also notes the wider significance of the Under-
ground Railroad as ‘‘a full-fledged grassroots
resistance movement, representing the true
national goals of democracy and liberty.’’
Harriet Tubman
The renowned Harriet Tubman was born Ara-
minta Ross sometime between 1820 and 1825 (no
exact date is known) in Dorchester County,
Maryland, the child of slaves. She had a harsh
upbringing and even as a child was subject to
whippings. She was also injured when struck in
the head by a heavy object thrown by an overseer,
and she suffered from headaches and seizures all
her life as a result. She also had visions and vivid
dreams.
In 1844, she married John Tubman, a free
black man. Five years later, Tubman left her hus-
band and escaped via Delaware to Philadelphia.
No details of her escape are known; Tubman
never spoke of it, but it is likely that the Under-
ground Railroad facilitated her flight to freedom.
To mark her freedom, she changed her name to
Harriet. Her escape was remarkable, since few
women attempted such a difficult task. As Clinton
comments, ‘‘That she made this treacherous and
unknown journey shows the nerve and resource-
fulness that would become her trademark.’’ The
following year, Tubman returned to Maryland to
help her family escape, including her niece and her
brother. As a conductor of the Underground Rail-
road, she made more trips to the South and guided
more slaves to freedom, becoming known as
‘‘Moses,’’ who like the biblical Moses led her peo-
ple to freedom. Over a period of eleven years,
Tubman made thirteen trips to Maryland, rescu-
ing more than three hundred slaves, including her
parents. During these extremely risky expeditions,
the last of which took place in December 1860, she
was sustained by her strong faith in God; she also
on more than one occasion had to think quickly
and act with ingenuity to avoid being recognized
by her former owners. The slave owners in the
region knew of her activities and offered rewards
totaling $40,000 for her capture. However, Tub-
man was never caught, nor were any of the slaves
she guided to freedom.
Tubman settled for a while in Canada. Dur-
ing the Civil War she enrolled in the Union army
and worked as a nurse. After the Civil War, sheIllustration of slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad(The Library of Congress)
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