Harriet Tubman was born into slavery around 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland. Her birth name was Araminta Ross, and she was one of nine children born to enslaved parents Harriet Green and Benjamin Ross.
Her childhood was marked by hard labor and violence. She worked in the fields, cut wood, and trapped pests, developing physical strength that matched most men despite standing only about five feet tall.
When Tubman was around 12 or 13 years old, an incident occurred that would change her life forever. She was at a store when an overseer chased after an enslaved man who had left his plantation without permission. The overseer demanded that Tubman help restrain the man, but she refused. In his anger, the overseer threw a two pound iron weight at the fleeing man. The weight missed its target and struck Tubman in the head instead, fracturing her skull.
The injury left her bleeding and unconscious. As per Wikipedia, she was returned to her owner’s house and placed on the seat of a loom without medical care for two days. The head trauma caused her to suffer from severe headaches, seizures, and sudden sleep attacks for the rest of her life. Many historians believe she developed narcolepsy or temporal lobe epilepsy. Despite these debilitating conditions, Tubman would later describe experiencing visions during these episodes, which she believed were messages from God.
She literally walked 90 miles to freedom with nothing but the stars to guide her
In 1849, after learning she might be sold, Tubman made the decision to escape. She initially fled with two of her brothers, but they became frightened and turned back, forcing her to return with them. Shortly after, she tried again, this time alone. She traveled at night, using the North Star as her guide, and sought shelter during the day with families who opposed slavery. The journey to Pennsylvania covered approximately 90 miles through dangerous territory.
When Tubman finally crossed into free territory, she later described the moment with powerful emotion. She said she looked at her hands to see if she was the same person, and there was such glory over everything that she felt like she was in heaven. But freedom alone was not enough for her.
Harriet Tubman escaped her own slavery in1849, but returned to the South and over the next decade, rescued dozens of fellow enslaved people. American Hero. American history. pic.twitter.com/NkyKdnEPJ6
— Dr. Derwin L. Gray (@DerwinLGray) February 5, 2021
Between 1850 and 1860, Tubman returned to Maryland at least 13 times to rescue family members and other enslaved people. She worked as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, personally leading around 70 people to freedom. Like the woman who recorded television nonstop for 30 years to preserve history, Tubman understood the importance of her mission and refused to let anything stop her.
The journeys became increasingly dangerous after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required law enforcement in free states to capture and return escaped slaves. Tubman carried a gun for protection and reportedly never lost a single passenger on her rescue missions. She later stated that she was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years and never ran her train off the track.
Historical Motivation: Harriet Tubman, escaped slave & "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. She repeatedly risked her life, returning to slave states ~13 times to guide ~70 others to freedom. "I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger." Unimaginable… pic.twitter.com/0fl3Xy4W9N
— The Deep Dive Files. (@TheDDfiles) October 28, 2025
During the Civil War, Tubman served the Union Army as a cook, nurse, scout, and spy. She even led a military raid in South Carolina in 1863, becoming the first woman in American history to lead a military expedition.
Her life was full of unexpected and dangerous moments that triggered nightmare situations, yet she persevered through every challenge. After the war, she continued her activism, supporting women’s suffrage and eventually opening the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged in Auburn, New York. She died there in 1913 at approximately 91 years old.
