Slavery History - Research Paper Example

One of the major similarities among the lives of the two women was that both emerged successfully from dark shadows of slavery and managed to attain and play leadership roles. Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman had deep faith in god’s power to prevent them from going astray and to protect them from danger. Moreover, both women realized the importance and influence of music and considered it an effective means of communication. Both women were well known for the fact that they strongly believed in their premonitions and acted upon them with sheer determination.

Extensive biographies have been written on both Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman and they have also been commemorated by the United States Postal service with their individual stamps. Despite similarities, both women were very different with different areas of expertise. Harriet Tubman devoted her life for the escape of slaves by creating safe passages and for this reason she is famously known as ‘Black Moses of the Underground Railroad’. Sojourner Truth was not an active participant in Underground Railroad but reported to be supportive and sympathetic towards it.

Sojourner Truth was a civil rights activist who dedicated her life to end slavery, stop women from alcohol consumption (Engerman et al 2001; Igus 1991). Harriet Tubman: Harriet Tubman launched her Civil War years before Fort Sumter’s firing incident took place in the year 1861. Harriet Tubman sustained a head injury at the age of fifteen when she deliberately prevented an overseer from catching an uncooperative slave. She never fully recovered from the injury and suffered from periodic sleeping fits during her entire life.

Some historians believe that Tubman started showing defiant behavior as a slave from a very early age. However, her strategic and political consciousness developed during the time she started to fight to claim liberty for her friends and relatives. Due to her strong leadership skills, Harriet Tubman was able to accomplish successful escape missions from the Eastern Shore. Harriet Tubman was always known to forge close community relationships and establish highly effective support system, which was the reason why she earned the title of ‘Moses of her people’.

Massachusetts Governor John Andrew recognized Harriet’s passion and sheer determination to fight for freedom. Therefore John Andrew directed Tubman to travel to South Carolina and support Union war efforts in January 1862. Tubman directly participated in armed conflict and during the process she managed to forge close contacts with many important army officials. Due to her heroic tails of Eastern Shore, Harriet Tubman was highly respected by many soldiers and was regarded as ‘Moses’ among the camp people.

Harriet Tubman had close relationships with many prominent white people such as Thomas Wentworth Higginson which served a major reason for her being elected a leader of the freedman. In Port Royal, Harriet supported the Union activities and in 1862 she joined Northern abolitionists. In Port Royal, Tubman served as a nurse and provided palliative care to soldiers suffering from cholera, dysentery and small pox. Tubman recognized the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 as an important step towards granting liberty from slavery to all Black people.