Harriet tubman Flashcards
Who was she
Underground Railroad conductor, abolishinist, social reformer, spy for the Union & scout
Born
Maryland 1822 to enslaved parents
Family
She married John Tubman and had no kids with him.
Childhood
She was sold to many masters and worked for many throughout her youth. She labored as hard as any man. Actually one master enjoyed displaying her physical strength to the neighbors.
Not complying with slavery
She hid from a slave mistress for 5 days because she took a lump of sugar and got threatened.
She was asked to once help tie another slave down for a beating and she refused. The overseer throw a 2lb weight at her. This caused narcolepsy
Escape
Her and her 2 brothers escaped, in 1849. Harriets husband refused to join them. Her brothers chickened out and returned(with Harriet). 2 days later Harriet escaped on her own. She kind of new the route do to some of her slave work when she linked with some free black seaman
Beginning of post slavery life
She worked as a maid and cook in philly and cape may and she was lonely so she took some of her savings to go back and rescued her niece and nieces 2 kids, her youngest Bro, and husband who she found out actually remarried
More post slavery life
She moved to Canada in 1850 and met up with John brown. Brown referred to her as the general. She liked him and was gonna help with his famous raid, but she didn’t cuz of illness snd a change of date.
She eventually went and rescued her elderly parents from slavery, which was very difficult cuz they were immobile. She did it via wagon. She moved them to a modest home that she bought in NY with help from the Secretary of State of NY, William Seward. Tubman settled there
Total Accomplishments and details of her Underground Railroad work
She made 14 trips between 1849-1860 to rescue slaves and directly freed between 70-80. She indirectly freed 50 more through her instructions
She was brilliant with it:
Did it during the winter (less daylight), told free blacks in Maryland to remove advertisements; carried a gun so she wouldn’t get betrayed by leery slaves. She’s give them the option go towards freedom or die. Finally she gave babies a sedating product
She knew the routes very well. She was assisted by people of all colors and economic situations with safe houses, clothing, food ect
She earned the nickname “Moses”
Civil war
She decided to get involved and became a union nurse, and scout yo recruit soldiers. She was also a spy for the Union and got them valuable info. Believe it or not, She wasn’t terribly well known so she’d go to the confederate areas, blend in and get info.
She fought for 25 years to try and get a military pension. It didn’t work. But her union soldier husband who was 20 years younger than her (Nelson davis) eventually died and she got his pension.
After the civil war
She funded herself through the sell of her biography, written by Sara Bradford. And focused on helping elderly and impecunious blacks survive. With the assistance of churches and white supporters, She built a home adjacent to hers in 1903 called “the Harriet Tubman home for aged and indigent colored people” she died two years later
