"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."
Harriet Tubman
Biography
Araminta Ross, known as Minty, was born in a little slave hut in Dorchester County, Maryland to slaves Harriet Greene and Ben Ross around 1820. At a young age, she was sent to work on the fields. Around her preteen years, Minty was struck in the head by an overseer helping a slave escape. The blow left her with experiencing sudden blackouts throughout the rest of her life. At the age of 25, she married John Tubman, a free black. Araminta changed her name to Harriet, after her mother, and around 5 years later, she escaped the Philadelphia. John, however, did not liked that idea so he immediately notified her master once he discovered she was gone. After Harriet arrived at Philadelphia, she learned about the Underground Railroad, a loose network of anti-slavery abolitionists that helped slaves reach safety in the Northern states or Canada. Harriet returned to the South several times to save her family and friends and bring them to the North, as well as many other slaves. She even went back for her husband, but found that he had remarried. She became well known to many people as "Moses," and slave owners had posted up to $40,000 (around $1,087,607.54 in today's terms). When her career as a conductor ended, Harriet had rescued more than 300 people. When the Civil War started in 1861, Harriet began working for the Union as a spy, cook, and nurse. After it ended, she married Nelson Davis and had a pretty peaceful life afterwards. Harriet died on March 10th, 1913, at the age of 93.
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