Overview  Early Life  Adult Life leading to Freedom  Contributions to Society  Leadership Qualities and Legacy  Howard University Building  Concluding Summary  Questions

Early Life  Records of her birth do not exist: Claimed she was born in 1820, 1822, and 1825  Born Araminta "Minty” Ross to slave parents Harriet Green and Ben Ross  Birth location Dorchester County, Maryland  Brother’s sale key moment in the development of her beliefs

Early Life  Treated as a slave and suffered heavily at the hands of different white owners: Beatings starting at age 5 Measles Head injury  Became more and more religiously devout after each injury/ illness

Adult Life  Technically thought to be an adult at age 11  1844 (?): Married to a free black man named John Tubman Union complicated because of her slave status  Changed her name from Araminta to Harriet soon after her marriage  Started to dream of freedom. Going North was her goal  Husband not supportive, but freedom won

Freedom  1849: Disease stricken again, Tubman loses value as a slave  Attempts to be sold fail  Master dies after Tubman prays for his death  17 September 1849: Tubman escapes with two brothers  Widow did not notice for some time, thinking Tubman was working for neighbors

Freedom  Two weeks later, Brodess figures out Tubman fled: Reward posted for Tubman and two brothers  Brothers rethink decision to escape Return with Tubman to Maryland  Soon after, Tubman escapes again, this time alone

Freedom  Escaped using the Underground Railroad network  Little is known of her first crossing, but Tubman admitted feeling in Heaven after crossing Mason Dixon Line  Fearing for her family, she returned to Maryland to help free family members

Contributions to Society Breakdown  Moses Conductor  General Tubman  Final Crossing  Civil War

Contributions to Society Moses  September 1850: Tubman made official conductor of the UGRR  Harriet Tubman becomes “Moses”  1850 Fugitive Slave Act passed: Law enforcement officials had to aid in the capture of fugitive slaves Tubman tightens security and sends freed slaves into Canada instead of North USA  Worked closely with Frederick Douglas and Thomas Garret

Contributions to Society General Tubman  Introduced to John Brown  Brown so impressed with Tubman, nicknames her General Tubman  Although not fond of violence, Tubman helps Brown plan and recruit for the failed raid on Harpers Ferry  Tubman had not received the message of when the strike was going to take place, possibly saving her life

Contributions to Society Final Crossing  In November 1860, intended to return to save sister and her children: Sister died and children had to be bought  Tubman didn’t have the money to buy the children’s freedom  Instead of leaving empty handed, rescued the Ennals family  Arrived in NY state on December 28, 1860

Contributions to Society Civil War  Aided black refugees at the start of the war and worked as a nurse  June 2, 1863, Tubman became first woman to lead an armed assault during Civil War  Tubman aided in the rescue of nearly 700 slaves in the Combahee River Raid  Helped scout and gather intelligence for Union forces

Leadership Qualities  Dedication  Resilience  Courage  Intelligence Street Smarts Intelligence gathering

Legacy  Personally rescued over 70 slaves from the South with the railway  Set a standard for the future of the abolitionist movement  Buried with military honors at Fort Hill Cemetery Booker T. Washington delivered the keynote address  First biography of Tubman didn’t come out until 1942 The next biography would not come out until 2003

Legacy for Me- Inspiration Trust Belief

Howard University  Harriet Tubman has a quadrangle named in her honor  Tubman Quad surrounded by five residential halls  More commonly known simply as “The Quad”

Concluding Summary  Early Life  Adult Life leading to Freedom  Contributions to Society  Leadership Qualities and Legacy  Howard University Building

For those interested…  Sources: Clinton, Catherine (2004). Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom. New York: Little, Brown and Company Sterling, Dorothy (1970). Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman. New York: Scholastic, Inc

Thank You for Your Attention Questions?