A Beacon of Resilience and Love: Harriet Tubman (2024)

FAQs

Why was Harriet Tubman a beacon? ›

Harriet Tubman, the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad, was a beacon of hope to hundreds of people seeking freedom from bondage. She, herself, guided 70 enslaved people to freedom, never losing a passenger.

In 1913, at the age of 91, Harriet Tubman died of pneumonia in the Home for the Aged & Indigent Negroes. In her final words, Tubman called upon her faith and made reference to John 14:3 in the Bible. She stated, “I go away to prepare a place for you, that where I am you also may be” (Larson 2004, p. 289).

Her biggest accomplishment was her assistance in the Combahee Ferry Raid, where she helped Union troops gain leverage on a Confederate camp where over 700 enslaved people were being held. It was hazardous, and Harriet could have been killed easily, but she never hesitated and helped free all 700 people.

She was also no longer known by her "basket name", Araminta. Now she would be called Harriet, after her mother. At the age of 12 Harriet Ross was seriously injured by a blow to the head, inflicted by a white overseer for refusing to assist in tying up a man who had attempted escape.

Harriet Tubman , born Araminta Ross(1822-1913)

Araminta “Minty” Ross was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in Dorchester County in 1822. At an early age, she was hired out to work for other families as a muskrat trapper, weaver, and nurse.

One of those guides was Harriet Tubman. After escaping from slavery herself, she helped hundreds of enslaved people flee to the North. Her story can teach us lessons about bravery, personal strength, and care for others.

This military campaign freed over 700 slaves, and introduced her to Nelson Davis, a black union soldier who would become her second husband. Tubman and Davis married in 1869 and settled in Auburn, New York where Tubman began her work of caring for elderly and indigent African Americans.

Facts About Harriet Tubman

She never learned to read or write, but was smart, calculating, and bold—and was never caught during her 13 dangerous missions to lead her friends and family out of slavery. During the Civil War, she became the first woman to lead an armed military raid in June 1863.

The religious faith that marked all her activities is noted with the inscription "Servant of God, Well Done." The gravesite is located on Fort Hill Cemetery's "West Lawn C", beneath a large tree, with two small bushes on each side of her headstone.

During her time working in the marshlands at Parson's Creek she married her first husband, John Tubman, who was a free man. She changed her name from Araminta Ross to Harriet Tubman, perhaps in honor of her mother. In Dorchester County, free and enslaved African Americans lived and worked in the same community.

How many slaves did Harriet Tubman save? ›

Myth: Harriet Tubman rescued 300 people in 19 trips. Fact: According to Tubman's own words, and extensive documentation on her rescue missions, we know that she rescued about 70 people—family and friends—during approximately 13 trips to Maryland.

Answer and Explanation: It is thought that an incident between Harriet's mother and her mother's slave owner greatly influenced Harriet, when her mother stood up to her slave owner stopping the sale of her son.

Although Harriet strives to stay true to historical facts, the film takes some creative liberties. In Harriet, when Harriet Tubman reaches Philadelphia after her escape, she is welcomed by William Still (Leslie Odom Jr.)

Harriet Tubman died in 1913 in Auburn, New York at the home she purchased from Secretary of State William Seward in 1859, where she established the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged. She was buried with military honors at Fort Hill Cemetery.

“She was five feet two inches (157 centimeters) tall, born a slave, had a debilitating illness, and was unable to read or write. Yet here was this tough woman who could take charge and lead men," Allen says. "I got to like her pretty quickly because of her strength and her spirit.”

For more than 120 years, the Statue of Liberty has stood at the entrance to New York Harbor as a beacon of hope for people coming to the United States by ship. Although most people refer to it as the Statue of Liberty or Lady Liberty, the statue's full name is Liberty Enlightening the World.

Dressed as a field hand, she led scouting and spying missions to identify and map the locations of Confederate mines, supply areas, and troops. Tubman delivered the information to Union Col. James Montgomery, commander of the 2nd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry, to support military operational planning.

During the Civil War, she became the first woman to lead an armed military raid in June 1863. She was also a Union scout, spy, and nurse. She was a suffragist who fought for women's rights. She established a nursing home for African Americans on her property in Auburn, NY.

Harriet Tubman was one such Union spy. Long honored and remembered as one of the iconic conductors of the Underground Railroad, Tubman escaped slavery and risked her life countless times to smuggle other enslaved people to the North and Canada in the pre-war years.