Harriet Tubman
Although the exact date of her birth is unknown, Harriet Ross Tubman was born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland in early 1822. Known for being a conductor for the Underground Railroad, Civil War nurse and spy, and advocate for human rights. Once Tubman was freed in 1849, she devoted her life to helping others seek freedom, her successes offering her an important spot in our nation’s history.
Although it is disputed precisely how it happened, while in her teens Tubman was struck in the head – some argue it was with an iron weight– and was nearly killed. This perpetuated one of her more famous qualities; she suffered from headaches, seizures and bouts of sleeping that continued through her life and were sometimes attributed mystic qualities.
Tubman led groups of slaves through eastern Pennsylvania and central New York and on to Canada. Her bravery in the face of the constant danger of capture won her acclaim from many leading abolitionists including John Brown, Lydia Maria Child, William Seward, Gerrit Smith, and Wendell Phillips. She took between eleven and thirteen trips, freeing an estimated seventy individuals, which included family members, as well as providing information for about fifty other slaves, that allowed them to find freedom as well.
Tubman’s trips along the Underground Railroad brought her to Peterboro. Tubman felt safe, supported, and welcomed by the Smith family. She also came for personal visits. During one visit Gerrit Smith’s son Greene, noting Harriet’s lack of adequate shoes, delayed his plans to go to purchase footwear for her. In a letter to his wife Ann January 29, 1861, Gerrit Smith wrote from his Land Office, “Harriet Tubman sits by my side. I have just written to Sanborn for her.”
During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse, laundress, and spy for the North, then faced the pervasive post-war racial discrimination as she was unable to acquire her government pension for wartime service. Following the war she settled in Auburn, New York, on land purchased from William Seward with money earned from Sarah Elizabeth Bradford’s biography of her. She lived in Auburn until her death in 1913.
Although it is disputed precisely how it happened, while in her teens Tubman was struck in the head – some argue it was with an iron weight– and was nearly killed. This perpetuated one of her more famous qualities; she suffered from headaches, seizures and bouts of sleeping that continued through her life and were sometimes attributed mystic qualities.
Tubman led groups of slaves through eastern Pennsylvania and central New York and on to Canada. Her bravery in the face of the constant danger of capture won her acclaim from many leading abolitionists including John Brown, Lydia Maria Child, William Seward, Gerrit Smith, and Wendell Phillips. She took between eleven and thirteen trips, freeing an estimated seventy individuals, which included family members, as well as providing information for about fifty other slaves, that allowed them to find freedom as well.
Tubman’s trips along the Underground Railroad brought her to Peterboro. Tubman felt safe, supported, and welcomed by the Smith family. She also came for personal visits. During one visit Gerrit Smith’s son Greene, noting Harriet’s lack of adequate shoes, delayed his plans to go to purchase footwear for her. In a letter to his wife Ann January 29, 1861, Gerrit Smith wrote from his Land Office, “Harriet Tubman sits by my side. I have just written to Sanborn for her.”
During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse, laundress, and spy for the North, then faced the pervasive post-war racial discrimination as she was unable to acquire her government pension for wartime service. Following the war she settled in Auburn, New York, on land purchased from William Seward with money earned from Sarah Elizabeth Bradford’s biography of her. She lived in Auburn until her death in 1913.
Relevant Links
|
Equal Rights Heritage Center Announces Harriet Tubman Weekend: March 6-8, 2020The city-wide celebration of Harriet Tubman, the famous abolitionist and former Auburn resident, will return on March 6-8, 2020 with an expanded weekend of events. Hosted by the Equal Rights Heritage Center, celebrations of Tubman's life and legacy are planned throughout Auburn’s historic and cultural sites and will include special guests Laureen Smith, who portrayed Martha Coffin Wright in Harriet, and Tubman interpreter Gwendolyn Briley- Strand. View the full programme here.
|
|
March 10, 2020 - 10am: Annual Harriet Tubman Day of Commemoration Wreath Laying CeremonySwing Low Harriet Tubman Memorial
122nd Street/Harriet Tubman Square at Frederick Douglass Boulevard Village of Harlem, New York EVERYONE IS WELCOME - We look forward to celebrating with you! DRESS WARMLY FOR THIS ONE HOUR OUTDOOR CELEBRATION
About Harriet Tubman… conductor on the Underground Railroad, military leader during the Civil War, suffragist, political activist and descendant of the Ashanti folks in Ghana. Harriet Tubman was born in or about 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland; she was enslaved for nearly 30 years before escaping in 1849 to Philadelphia. She returned over and over again, leading dozens of enslaved to freedom in the North over a 10-year period. For her efforts, she became known as “Moses” by African-American and white abolitionists. Throughout the month of February, enjoy FREE screenings of the acclaimed movie “HARRIET” at Regal Theatres nationwide (check your local listings for theaters/times). For additional information, email tubman1913@yahoo.com |