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The Epitome of a Hero
3.4.16
Hero. It’s a word that is used in multiple different contexts. A noble, selfless, and passionate person that holds nothing back. They risk their lives to save others and to be the best that they can be. They make a difference in our enormous world. Harriet Tubman. She is a hero that will be remembered forever. Step by step. Trail by trail. Navigating under the moonlight glow and putting her faith within the North Star. She dangerously led hundreds of slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad, overriding the constant fear of being caught, she never gave up, and she did everything in her power that she could possibly do to end the horrific reality of slavery.
A hero never has just one aspect,
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and Harriet Tubman had many. One aspect was that she believed that everybody--especially slaves--deserve to have equal rights and freedom. This fearless woman wanted liberty and she devoted her life to striving for this. “She led them to their freedom through the backwoods, encouraging them through fatigue, hunger and fear” (McGill). This quote clearly demonstrates how Harriet was able to show how she was seeking for equalness between everybody. No matter how old they were, what shape they were in, or their gender, she pushed them all the way because she knew that in the end their freedom would be worth the long and brutal wait. Harriet Tubman, while granting slaves with their freedom, never gave up. She persevered through all of the rough times--even when her life was put on the line--all to help people gain what was rightfully theirs. “Earning the nickname ‘Moses’ for her work, Tubman had a bounty of $40,000 on her head by 1855” (Miller). This piece of text, first of all, shows that Tubman was well known around this time period because she had received a nickname, and second of all, it shows that Harriet Tubman was very good at sneaking around, causing powerful people to offer their money for her death. She stayed focused, never gave up, she never got caught. In addition to these things, she also helped the idea of equal rights by being an advocate for the meager amount of rights women had at this point in history. All together, these are just a few things she did to continue her determination of deserving freedom and equal rights for everybody--focusing on previous slaves. A second aspect that this particular hero, Harriet Tubman, has is that she saved a countless number of slaves and freed them from enduring the barbaric hardships that they had experienced earlier on. Harriet was very good at using the Underground Railroad, and she was always able to keep everybody in check. “...I was a conductor on the Underground Railroad and I can say what most conductors can’t say: I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger” (Larson). This is a remarkable thing, especially because she had already granted freedom to about 300 slaves before the Civil War (Miller), and her work continued on even after the war. In addition to this, Harriet Tubman also kept retreating back to the southern part of the United States, because this was the area that was most involved in the slave trade. “Despite a bounty on her head, she returned to the South at least 19 times to lead her family and hundreds of other slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad” (Patterson). This shows her dedication to saving as many African Americans as she possibly could in her lifetime--she kept retreating because she knew that there would still be a countless number of slaves that could always be saved. The most probable reason for Harriet’s never wavering commitment to abolishing slavery is the fact that she had already gone through brutal experiences earlier in her life while she was a slave. “Armanita is nearly killed after being struck on the head by an iron weight thrown by an angry overseer, at the Bucktown crossroads. She suffers from seizures and debilitating headaches from this head injury for the rest of her life” (Larson). This shows that Harriet was already able to relate to adults or children who were forced into slavery because she already knew what it felt like to be confined and beaten by someone who seemed like they held much more power than yourself. Because of this, she was most likely more driven to end slavery and not have people suffer the barbaric conditions of what she once had to. A third aspect that Harriet Tubman possessed that caused her to be viewed as hero is the fact that she also acted in a fearless manner by working her way throughout the enemy’s lines during the Civil War.
“During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse, cook, spy, and Army Scout” (Miller). This shows that she had more to offer than just her sneaky way of maneuvering in the darkest nights with several slaves by her side. One of the ways she was able to do this was by making incursions into the opposition's side and gathering important information that she was able to report back and the colonels were able to use to their advantage, such as the location of where the weapons were stored (Patterson). Tying back to the fact that she believed in equal for every person, she also helped everybody. “For more than three years she nursed the sick and wounded in Florida and the Carolinas, tending whites and blacks, soldiers and contrabands” (Patterson). She helped anyone who needed help, not caring their race or their position in life. This is another thing that made her a well known hero, even today, in addition to her relentless work with slaves and the Underground …show more content…
Railroad. However, there are some people who will argue that there is one other person who deserves more recognition and praise than Harriet Tubman.
