Why Have we never been told the extraordinary story of Harriet Tubman?

Have you heard of Harriet Tubman?

 
If the answer to that question is no then we as a society need to be asking some serious questions. In a time when fictional female heroes like Wonder Women are blazing a trail across cinema screens, Harriet Tubman doesn't get a mention. Yet she is a true hero, someone who persevered through unimaginable suffering and had the courage to not only free herself from tyranny but to free 100s of others as well, a fearless warrior and a gentle soul, part Robin Hood, part Florence Nightingale with a dash of Malcolm X. An ambassador for equality and for real feminism. Theres something for everyone in Harriets story, a story that deserves to be told ......   

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in 1820 to enslaved parents in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was named Araminta - or "Minty" - Ross but later took her mothers name of Harriet.

 
In Maryland one of the best sources of profit for slave owners was to 'breed' and sell young slaves. Harriet grew up in this type of environment and at aged 5 (yes 5) she was hired to a 'Miss Susan' who had required a slave girl to look after her baby. If the baby cried Harriet was whipped. She recalls on one occasion "I was whipped 5 times before breakfast" 

At age 12 Harriet ran to the defence of another slave who was being beaten by the Overseer, during the melee he hit her in the head with a lead weight. She was severely injured and went on to have seizures which lasted for the rest of her life, as well as "visions" which she believed were sent from God. As horrific as this sounds it would later save her life as we shall see. 

After some time in the hospital Harriet was taken back to the plantation where she was told by the owner she was "no longer worth a sixpence" Remember this was a time when Slaves would work from sunrise to sunset, they couldn't marry without permission and if the women failed to produce any children from the marriage their "master" could replace her at any time. They had to pick cotton while feeding their babies and when the children were old enough to work they were sold off away from their families. Strong male slaves were bred like animals and if there was a shortage of female 'stock' could even be mated with their sister or mother. This is the origin of the slur "motherf***er"

When Harriet was 20 she fell in love with a man named John Tubman and in 1844 they were given 'permission' to marry.

  
Shortly after this she learnt that she was to be sold, separating her from John and her beloved family. She prayed that her Master would die and bizarrely a few weeks later he actually did. In an insight into how terribly psychologically damaged slaves must of been Harriet felt horribly guilty about this for quite some time. 

This incident seemed to trigger off the determination that Harriet needed and so finally she decided to escape! So one night, alone, without family or her husband Harriet fled and following the North Star she escaped the plantation and had her first taste of real freedom ....

 
Her first encounter as a fugitive was with a network of Quakers and anti-slavery activists known as the "Underground Railroad" Hundreds of people ran this network which helped escapees flee north to safety. Harriet would eventually become their most active participant.

  

Around this time a piece of legislation was passed called the "Fugitive Slave Act' which guaranteed an escaped slave would be returned to their owner even if that slave was detained in a State which didn't allow slavery. Harriet could of been arrested and returned at anytime. 

She had crossed the border and was living in Canada, but upon hearing that back in Maryland her niece was about to be sold she decided to return to her old plantation, through all the places where there was a reward for her capture in order to save her niece. 

Sale notice for Harriet's Niece

The plan was something Captain Jack Sparrow would be proud of. On the day her Neice was taken to auction Harriet arranged for a boat. When the Auctioneer went to lunch the boat swung by and they swiftly bundled her Niece to safety. This was the first of many fearless raids.

By now having lived as a fugitive for quite some time Harriet was learning many bushcraft and survival techniques. She always took opium and a pistol on her missions. The opium would be used to subdue any frightened children she rescued so they didn't cry out and give away her position and the pistol was to threaten any fugitive that lost their nerve.

 

One of the rescued slaves recalls .... "She dressed with bandana on her head, pistol on her hip and rifle in her hand. If any member of her party became exhausted declaring they could not go on, they would insist on returning, the revolver would be pointed at their head and she'd say ""You'll tell no tails, you go on or you die""

Flick through those marvel and DC comics and show me a women as brave and as Badass as Harriet Tubman! 

 

A wanted poster for Harriet referred to here as "Minty"

After taking her Niece to safety in Canada she returned yet again to her old plantation this time to rescue her brothers and her Husband. Sadly for Harriet John had remarried and refused to come. Although heartbroken she now had no reason not to dedicate her whole life to the freeing of slaves, and made a conscious decision to suffer no more indignity.

 
Thats how she lived for the next few years freeing slaves. She carried out over 19 armed raids and saved hundreds of escapees, guiding them through Maryland and Delaware, up through Pennsylvania and into New York and finally across the suspension bridge at Niagara Falls and into Canada.

