You are on page 1of 11

HARRIET TUBMAN

UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD STATE
PARK

Sherri Griego
Naomi Hansen
ECON-1740-403

Grand Opening
March 9, 2013

Harriet
Tubman
Underground
Railroad State
Park
On March 9, 2013, the
State of Maryland -- along
with several hundred
national, state and local
supporters -- broke ground
for the 17-acre Harriet
Tubman Underground
Railroad State Park and
Visitor Center,
commemorating the life
and legacy of the
legendary abolitionist. The
125-mile Harriet Tubman
Underground Railroad
Byway was also unveiled
during the Join the Journey
Centennial Celebration,
which marked the 100th
anniversary of Tubmans
death.

Harriet Tubman is best remembered as one of


Americas
most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad.
Born into slavery in early 1822 in Dorchester County,
Maryland, Tubman gained international acclaim
during her lifetime as an Underground Railroad agent,
abolitionist, Civil War spy and nurse, supporter of the
womens suffrage movement and humanitarian.
Harriet successfully escaped slavery in 1849, and yet
she returned over a dozen times to rescue both family
members and non-relatives from the plantation system.
She led over 300 hundred salves to freedom in the North
as the most famous "conductor" on the Underground
Railroad, an elaborate secret network of safe houses
organized for that purpose.

The Early Years


Named Araminta, or Minty, by her parents Ben and Rit Ross, Tubman was the fifth of
nine children. While the year of Aramintas birth is unknown, it probably occurred between
1820 and 1825.
Mintys early life was full of hardship. Mary Brodess son Edward sold three of her
sisters to distant plantations, severing the family. When a trader from Georgia approached
Brodess about buying Rits youngest son, Moses, Rit successfully resisted the further
fracturing of her family, setting a powerful example for her young daughter.
Physical violence was a part of daily life for Tubman and her family. The violence she
suffered early in life caused permanent physical injuries. Harriet later recounted a
particular day when she was lashed five times before breakfast. She carried the scars for
the rest of her life. The most severe injury occurred when Tubman was an adolescent. Sent
to a dry-goods store for supplies, she encountered a slave who had left the fields without
permission. The mans overseer demanded that Tubman help restrain the runaway. When
Harriet refused, the overseer threw a two-pound weight that struck her in the head.
Tubman endured seizures, severe headaches and narcoleptic episodes for the rest of her
life. She also experienced intense dream states, which she classified as religious
experiences.

Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849,


fleeing to Philadelphia. Tubman decided to escape
following a bout of illness and the death of her owner
in 1849. Tubman feared that her family would be
further severed, and feared for own her fate as a sickly
slave of low economic value. She initially left Maryland
with two of her brothers, Ben and Henry, on
September 17, 1849. A notice published in the
Cambridge Democrat offered a $300 reward for the
return of Araminta (Minty), Harry and Ben. Once they
had left, Tubmans brothers had second thoughts and
returned to the plantation. Harriet had no plans to
remain in bondage. Seeing her brothers safely home,
she soon set off alone for Pennsylvania.

Rather than remaining in the safety of the North,


Tubman made it her mission to rescue her family and
others living in slavery. Tubman, soon earned the
nickname Moses for her leadership and the fact that she
never lost a passenger. Over time, she was able to
guide her parents, several siblings and about 300 others
to freedom.
The dynamics of escaping slavery changed in 1850,
with the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law. This law
stated that escaped slaves could be captured in the North
and returned to slavery, leading to the abduction of
former slaves and free blacks living in Free States. In
response to the law, Tubman re-routed the Underground
Railroad to Canada, which prohibited slavery categorically.
Tubman used disguises and various ruses to affect
some of her escapes, and she relied on a trustworthy
system of safe houses, from Dorchester and Caroline
counties to Canada, where black and white sympathizers
risked their lives to help hide freedom seekers. In
December 1851, Tubman guided a group of 11 fugitives
northward. There is evidence to suggest that the party
stopped at the home of abolitionist and former slave
Frederick Douglass.

Tubmans commitment to destroying the slave system eventually led her to collaborate
with John Brown, the anti-slavery activist whose failed raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859,
helped spark the Civil War.
Sent to South Carolina during the war by the governor of Massachusetts, Tubman
alternated between roles as nurse, scout, cook, and spy in service to the Union.
She was also the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war. She guided the
Combahee River Raid, which liberated more than 700 slaves in South Carolina.

Harriet Tubmans
life was rooted in a
thirst for freedom, a
deep spiritual faith,
and life-long
humanitarian
passion for family
and community.
Rising from the
most oppressive
beginnings you
could imagine,
Tubmans unyielding
and courageous
resolve to secure
liberty and equality
for all has
immortalized her
among Americas
most famous
historical figures.

Economic Impact of The Underground Railroad


& Harriet Tubman
The Underground Railroad biggest impact economic was the negative impact it had on
the southern work force. By aiding the salves to escape to freedom it was removing a group
of the labor force. This also made the slave owners of the south nervous and on edge. All of
this also aided the norths victory.
Without the help of key members of the Underground Railroad like Harriet Tubman and
Fredrick Douglass risking everything for the freedom of fellow slaves it would have never
have been as successful as it was. The UGRR had the biggest impact on the freedom of
slaves besides the war itself. Everyone along the way were necessary in it being a successful
journey but those that led the people were priceless.
I dont know if there would be a way to accurately measure how much of an economic
impact the UGRR had, but it is safe to say it is part of what shaped the Civil War and the
South.

About the Park


Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument is an 11,750-acre (4,760ha)
National Park Service unit in the U.S. state of Maryland. It commemorates the life of former
slave Harriet Tubman, who became an activist in the Underground Railroad prior to the
American Civil War. The monument was created by President Barack Obama under the
Antiquities Act on March 25, 2013
This park a testament to her remarkable legacy of fighting for the equal rights of all people.
Its 25,000 acres also encompass beautiful natural areas for wildlife-watching, hiking, biking,
and paddling. The park includes large portions of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in
Dorchester County, Maryland, where Tubman spent much of her early life, as well as the home
site of Jacob Jackson, a free black man who helped Tubman in her efforts to free others.

You might also like