Case Study Of Harriet Tubman's Leadership

In 1850, Harriet Tubman led her first successful rescue of enslaved African-Americans across the Mason-Dixie line to a place black people could live free. She did this at a time when injustice towards African-Americans was at an all-time high, women across all ethnic backgrounds were suppressed and the Fugitive Slave Act had just been passed, warranting their return to enslavers if she and her passengers were caught.

Throughout her lifetime, Harriet Tubman led over 300 enslaved people to freedom by way of almost 20 journeys back into slave states to conduct rescue missions. She was an incredi-ble freedom fighter in American history but more than that, she is a model for how effective the American black woman leader can be, even in the midst

of great oppression.
Background of the Problem
Not too long after Harriet Tubman’s time, the Women’s Suffrage Movement garnered large victories for the equality of women. Since then, the United States has made great strides in extending opportunities to women. Today, women graduate from college at a higher rate than ever before (Council of Economic Advisors, 2014), more women hold mid-level leadership posi-tions within organizations at a level unprecedented in history (Creswell, 2010) and women are even able to become Army Rangers within the United States Military. However, according to a report from delegates in the United Nations, women in the United States still fall behind in many areas including, but not limited to: political representation and economic and social rights, when compared to women in other wealthy and developed societies (Zielinska, 2015). It is also true that in the 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation many steps have been taken to level the playing field for black people in this country. Enslaved people were freed, segregation is no longer the law of the land, and perhaps the most notable evidence for equity occurred when the people of the United States elected a black man as President- twice. However, the playing field has not been leveled completely. African-Americans make up a large percentage of those living below the poverty line, those incarcerated and those without access to quality grocery stores in their neighborhoods (Alexander, 2010). It is safe to say that even in the United States, the land of liberty, certain people groups are still being oppressed in 2015.
This land of liberty has a complex history, especially for the black woman. Starting with enslavement and leaving a legacy ever since, there has never been a time when the black woman has not been touched by oppression in some way. These circumstances are important to note when thinking about the many black women who have led effectively the United States, includ-ing Harriet Tubman.
Statement of the Problem
Although there has been extensive research in the study of oppression (Kardiner & Ovesey, 1951, Sidanius & Pratto, 2001) and regarding leadership theory, (Bass & Stogdill, 1990, Northouse, 2010) there is not much research on what living under oppressive circumstances means for the formation of one’s leadership. How does oppression inform an individual’s leader-ship? More to the point of this study, how does living in a society where the black woman has been historically sociologically, politically and economically oppressed inform her leadership? A more narrowing question to get at this problem is, how did societal injustice affect these leaders in the timeframe in which they led? For example, how did the leadership of a black woman in the unique circumstances in 19th century differ from the leadership of a black woman in the unique circumstances of the 20th century and so on?
As the black woman leads in their communities and in organizations, it is crucial for her to understand that no arena has been left untouched by the legacy of gender or racial oppression. Furthermore, the knowledge of how the intersection of the two oppressions has operated histori-cally, can help in the holistic formation of the black woman leader today.
Research Question
To gain a clearer understanding of how oppression affects the black woman leader, the research question we are exploring is: “How was Harriet Tubman’s leadership formed by the his-torical, political, sociological and economic circumstances in the United States?” We will look at this case study in the hopes of forming a better understanding of the ways in which unjust treat-ment informs black women leaders today.

Direction of the Study

We will use critical theory and leadership theory as a guide to help us navigate this study. Harriet Tubman is the sample in this research of the 19th century population of black women an although, there is room for individual differences, the circumstances Harriet Tubman found her-self in were presumably not different from the circumstances other enslaved black women found themselves in.

Although, historians claim there were likely many black women who led in some form of resistance or another, Harriet Tubman is the one on whom we have the most literature and doc-umentation and the one with whom history has remembered most vividly.

Hypothesis/ Intended Outcomes

By exploring how overt prolonged injustice affected Harriet Tubman and the formation of her leadership, one can better understand the ways in which oppression forms the black wom-an leader today in a society with recurring gender and racial

oppression.