And this person is Levi Coffin, the president of the Underground Railroad (Hoskins). “...they joined the movement known as the Underground Railroad, helping to shelter such people and arrange transportation to Canada and elsewhere” (Hoskins). This shows the Levi Coffin, plus his wife, also joined in the same decision as Harriet Tubman--to be involved with the Underground Railroad. “Their home was a stop along the railroad, and they sheltered so many runaways that is soon became known as ‘grand central station’” (McGill). This shows that their house was very popular for staying in if you were a slave traveling elsewhere, trying to get away from the awful brutalities that had been going on before. “The Coffins received an average of 100 tired and hungry slaves each year” (McGill). So, even though Levi and his wife’s home was favored along the journey, Harriet Tubman did deserve the credit she got because she did so much more than provide safety for slaves. She pushed them to never give up--because it would all be worth it in the end. She knew her mission was to save as many people as she could, and that’s exactly what she did, which is why she is still remembered as a hero up to this very
day. All in all, combining all of these aspects led to the contribution of Harriet Tubman being a hero and making a difference in today’s world, focusing specifically on slavery and equalness. She was a versatile woman who was smart and was very good at what she chose her life to pursue. Without her, the Underground Railroad may not have been as successful and slavery may have prolonged later on, which would have benefitted nobody. Hero. It’s a word that is used in multiple different contexts. A hero is a noble, selfless, and passionate person that holds nothing back. They risk their lives to save others and to be the best that they can be. They make a difference in our enormous world. And Harriet Tubman fits this description perfectly. Works Cited Hoskins, Mary Katherine. "Levi Coffin, 1798-1877." Documenting the American South. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 2004. Larson, Kate Clifford. "Harriet Ross Tubman: Timeline." Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism 12.2 (2014): 9-27. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Feb. 2016. McGill, Sara Ann. "Underground Railroad." Underground Railroad (2009): 1. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. Miller, Roger. "'Harriet Tubman' tells her story in Normal." Pantagraph, The (Bloomington, IL) 18 Sept. 2014: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. Patterson, Tiffany R. L. "Harriet Tubman." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 1991.
Webster’s dictionary defines a hero as any man admired for his courage, qualities or exploits, especially in war. Some people attribute the term hero mostly to war. My personal definition of a hero is someone who takes a stand against evil or an unjust cause. The term hero can be applied to anyone, it isn’t necessary to save the world from explosion to be a hero. The act of standing up for a friend can also be called a heroic act.
The first contribution of Harriet Tubman is that she served as a spy for the union army, because she wanted freedom for all the people who were forced into slavery not just the people she could help by herself. One day Tubman took one of the most dangerous and dramatic roles she helped Colonel James Montgomery plan to free slaves from a plantation along the Combahee River in South Carolina. They helped seven hundred and fifty Negroes into the free lines. The river is now known as the “Jordan River” it is the symbol of bondage and freedom. It is also a sign of significance of the military in America...
Who is a hero? In contemporary times, usage of the term has become somewhat of a cliché. Over the years, the term “hero” has become representative of a wide variety of individuals, each possessing differing traits. Some of the answers put forth by my colleagues (during our in-class discussion on heroism) as to whom they consider heroes pointed to celebrities, athletes, teachers and family members. Although the occupations differed, each of their heroes bore qualities that my classmates perceived as extraordinary, whether morally or physically. Nonetheless, Webster’s defines “hero” as “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” Thus, it is worth considering that individuals become heroes relative to the situation with which they’re faced.
Many people do not know what Harriet Tubman’s greatest achievement was. Harriet Tubman was born in Dorchester County, Maryland around 1822. When she was born she was first named Araminta Ross and was like every other African-American, born into slavery. In 1844 Araminta married a free black man named John Tubman and later changed her name to Harriet Tubman, her first name from her mother and her last name from her husband. Five years later Harriet’s master died which gave Harriet a decision, she could be free or dead. Harriet decided to run, this decision had led herself down a dangerous path. However, Harriet had chosen to help other slaves, by doing so she had accomplished various achievements, but which one was her greatest? During Harriet’s lifetime, she had worked as a nurse, she had created the underground railroad, and had worked as a spy freeing many slaves.
Harriet Tubman Who is a great female hero from the 1800s? Who freed herself from slavery? Who freed other people from slavery? Not Wonder Woman, but Harriet Tubman. As you will see Harriet Tubman is a hero as seen through her personal background and lifetime accomplishments.
