On September 17, 1849, Harriet Tubman—then known as Araminta “Minty” Ross—made her first attempt to escape slavery with her younger brothers, Ben and Henry. The three fled from the Poplar Neck plantation in Caroline County, Maryland, where they were working after being hired out by the Brodess family. They feared separation from their loved ones amid the threat of sale to the Deep South.
Their first effort did not succeed. Not long into the journey, Ben and Henry reconsidered, with one brother likely concerned about leaving behind his wife and new child. Despite Tubman’s objections, they returned to the Eastern Shore; one historical account records that her brothers “dragged her with them” back to familiar woods and fields.
Not long afterward, Tubman escaped again—this time on her own. She traveled through Maryland and Delaware into Pennsylvania, ultimately reaching Philadelphia and freedom. The precise route she took and the people who may have helped her along the way are not known with certainty.
Tubman’s escape marked the beginning of a life devoted to freedom. Between 1850 and 1860, she returned to Maryland approximately 13 times and helped more than 70 relatives, friends, and other enslaved people reach freedom. During the Civil War, she also served the Union as a nurse, scout, spy, and leader in military operations. Her life remains an extraordinary testament to courage, strategic skill, and the unyielding pursuit of human liberty.
Image: Harriet Tubman, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
