Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman Harriet Ross Tubman (1820-1913) is best known for her involvement in the Underground Railroad. She was also an abolitionist, Civil War spy and nurse, suffragist, and humanitarian. After she escaped from slavery in 1849, she dedicated her life to fighting for freedom and equality. Harriet freed over 300 blacks from slavery in the South, to freedom in the North. For her heroic efforts, she received the biblical name “Moses.” This name came from the bible story in Exodus where Moses freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to freedom in Israel. Harriet Ross Tubman was born into slavery on the Edward Brodas plantation near Bucktown, Dorchester County, Maryland. Because Harriet was a slave, and owners did not record their slave’s birthdates, the exact date of Harriet’s birth is unknown. However, historians estimate the date to be around 1820 or 1821. Her birth name was Araminta Ross and was called Minty as a child. However, by the time she was an adult, she adopted her mother’s first name, Harriet. Harriet’s ancestors had been brought to America in shackles from Africa, during the first half of the 18th Century. She was the fifth of nine children. Her mother’s name was Harriet “Rit” Green and her father’s name was Benjamin Ross. Her parents were both slaves. Harriet began working at an early age. When she was five years old, she was sent away from home. She was said to be “loaned out” to another plantation. Here she was made to check muskrat traps in icy cold rivers. This made Harriet so sick that she was returned to her home plantation malnourished and suffering from cold exposure. Once she was better, she was “loaned out” to another plantation to work as a nursemaid to the planter’s baby. By age 12 she was working as a field hand, plowing and hauling wood. It was during this time that Harriet was nearly killed by a blow to her head. This happened when an angry overseer threw an iron weight at another