One of Harriet Tubman’s important achievement was being a nurse in the civil war.In document D it States how she would help heal sick solider during the war.These soliders were survivors of the 54th Massachusetts volunteers. She would bathe the wounds of the hurt soldiers.During this time she never
I believe that Harriet Tubman is a great hero. Here on the plantation, we don’t really hear about much, but we knew of the great Moses. Being a slave in the South, escaping seemed like nothing but a farfetched dream, but Moses gives people like me hope. Mom would always tell us famous quotes that Harriet would use to encourage slaves, things like “We got to go free or die, and freedom’s not bought with dust.” That quote always proved to me how determined Harriet was to bring fugitives up North. No matter the cost, she would go back and forth between the deepest of Southern slave states all the way to the North just to lead people to the safety and freedom they should’ve received when they were born. Harriet risked her life everyday to bring
Harriet Tubman was a selfless woman, who devoted her life to save others. Many other slaves from the South escaped to freedom in the North like Tubman. Many of these people stayed where they were free, frightened to go anywhere near the South again. However, that was not Tubman, she was different. She wanted everyone to have the feeling of freedom that she had newly discovered. Harriet was known “to bring people of her race from bondage to liberty,” (S Bradford et al 1869). Harriet Tubman was known as a hero to lots of people during the Civil War.
...ark. It is her life that should be remembered, the women that had the courage to escape from a life she did not want and the selflessness to return to bequeath the same gift on others that were not as fortunate as her. Tubman knew that although she could achieve freedom in a legal sense, she herself would not feel free unless she had someone to share it with. After escaping from the South, Tubman stated "I was free, but there was no one to welcome me to freedom.... I was a stranger in a strange land." Many slaves had the courage to journey north on the Underground Railroad, however, few slaves had the courage to free themselves, and then plummet themselves back into danger. It is not the action of freeing slaves that Harriet Tubman should be remember for, but rather her fighting spirit and unwillingness to give up until she felt that what was wrong was set right.
Harriet Tubman’s work as part of the Underground Railroad was ended by the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. However, her determined opposition and resistance to slavery did not end there. She assisted the Union throughout the war in a variety of roles. Her practice of partaking in the Underground Railroad meant that she had an understanding and ability to take part in secretive missions and this, in combination with her devotion to helping other people, made her a useful resource for the Union army
Harriet Tubman's life is one for the records with so much history and importance behind it. In 1849 she escaped from slavery and settled in Philadelphia. There, she found work as a scrubwoman. Over the next ten years she became very involved in the Abolition movement, forming friendships with one of the black leaders of the Underground Railroad, William Still, and white abolitionist Thomas Garrett. She became an inspiring conductor of the Underground Railroad putting her own life ahead of her people. Her drudgery did not stop there. During the Civil War Harriet Tubman served as a scout, a spy, and a nurse. Because of her influential involvement in the abolitionist act she came into contact with many dominant social leaders in the North. While all of her accomplishments were notable, her involvement in the Underground Railroad is one most infamous to the United States.
..., was a very intelligent woman she had saved a numerous amount of people. Harriet was a black woman who was so brilliant she created an underground railroad with shelter and food for the slaves in need. Even though, she had a major struggle with being accepted for her intelligence as a black woman. They told her horrible things about her underground railroad because with that the white folks didn't have slaves to work for them because they were escaping with the signs only they could understand. There were a couple who had gotten caught and brought back for whippings, but they couldn't have caught them all. Harriet Tubman was a fighter she fought for what she wanted and she won. Harriet became a well know black woman not slave because she was very inspirational! Harriet was a hero, a hero who was the black woman. Harriet Tubman inspired many slaves around the world.
According to google.com a hero is someone who “is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievments, or noble equalities.” (google.com). For example, superman , superman is an all time american classic modern hero who is admired for his courage and for saving earth multiple times from super villains. Another example of a hero is Beowulf. Beowulf was created around 1000 AD and was known far and wide throughout the lands for his selflessness,bravery, and courage .
A hero is someone you look up to, someone who has done something to inspire you, someone who is your role model. In our society, there are many different types of heroes—family, friends, teachers, firefighters, and police officers to name a few. But a hero that stands out to me is a U.S. soldier. Soldiers risk their lives every day just so we can have our freedom.
Harriet Tubman is a hero of the past, present, and future. She inspired and saved many people of the past, present, and future. One characteristic that makes Harriet a hero is her courage. Another characteristic that makes her a hero is her commitment. A hero is someone who saves people or inspires others by their actions or characteristics. For example, Emma Gonzalez is a hero because she fights for what she believes in and inspires others to do the same. Harriet Tubman is a hero for the people in her past, people today, and those that will read her story in the future.