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Did you know that there was more to Harriet Tubman than the Underground Railroad? Harriet Tubman was a very goal-oriented and trustworthy person hired by the Union Army to accomplish the mission of freeing the slaves. In modern America, Harriet Tubman is viewed as a civil rights activist, but back then, she was viewed as a dangerous African American woman with a bounty on her head. Young children in the United States are taught that Harriet Tubman was a small piece of history, but without her, there would not be the Underground Railroad. The points that I am going to discuss in my paper will explore that there was more to Harriet Tubman than what we learned in school. Tubman’s legacy has not been taught in depth because of the lack of recognition she has received and the lack of information recorded in history. To highlight the complexity of Harriet Tubman’s life, we must look at how she became a spy, why she did not receive recognition, and how the African American community benefited from Harriet Tubman.
Although we are taught that Harriet Tubman was best known for the Underground Railroad, there is more to Harriet Tubman than meets the eye. Most of her accomplishments are buried in the shadows of history, and there is very little recorded information about Harriet Tubman’s life, outside of being a conductor in the Underground Railroad. It is recorded that she was born into slavery as Araminta Ross. Years later, in 1862, Harriet traveled from her home in Auburn, N.Y., and went to South Carolina to support the Union Army as a nurse, caring for black soldiers and newly liberated slaves. After arriving in South Carolina at the beginning of the Civil War, she realized that she needed to take matters into her own hands. Once she began infiltrating the Confederate Army, the Union generals found the kind of information about Confederate troop locations and movements she was getting from black slaves (who knew her by reputation) was proving valuable to Union commanders. She was dedicated and skilled in freeing as many slaves as she could in the Confederate South while serving in the Union Army. Harriet, being a former slave, understood how enslaved people were being treated by their slave owners and wanted to liberate them. Through gaining the slaves’ trust and creating a mutual understanding, Harriet was then able to retrieve information that would be helpful to the Union Army and benefit slaves. Despite being born into slavery and having a lack of education, Tubman was determined and self-taught. For example, Tubman might have studied the day patterns, the terrain, and the schedule of the Confederate Army in order to ensure safety to reach Canada. Harriet was able to orchestrate all her plans to free the slaves without anyone’s help and did it all on her own.
Despite all of Harriet Tubman’s accomplishments while she was alive, she received very little to no recognition for any of the major historical changes she helped come to fruition. For instance, Frederick Douglass was one of the people that gave Harriett Tubman recognition, going on record to state “The difference between us is very marked. Most that I have done and suffered in the service of our cause has been in public”, while Harriet received recognition from mostly “a few trembling, scarred, and foot-sore bondmen and women” (Blackpast.com). Harriet Tubman knew the risks that came along with every mission to free the slaves. When Douglas, a fellow civil rights activist, wrote the letter recognizing Tubman’s efforts, it was made clear that she was highly regarded in the African American community. She was well-respected by her peers and was seen as a role model. Harriet Tubman was a revolutionary woman doing the kind of missions that men would not dare to try. She definitely had to be fearless knowing the possibility that she could get captured. She did not let repercussions prevent her from trying and was focused on her primary mission. Moreover, “She was so stealthy that enslavers in Maryland put a $40,000 bounty out for her capture. But she was never caught, later declaring: ‘I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say —I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger’” (Brown). Despite having a $40,000 bounty for her capture, she was very strategic and used information that the black soldiers and enslaved people would tell her, ultimately helping her remain undetected. Although Harriet Tubman was a wanted woman, she would receive little to no recognition for her duties in the Union Army until years later.
After Harriet Tubman served in the Union Army, she continued to contribute to the African American community. Known as the Moses of her people, Harriet made a name for herself by being a fearless leader before returning to her home in Auburn, NY. Harriet Tubman hoped to establish the Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent Negroes to carry on her work after she was gone, of caring for the old and poor in her community. Harriet Tubman deeply cared about her community and wanted her legacy to continue. Tubman did not expect to receive any recognition, since she did these things because it was the right thing to do. Harriet wanted to provide a service caring for family members, including her aging parents, and pursued her life’s mission of caring for the poor and disenfranchised members of her community. Moreover, Harriet Tubman spent most of her life being of service to people both during her military service and after. Through her continuous efforts, Harriet Tubman’s legacy lives on in modern America in various ways. Tubman has been honored with monuments and statues, schools bear her name, and thousands of Americans daily travel along Harriet Tubman’s roads, streets, and avenues. Harriet has been celebrated as an enduring Civil Rights icon, and in 2016, the US Treasury announced that she would be recognized as the first American woman pictured on currency in over 100 years. The US treasury choosing to replace former President Andrew Jackson on the twenty-dollar bill with Harriet is a historic move. However, more work must be done to truly create a legacy that resonates with Harriet. Rather, the government should mandate that the history of African Americans is taught in schools more accurately. Harriet Tubman’s legacy was not initially recognized, but it will live on and reach greater heights because of the important role she continues to play in history.
As previously mentioned, as children in America, we were all taught that Harriet Tubman was only known for the Underground Railroad, but we were not taught about Tubman’s other accomplishments. Harriet Tubman was a mastermind, she did not receive enough recognition, and she created a legacy that continues to live on. Harriet Tubman’s legacy has also been pushing America away from its racist past. America has not fully changed from its racist roots, but there are plenty of possibilities that could help America let go of its racist past. Following in Harriet’s footsteps, we need more education regarding African American history while we are in elementary school, a restructured justice system, and a reformed police department. Making these changes would most likely be the ideal America that Harriet Tubman would have wanted.
Based on what we know about her, she would most likely view modern-day America as extremely corrupt. Harriet Tubman dedicated her entire life to changing the lives of African Americans for the better, and she would be very disappointed in the way America looks now. She is a blueprint for American citizens to follow. Harriet Tubman defied adversity by accomplishing such great things during a time when women were not expected to contribute at all. At the time, a black woman being a spy was unheard of, but Harriet Tubman filled that position. Moreover, Harriet Tubman set the standard for leadership. She proved that no matter the color of your skin tone or gender, anyone can be a good leader with the right tools at their disposal. However, the question remains, will America ever adopt Harriet Tubman’s legacy and change for an equal future? And if America adopts her legacy, would it look like the ideal future that Tubman envisioned at the time?
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