 Harriet began working on the plantation as a child with no education. She suffered serious brain damage because her owner hit her in the head with a weight when she intervened in the escape of a slave. She experienced blackouts for the rest of her life because of this.  In 1844 she married a freed slave John Tubman.  After her master died she worked for Anthony Thompson who was the legal guardian of her master, who was too young to work the plantation. When the young master died, there was rumors that Thompson would sell the slaves out of state, this scared Harriet so she escaped leaving her husband behind who refused to come with her.  Two years later she returned for her husband, but he had already remarried.

 Tubman escaped to Pennsylvania but she was not guaranteed safety because of the law passed stating owners can go into the north where slavery was illegal, to capture their slaves.  Shortly after her escape, she became involved in the abolitionist movement. She was directly involved with rescuing slaves through the Underground Railroad.  Tubman took on many disguises to assist runaway slaves throughout her career in the Underground railroad, she might appear as an old woman, or an impoverished man.

 Tubman was well known for her rifle that she carried around to protect herself.  She started out by rescuing her sister and children, then continued to rescue as many slaves as possible.  She traveled to the south about nineteen times and rescued about three hundred men, women, and children from slavery.

 Tubman joined the army as a scout, spy, and nurse.  Tubman traveled throughout South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida putting her nursing skills to use.  Her job as a scout involved gathering information and recruiting slaves.  She supported herself by selling chickens, eggs, root beers, and pies.

 When the war ended she returned home to take care of her parents and work on the farm.  She married a civil war veteran, Nelson Davis.  She was a believer in woman's rights and was a delegate in the first convention of the National Association of Colored Women.

 “I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”  “I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say; I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.”

 Maxwell, Louise P. "Tubman, Harriet." Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. Ed. Colin A. Palmer. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Nov  BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 16 Nov