Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
Your heart is beating hard and fast. So quickly that your footsteps lag behind it, so strong that it pounds in your head. The hunters might even hear it, but with all the adrenaline, the thought stays in the back of your mind. You are a slave. Your master just died. You’re running. This is exactly what happened to Harriet Tubman, most known for being a conductor (a.k.a. escort who journeyed with fugitives) on the Underground Railroad (a network of people and safe houses to get runaways to Canada/freedom). However, she didn’t just materialize like that. She was born as Araminta Ross around 1822 in Dorchester Co., Maryland, to a life destined to slavery. When she was 22 years old, she married her first husband and changed her name to Harriet Tubman. When her master died 5 years later, she decided to flee to the North. The years afterward were spent carrying out various tasks to help abolish the inhumane practice. Among these, which of her accomplishments took the most risk, time, impact, and save the most people: being a nurse, spy, caregiver, or conductor?
First and foremost, one of Tubman’s notable acts was volunteering as a nurse. When the Massachusetts 54th attacked Fort Wagner, she came to their aid. Every morning she would sponge wounds with weather-heated water (opposed to cold, which it originally was), all while shooing away flies. Her only source of income was from selling baked goods and root beer. (Doc D) She nursed many soldiers who no one even wanted to touch because of another factor: risk. Back in her time, medicine was still fairly primitive and mixed with mid-wife remedies, which meant infection was abound, even for the slightest cut. Tubman not only helped multiple men who might’ve died without her, but also risked catching a bug herself, which is what makes this a memorable undertaking.
Likewise, another outstanding operation was acting as a spy. During the first year of the Civil War, she was one of 9 blacks (with her
Your heart is beating hard and fast. So quickly that your footsteps lag behind it, so strong that it pounds in your head. The hunters might even hear it, but with all the adrenaline, the thought stays in the back of your mind. You are a slave. Your master just died. You’re running. This is exactly what happened to Harriet Tubman, most known for being a conductor (a.k.a. escort who journeyed with fugitives) on the Underground Railroad (a network of people and safe houses to get runaways to Canada/freedom). However, she didn’t just materialize like that. She was born as Araminta Ross around 1822 in Dorchester Co., Maryland, to a life destined to slavery. When she was 22 years old, she married her first husband and changed her name to Harriet Tubman. When her master died 5 years later, she decided to flee to the North. The years afterward were spent carrying out various tasks to help abolish the inhumane practice. Among these, which of her accomplishments took the most risk, time, impact, and save the most people: being a nurse, spy, caregiver, or conductor?
First and foremost, one of Tubman’s notable acts was volunteering as a nurse. When the Massachusetts 54th attacked Fort Wagner, she came to their aid. Every morning she would sponge wounds with weather-heated water (opposed to cold, which it originally was), all while shooing away flies. Her only source of income was from selling baked goods and root beer. (Doc D) She nursed many soldiers who no one even wanted to touch because of another factor: risk. Back in her time, medicine was still fairly primitive and mixed with mid-wife remedies, which meant infection was abound, even for the slightest cut. Tubman not only helped multiple men who might’ve died without her, but also risked catching a bug herself, which is what makes this a memorable undertaking.
Likewise, another outstanding operation was acting as a spy. During the first year of the Civil War, she was one of 9 blacks (with her