How Did Harriet Tubman Contribute To The Abolition Movement

Danielle Bright

The “Moses of her people” was a vital contribution to the jumpstarting of the abolition movement. This Moses is Harriet Tubman, a freedom fighter, union spy and conductor of the underground railroad. Harriet, previously known as Minty or Minta, was a libertarian holding her once promised manumission, traveled the distance in order to reach the north where an African American could be free from the strike of a whip or the clank of a chain. She didn’t stop there, though she returned to the plantation, which she dreaded in order to introduce those she knew and cared for to freedom as well. She wanted to let them experience the lack of restraints that they could gain. Harriet has inspired others through her contribution to abolition
Even when pulled out of the depths of despair, Harriet went back to that hole to throw a rope for the others who were stuck. She soon returned to the south to lead her niece and her niece’s children to Philadelphia via the Underground Railroad,” the “History.com Editors”, explains. Harriet escaped on her own, gaining the freedom she longed for, but her conscience weighed heavily on her the fact that her family was owned by someone other than themselves. She would not settle for this, making her such a major benefactor to the abolitionist movement, her ability to give African Americans what they once believed was unattainable. Womenshistory.org supports, “She would wander the streets under Confederate control and learn from the enslaved population about Confederate troop placements and supply lines”. Harriet did not stop at just freeing those who worked on her plantation freedom, she also worked to free all African Americans. As a Union spy, she acquired the information needed in order to break the manacles confining African Americans at work, giving them their promised manumission. Like trying to reel a shark in with a feeble fishing pole, Harriet continuously came out triumphant when fighting for the bait and her
“She was hit in the head with a two-pound weight, leaving her with a lifetime of severe headaches and narcolepsy,” Debra Michals- author of “Harriet Tubman biography”- exclaims. Through narcolepsy and painful throbs at the head, Harriet persevered through each journey to Philadelphia, not knowing whether she was going to pass out in the middle of a trip or make it all the way to her destination. She could’ve let such a wound discourage her from taking such a circuitous route to liberation of herself and others, but instead she led the way like a General to the army. In, “ Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad,” John Tubman, threatens, “You take off and I’ll tell the master. I’ll tell the master right quick.” Harriet, who went by Minty at the time, had to deal with the threat by her own husband to tell her Master, “the man who would sell her south,” when finding out she took her leave. Yet and still she remained composed and let her faith in God as well as her strong desire to be free from slavery guide her to the north. Even when harmed and betrayed, Harriet still decided to travel the distance, whether alone or with others who wished for a better life too. Harriet let her words and actions dance through the ears and minds of people, changing their