Biography of Harriet Tubman (Short) 

Harriet Tubman was born Into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland at around 1820. Her real name was Araminta Ross. She was one of eight children. Her parents were Benjamin and Harriet Ross, both of whom were slaves. When Tubman was around five years old she became a house servant. She joined the rest of the slaves in the fields as a young teenager. As a slave, Tubmans masters would often punish her physically if she didn’t do what was asked. This made her furious and she decided that she would one day be free.

In 1844, Tubman married a free black named John Tubman. She took his last name then later changed her name to Harriet in honor of her mother. In 1849, Tubman feared that the slaves on the Maryland plantation would be sold to a new owner. She made it absolute that she would rather try to escape than to be sold. She then set off with her two brothers, leaving her family behind. Tubman and her brothers left at night and used the North Star to guide them. They eventually reached Philadelphia, Pennsylvania .There Tubman started work as a house servant. Tubman started saving the money she made at her job because she was determined to use the money to travel south to help other slaves travel north.

Tubman secretly returned to Maryland to rescue her sister and her nieces from slavery. She risked a lot by doing this, but she eventually guided her family to safety and freedom in the north.

Throughout the 1850s, Tubman traveled back to the south many times to help other slaves escape to the north. She soon became a part of a larger support system called the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network of abolitionists who helped African Americans escape the south. People in this network helped slaves travel from one safe house to another until they reached the north. Tubman conducted around 300 people to freedom.Tubman quickly became famous for helping slaves reach freedom.

Tubman continued encourage the cause for freedom in the civil war. The union army employed her as a scout and a spy throughout the south. Tubman well-traveled through the enemy territory unnoticed. She learned locations of the Confederate soldiers and reported back to the union leaders. Her practice in leading slaves along the Underground Railroad was very helpful because she knew how to travel without being seen.

After the war ended in 1865, Tubman returned home and cared for her parents and helped former slaves adjust to their new life.

As Tubman aged, the head injuries continued in her early life became more painful and disturbing. She had brain surgery to ease the pains and the buzzing she experienced continuously. Tubman was eventually admitted into a rest home. Surrounded by family and friends, Harriet Tubman died of pneumonia on March 10, 1913.

Harriet Tubman widely known and well-respected became an African American icon. Throughout her life Harriet Tubman was a fighter and her legacy still continues. She continues to inspire Americans today with her courage and heroic action.

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