Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad…

Araminta Ross, who we know today as Harriet Tubman. She was born in 1820, Dorchester County, Maryland. She was born a slave and the owner did not record their birthdates. Harriet's ancestors had been brought to America from Africa during the early time period of the 18th Century. Harriet was the 11th child born to Benjamin Ross and Harriet Greene, slaves of Edward Brodas, at birth her given name was Araminta. By the time she was older, she was calling herself Harriet (after her mother’s name). When Harriet was five or six years old, she began to work as a house servant. Harriet also was a by nursemaid for a small baby she had to stay awake all night, so that the baby wouldn't cry and wake the mother. If Harriet fell asleep the baby's mother would wipe her. Harriet had the Courage to get her freedom from a very young age. Harriet was raised under very harsh conditions. She did not work in the fields though. Edward Brodas sent her to a couple who first put her to work weaving. When she no longer wanted to do that job the couple gave her the duty of checking muskrat traps. Araminta caught the measles while doing this work. They thought she was incompetent and took her to Brodas. When she got well, she was taken in by a woman as a housekeeper and baby-sitter. Araminta was whipped during the work here and was sent back to Brodas after eating one of the woman's sugar cubes. At the age of 12 she was very badly injured by a blow to her head by a white man, for refusing to tie up a man who had escaped. She never fully recovered from the blow, which led her to fall into very deep sleep. In 1844 at the age of 25, she married John Tubman, a free African American who did not share the same dream as her. Since she was a slave, she knew there could be a chance that she could be sold and her marriage would be split apart. Harriet wanted to travel north. There, she would be free and would not have to worry about having her marriage split up by the slave traders. But, John did