 
There are stories of her rescuing a slave named Charles Nally by slipping into court disguised as an old women and attempting to bundle him out the window while being beaten about the head by the guards, a story of her having toothache so bad she feared she would cry out and jeopardise a mission and so knocked out her own tooth with a lump of iron, and stories of how she would pretend to read a book when travelling on a train because her 'Wanted' posters described her as an illiterate. She even succeeded in rescuing her ageing parents during a daring raid in a wagon.

  
The reward for her capture was now up to $1200 and she started to become known amongst the slaves and fugitives simply as "Moses"

Many of these incidents involving Harriet were helping to further the abolitionist sentiment across the country. One of the most famous activists was John Brown a Presbyterian who believed slavery must be physically overthrown as it wasn't just a crime against humanity but a crime against God.

  
He inspired support and on one occasion marched into a town with some of his sons and killed 5 slave owners with a sword. He then planned an even more spectacular attack on slave owners in the town of Harpers Ferry and enlisted Harriet to help. Luckily for Harriet on the day of the attack she was suffering from a seizure from the old head wound she received many years before and didn't participate in the raid. The attack was a complete disaster and John Brown was captured and executed. The reaction to his execution however was extraordinary and pushed the country even closer to the brink of war.

 
Civil War broke out to begin with President Abraham Lincoln's stance on former slaves enlisting for the northern army was that he completely opposed allowing them to fight. Harriet who by now was a well known personality within the abolitionist movement met with Abe Lincolns wife to discuss this matter, but her attempts to influence a change of heart at this time failed.

 
She began the war as a nurse caring for northern soldiers on the field, but at this time many emancipated slaves, who knew the territories of the south very well were recruited as spies. Harriet was amongst them. She was deployed behind enemy lines in South Carolina. The actions of former slaves began to transform the war and eventually President Lincoln changed his mind and allowed the forming of Regiments of black soldiers including the famous 54th Massachusetts , featured in the brilliant Denzel Washington movie 'Glory' 

The 54th Massachusetts 

Harriet was an advisor on the famous raid on the Middleton Rice Plantation in which 750 slaves were freed by regiments of black soldiers mainly emancipated slaves themselves and it now became common for slaves from the south to flee north to enlist and join the fight against their former 'owners'

 
The 54th Massachusetts fought spectacularly, Harriet spent some time as the regiments nurse. They became the first black soldiers ever to be awarded the Medal of Honour. Lincoln even insisted that it should be a regiment of black soldiers that should capture Charleston the capital of the Confederacy and exact a final surrender.

 

Following the war Harriet moved back to Auburn and was loaned money to buy a small area of land. The land in Auburn became a haven for her family and friends. She spent the years following the war on this property, tending to her family and others who had taken up residence there. In 1869, she married a Civil War veteran named Nelson Davis. In 1874, Harriet and Nelson adopted a baby girl named Gertie. She had her autobiography published and lived a humble life with the proceeds. She eventually opened a refuge centre for destitutes which she named after John Brown her friend who was executed in the failed raid.

  
Harriet died in 1913 aged 90 after living one of the most extraordinary lives imaginable ..... That same year Rosa Parks, another lady due to change the course of history, was born.

 
The story of Harriet Tubman is one of the most truly inspiring and uplifting stories in the history of the human race. She did more to abolish slavery than almost anybody and not from behind a desk but in the field of battle. She was born into a world where she didn't even own her own body and by the time she passed away she had not just attained personal freedom but freed hundreds more with her bravery and millions more with her dedication. If you wrote this story as a fiction it would be hard to believe. 

 
 

So why no Hollywood movie franchise or magazine covers? Why in 1994 did Lynne Cheney wife of former Vice President Dick make a fuss about a History pamphlet mentioning Harriet Tubman 6 times and petitioning for its withdrawal from schools as reported by the L.A Times?

 
Well in my humble opinion I don't believe this is about race. I believe Harriet's story strikes fear into the heart of the control system because she transcends race, she teaches everyone all over the world every colour, every creed that if you feel downtrodden by authority, if you feel your life has no purpose, if your tired of others having power over you, keeping you down, tired of injustice and indignity ..... then have the courage to FIGHT .... we should all learn to abolish slavery, emancipate ourselves from a more subtle slavery but nevertheless one that leaves us powerless. True freedom isn't free and must be fought for and defended every day.

  
Of course the sentiments of this amazing lady are too dangerous to be allowed into the mainstream, the fact that 100 years after her death she is still a thorn in the side of authority must surely give her great pleasure.