Harriet Tubman was born a slave on a plantation in Maryland around 1821. Harriet's original name was Araminta Harriet Ross and she was nicknamed “Minty." Her father, Ben Ross was owned by Anthony Thompson who later then married Mary Brodess who owned Harriet “Rit” Green, her mother. At the age of thirteen she decided to change her name but her last name “Tubman” was kept when she married a free black man in 1844 named John Tubman.

According to Harriet, being and living as a slave, was not easy for her or anyone in particular. At a young age she worked as a servant in the plantation house; later, she would worked outside plowing fields and loading produce onto wagons. No matter what weather condition it was slaves were forced to work outside and have no rest.When slave owners purchased slaves, families were  separated and Harriet knew she could be sold soon. One thing she was fearful of was that she would be sold and be punished if she were to get caught. That's why Harriet decided to run away at the middle of the night, where she headed towards north where there was freedom.

Harriet escaped by using the Underground Railroad where she was able to be free. The Underground Railroad wasn’t a train or a tunnel but it was a place that was safe. Families would hang up carpets or lights outside of their house as a symbol of welcome. Harriet finally reached the north where she landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She lived there for two years and saved money. Harriet decided to go back to Maryland to be able to free her family from their owners and be able to have freedom.

Harriet became a conductor on the Underground Railroad for  leading several trips that led to the south for freedom. As she traveled to places she had created strategies to avoid getting caught. For example, if she traveled with a baby she would give the baby on herbal drug that would prevent the baby from crying. Another strategy she did is that only on Saturdays she would travel because newspaper comes out on Monday.

All in all, by 1860 Harriet completed 19 journeys on the Underground Railroad and had  free 300 slaves. She was never captured and neither were her passengers. During the Civil War she helped nurses with soldiers that were injured, served cook, and also a spy in the Union Army. Harriet died in 1913.