Harriet Tubman

Guiding Questions

• Do you agree with the work of Harriet Tubman?  Why or Why Not?
• If you had been Harriet Tubman what would you have done differently?

 

Tubman's Early Years and Escape from Slavery
Harriet Tubman's name at birth was Araminta Ross. She was one of 11 children of Harriet and Benjamin Ross born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland. As a child, Ross was "hired out" by her master as a nursemaid for a small baby, much like the nursemaid in the picture. Ross had to stay awake all night so that the baby wouldn't cry and wake the mother. If Ross fell asleep, the baby's mother whipped her. From a very young age, Ross was determined to gain her freedom. Can you imagine what other kinds of embarrassment Ross suffered as a slave? 

Resources: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/activists/tubman/youth_1