Orethapedia

We like to think that Harriet Tubman, born on March 6, 1820, was reincarnated in Rosa Parks. After all, Parks was born the year that Tubman died. Born in an enslaved family, Harriet Tubman learned from her mother what dignity means and she swore that she would always fight oppression with freedom and equality. These convictions led Tubman to become a fierce activist for slavery abolition and become the first woman ever to command a military operation during the American Civil War. This paved the way for her freedom and the awakening of an unstoppable anti-slavery movement that continues until this day.

Harriet Ross Tubman, born Araminta ‘Minty’ Ross, was born a slave on the plantation of Edward Brodess in Dorchester County, Maryland. Her mother was Harriet ‘Rit’ Green owned by Mary Pattison Brodess, and her father was Ben Ross owned by Anthony Thomson. The exact date of her birth is unclear because most records belonging to slaves are incomplete or were not given enough importance, but it is agreed that it was between 1820 and 1822. Tubman had three sisters who were sold to other owners early on, tearing the family apart. Her only brother, Moses, was hidden from any buyer and Rit promised she would kill anyone who dare take her son away. In that event, Harriet learned the value of standing for her dignity and assumed strong positions against slavery as a political idea.

Ben Ross was freed in 1840, but Tubman’s mother was still enslaved. Tubman married John Tubman — a freedman — in 1844. This started giving clues to Harriet on how to fight for the freedom of her people from a legal point of view. From 1849 to 1851, she started working as an operator in the “Underground Railroad,” helping African-Americans escape to the north by taking her train. This job helped her learn and get in close contact with the towns and people that she was fighting for, and spending so much time looking at maps gave her a strategic and military background that few others had.

Tubman then joined the “Union Army” as a spy and often disguised herself to scout enemy territory during the American Civil War. Her assistance was valued not just on the military and logistical fronts, but she also worked as a nurse, treating injured soldiers with traditional herbal treatments. She gathered enough money to fund the liberty of many former slaves after the War and joined one political fight as she also protested in favor of women’s right to vote. During her last 30 years, she cared for the elderly in a New York home and died in 1913.