman’s life’s work that she is being honored by having her face on the front of the $20 bill. This wonderful idea was first proposed in 2016 and was supposed to be introduced in 2020 on the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote, according to Fast Company . But the process was halted by then treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin who said that adding more security features to the US currency was more important than redesigning the bill. Now, with the new administration, White House press secretary Jen Psaki informed reporters in a press briefing on January 25, 2021 that the administration is exploring ways to speed up the process. She said, “The treasury department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes,” Ms. Psaki said. “It’s important that our money reflect the history and diversity of our country.”

https://www.goodnet.org/articles/the-us-is-honoring-harriet-tubman-1

What changes do you want to see in this country? How can you contribute to make this happen?

The changes I would like to see in this country are actually stopping a lot of injustices due to racism, lack of education and ignorance. We are all human and we all bleed the same and yet there are people who will still judge you based off of the color of your skin and the stereotypes that go along with it. There's nothing wrong with respecting each other and showing kindness. We can contribute to making this happen by holding the people who've done awful crimes towards people of color, accountable for the hate crimes and killings instead of the courts to allow them to walk away with a slap on the wrist. Nothing in this country is truly fair when it comes to certain types of people and I think that's the problem. 

What social justice issue resonates most with this figure?

In addition to leading more than 300 enslaved people to freedom, Harriet Tubman helped ensure the final defeat of slavery in the United States by aiding the Union during the American Civil War . She served as a scout and a nurse, though she received little pay or recognition.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harriet-Tubman