Notion : Progress

Everyday Heroes – Harriet Tubman

Hello, today I’m going to tell you about Harriet Tubman, an Everyday hero.

Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most well-known conductor of the Underground Railroad (UGRR). For about ten years she made 19 trips to the South and helped over 300 slaves running away to the free states or to Canada. And, as she proudly pointed out once to Frederick Douglass, during all her travels she "Never lost a single passenger ", which is very heroic and impressive.

Harriet Tubman was born as a slave in 1820. Indeed, she grew up in the state of Maryland, a state where Slavery was only abolished in 1861. Her ancestors were from pure African race, and her birth name is Araminta Ross. She spent most of her childhood being a slave, and she always had the dream to run away to the North, in order to be free.

In 1844, she got married to John Tubman, a free Afro-American, however, he wasn’t really into breaking the rules and escaping slavery. That’s why, when Harriet asked him to go to the North with her, he declined and threatened her. And that’s also why she left him, in 1849, in order to go to the North, in Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia (which was already a free state, since 1780). She used a whole network of safe roads and safe houses, The UnderGround RailRoad.

However, a new law called “The Fugitive law” has been created in 1850, that says that every slave found in a northern state of USA could be returned to his original slave state. So Harriet Tubman had to go to Canada.

Once she was free, she could’ve just kept being safe in the North, but she decided to use the Underground RailRoad in order to save other slaves from the Slave states. She personally helped around 300 slaves escaping, using the UGRR.

Furthermore, she participated to the Civil War in 1861, in the United States, and helped as a cook, a nurse… and even as spy or a scout. She also led an armed expedition in order to free around 500 slaves.

To conclude, Harriet Tubman is a hero, because she is brave, she took risks for other slaves. She can be classed into the Social Hero category, as she fought against Slavery; however, I decided to tell you about her as an Everyday Hero as she personally helped slaves running away from slavery, escorting them on the UGRR by herself, during her life, as a slave and as a fugitive.

Now that I’m done telling you about Harriet Tubman, “…” is going to tell you about another everyday hero: “…”

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