Harriet Tubman: The Underground Railroad - Essay Example

The Overseer was so angry about this that he picked up a two-pound weight and threw it at the slave. He hit Harriet instead and almost killed her. She had headaches for the rest of her life (Bennett 50). At age 25, she married a free African American named John Tubman.

Five years later, she was afraid that she would be sold somehow and quickly made her way to freedom, aided by a neighbor. The neighbor gave her a piece of paper with two names on it that were the first two safe houses on the Underground Railroad Route. Through a series of events after that, she escaped to Canada. She traveled to Pennsylvania where she met William Still, the "Stationmaster" of the Underground Railroad (History Net par 4). THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Many people say that everyone is destined to do something in the world and they must find what it is and do it.

For Harriet, working as the "conductor" for the Underground Railroad was her destiny. Most people know that this wasn't an actual train, but a system of safe houses where slaves could stay on their journey to freedom. Slaves would listen to hear the code song: I'll meet you in the morning Safe in the promised land, On the other side of Jordan Bound for The Promised Land (Bennett p. 51). Once they heard this, they knew to get ready because the "train" was running and Moses had arrived. She was nicknamed Moses because her work was similar to what Moses did as he led the people of Egypt out of slavery.

History reports that she made about 19 trips and helped 300 slaves escape to the North. This also included her family members. What she did was very dangerous because she had a price on her head that promised $40,000 for her -- dead or alive. During that time, she never lost a slave (Bennett, 52). LATE LIFE After the war, Harriet moved back to her home in Auburn New York, and opened the "John Brown Home," a home for indigent black people. She raised the money to buy the land and the foundation by peddling fruit and begging (Bennett 52). Kauffman states that she was a very sweet woman and had lots of friends. She died on March 10, 1913, at the age of 90 or older (Bennett 53 and Kauffman).