Harriet Tubman: The Intelligent Mechanic behind the Underground Railroad

Servitude has been present in America since 1619 and has affected the lives of countless Americans. Slavery was the underlying cause to the American Civil War, which led to tremendous consequences within the United States. Slaves were being sold to work on cotton farms in the southern parts of the United States where cash crops generated money. Many of these slaves tried to escape from slavery, and were unsuccessful. However, Harriet Tubman was one of the few people to individually accomplish freedom and escape the horrors of enslavement. She is a remarkable individual who accomplished incredible tasks through her own bravery, intelligence, and strength. She is acknowledged as one of the most influential and passionate women in American history. Motivated by her own unjust past, Harriet Tubman became an active abolitionist, a respected conductor in the abolitionist movement known as the Underground Railroad, and served as a nurse and a spy in the American Civil war.

After Harriet Tubman had successfully freed herself, she returned to the dangerous ground she just fled from to help free her family. After formulating these first few rescues, Harriet had begun to establish the Underground Railroad that would help her free hundreds of slaves from discrimination and injustice in the southern parts of the United States. The Underground Railroad was a secret transportation route that escaped slaves would use to travel North towards freedom. Harriet had made over 19 trips to the Deep South and rescued over 300 slaves during the years she was involved with the Underground Railroad. There was an immense amount of planning and direction that was needed in order for this escape route to be successful. She was in charge of people’s lives an...

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...ritory. Harriet Tubman used her vast knowledge of the outdoors to guide the Union soldiers through dangerous enemy territory and managed to accomplish it without any major threat. She put herself and 300 other men into an extremely vulnerable situation in order to rescue more runaway slaves from Confederate territory.

Works Cited

Sadlier, Rosemary. "Harriet Tubman." In Leading the way: Black women in Canada. Toronto: Umbrella Press, 1994.
“13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery." Our Documents. http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=40 (accessed April 23, 2014).
"Combahee River Raid (June 2, 1863) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed." Combahee River Raid (June 2, 1863) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. http://www.blackpast.org/aah/combahee-river-raid-june-2-1863#sthash.zjv2p8uc.dpuf (accessed April 20, 2014).