Harriet+Tubman+-+SP09

=Harriet Tubman= =Harriet Tubman= by Frederick Douglass

Harriet Tubman was born in 1820 and was a very strong abolitionist. Harriet's strong devotion towards freeing slaves resulted in over hundreds of African Americans to escape slavery and travel North to where they would be free. Harriet was a slave until 1849 until she managed to escape from her slave owner and travel to Philadelphia. Harriet's plan were to travel at night, guided by the North Star, to keep from being caught by slave owners who were looking for a reward for catching fugitive slaves. Once she set foot in Philadelphia, she realized that she was free but her family was not. She saved up money and returned to the pro slavery state of Maryland where her family was located. Tubman remained hidden in a safe house until she could successfully escort her family back to Pennsylvania. She successfully freed her brothers, sisters, parents, nieces and nephews back to the North. Harriet stayed at my house which was part of the Underground Railroad while she was trying to free her family.

Harriet brought many of the slaves to the North through the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a series of safe houses where the slaves could rest until they departed at night to journey to the free states. It was much easier for us to travel at night and we would have a better chance of not being seen by owners. Harriet allowed many runaway slaves to stay at her house. This put not only the runaways at risk but also Harriet herself. Any person who was caught helping the runaways could face the same punishment the runaway would get. Because of Harriet's dedication to helping slaves, rewards as much as $40,000 were offered to anyone who was able to catch her. = = My dear friend Harriet allowed 300 slaves in only 19 trips to the South to make their journey to the South and provided these individuals with a sense of individuality and a sense of freedom. Following these adventures to the South, Harriet became a leading abolitionist and also served as a nurse and a spy for the Union army in the Civil War.

My dear friend Harriet risked her life to help those who wanted a sense of freedom in the North. Harriet provided them with a new opportunity at life and a new start. Harriet's role in the Underground Railroad and the freeing of slaves led many to have the "American Dream." The freed slaves were able to start a new life economically, emotionally and mentally. The freed slaves could begin a new job that did not involve doing the dirty work or working in the fields from dawn to dusk under the command of an owner. They were able to be successful without having to work hard, long hours under the scorching heat. Being a free slave allowed many to have a sense of happiness which they were not achieving under the control of their master. These individuals were able to start fresh and be happy that they were not living under someone and they were able to have their own opinions and do things without being worried about being beaten or whipped. Along with happiness and success, these //freed// slaves were able to experience freedom. They were free from the conditions of the South and free from someone's rule. They did not have to feel dictated and were able to experience the true meaning of freedom. Without Harriet Tubman and her dedication and commitment to freeing those who were enslaved, many were not able to have a sense of freedom, success and ultimately could not experience the true meaning of happiness.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/tubman http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html = =