People my age and older are familiar with this phrase and know who I am talking about. This blog is for people who want to learn something special about this woman.
My church Memorial AME Zion has a Harriet Tubman Ministry. It recently had two fuindraisers. Besides raising funds, the ministry works hard to keep the memory and spirit of this anti-slavery activist alive.
Harriet Tubman aka Moses was born into brutual slavery in the 1800s in Dorchester County, Maryland (Bucktown. Her given name at birth was Araminta Ross). No accurate birth records were kept. At the age of 13, Harriet Tubman was working in a general store when the owner of the store found a slave hiding amongst the goods. He told Harriet to block the doorway so the slave couldn't escape. Harriet moved aside when the slave got to the door, allowing him to flee to freedom. The owner then flung a heavy lead weight at the escaping slave, but actually hit Harriet in the head. For the rest of her life, she was marked with a scar and suffered from black outs as reminders of the "price of freedom."
Her first job in Philadelphia was that of a cook. She later became affiliated with anti-slavery committees and began her work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad.
All of her trips, through the Underground Railroad, were to the south were made either by foot or in wagons pulled by horses. When she freed slaves, Harriet often carried a rifle and said, " Go on with us or die," if slaves were wanting to give up.
The woman called Moses made more than 19 trips up North to free 300 slaves . She also made trips to free her family (10 brothers and sisters) and her parents.
Tubman also is famous for her nursing home called The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged that is located in Auburn, New York. (About an hour away from my hometown.) It was a haven for the elderly and poor. Ironically, she died in 1913 in her own nursing home from pneumonia in her early 90s.
Harriet Tubman's life was a monument to courage and determination that continues to stand out in American history.
Posted By: Marsha Jones
Sunday, January 3rd 2010 at 5:41PM
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