A little African-American girl looks out the window, just as she puts her master's baby to bed. She does not dream of becoming a great savior known to all. She just wants what's best for her and her family. Someone calls out her name, known to few people, and she turns away from the window. Little did anyone know that many years later, she would become a famous heroine that everyone admires. Everyone would know his name. Her name is Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman has done a lot of things in her life, but when she was little, she had no intention of becoming who she is today. Yes, she wanted to be free, but she never thought it would be possible. She just wanted to be safe and away from all the beatings and abuse. “Before she became the great Harriet Tubman, she started on a plantation in Maryland and was known as Araminta “'Minty' Ross.” Soon she would be famous. Harriet Tubman would be known for her childhood, her escape from slavery, and her assistance in the Civil War. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIn the 1820s, Minty Ross was born on a slave plantation in Maryland. “She says she was born in 1825, but her death certificate says 1815 and her grave says 1820.” Minty was born in a small cabin with no windows or furniture. His parents knew how to read or write, which is why there is no written record of his birth. Minty's slave master was Edward Brodas. His parents were Harriet Green and Benjamin Ross. Minty's grandmother, also her mother's mother, arrived on a slave ship from Africa. Her grandmother's name was Modesty and she was purchased by the Pattison family when she arrived from Africa. Minty's mother was supposed to be given freedom after her master's death, as it was provided for in her will, but they never told her mother. This also means that Minty was supposed to be free. Minty's father was born in 1795 and was what they called a full-blooded Negro. Benjamin was also a skilled lumberjack. As soon as Minty could walk, she began working, as was customary for child slaves (McDonough, Who was Harriet Tubman 7). Minty never got to play or go to school like most children should. She was always working and that's all she knew how to do. Minty never had the chance to learn to read or write, but if she could, I bet she'd take it. Minty worked for many people when she was a child. Her master sent her to other plantations to work for their masters as a housekeeper, take care of babies, etc. She was too young to work effectively in the fields (McDonough, who was Harriet Tubman 11). One day, in another mansion, she decided to steal sugar. She had never eaten it before and thought it was delicious. His temporary master found out and started running at him with a whip! Poor Minty just wanted to try it, but she had to quickly run away from her furious master. Luckily for Minty, she was much faster than her master, so she ran towards the door and didn't stop running until she was sure the lady had stopped chasing her. Minty stayed in a pigsty for five days and fought with the pigs over scraps of food. She had to return because she was starving and had nowhere to go. Minty reluctantly returned to her master and received a terrible whipping. She was also returned to her owner after what happenedpass. Her owner then sent her to do field work, which was very hard for women in general, but unbearable at her young age (McDonough, who was Harriet Tubman 20). Minty, however, heard the first ideas of freedom while working in the field and heard stories of people going North to be free. One day, Minty was at the market to buy food for her master, when she saw a man trying to escape his master and run north. The man ran towards the door and Minty stood in front of it so that the master could not reach the fugitive. The captain threw a two-pound weight at the fugitive, but it hit Minty in the head instead. Some people took Minty back to her cabin, as she was unconscious and bleeding. Minty's mother stayed by Minty's side throughout her recovery. No one believed she would survive. The injury left a scar right in front of Minty's head, which is why she always wore a headband. She recovered, but suffered headaches and sleeping attacks for the rest of her life. Working in the field also brought her closer to God. She loved the outdoors and the nature around her. She believed that it was all a gift from God and that it was all meant to be there. A few years after this incident, Minty married John Tubman. The relationship was not very good and it was even rumored that he beat Minty and threatened to sell her illegally to someone else. John Tubman was a free African American, so Minty could do nothing about him and his threats. Then the sales problem got worse. John wasn't the only one to threaten her. Minty's master had just died, and there was a good chance she would be put up for auction. Minty was brave and bold, so she didn't want this to happen. She decided to go north and gain freedom. Minty went alone for the first time, which was unusual since she was a woman. She used the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a series of stops and houses used by fugitives to escape. The houses and rest stops would provide rest and shelter for a night, and also help the slaves avoid getting caught. Houses might be marked with something or look a certain way so that slaves would know it was a safe place (McDonough, Who was Harriet Tubman 45). When she arrived in town, people didn't believe she had gone alone. Minty then decided to change her name, to mark her 90 mile journey to freedom. She went from Araminta “Minty” Ross to Harriet Tubman. Harriet returned for her husband a few years later because she was lonely. When she returned, she discovered that he had remarried and so freed other slaves on the plantation, including some of his family members. She returned several times and freed more than 70 people. She also became a conductor of the Underground Railroad. As a conductor of the Underground Railroad, you risk your life to free slaves. If only one were to die in your group, it would be the driver because it is his role to protect all the slaves on this journey. Harriet began calling herself Moses, and southerners began putting a price on her head because of the number of people she was freeing. Historians have studied his methods and tactics for many years because of their effectiveness. They were amazed at how Harriet could hide and move so many people at once. Harriet prayed to God constantly and she said he answered her and showed her the way. Harriet was also called Moses by the people she freedand on its bonus posters. People were amazed by what this person was doing, and even more so when they learned she was a woman. Harriet had to start moving people to Canada, because slave captors were infesting the North, so it was becoming dangerous for her to free people. Pro-slavery speakers also tried to say that Underground Railroad conductors, like Harriet, were the real kidnappers and slave stealers because they took people. In reality, Harriet Tubman and so many others were freeing “kidnapped” people and doing everyone a favor. She stopped for a while, only doing a few important missions to free people. Then the civil war began. Harriet Tubman had moved to Canada when the Civil War broke out. At first, Harriet simply served as a nurse and cook for African Americans and white men on the Northern side. Harriet worked at “Hospital No. 6 for the Sick and Wounded.” She did this work voluntarily, because she wanted to help end slavery in any way she could. The North did not want the South to secede, and they also wanted to end slavery (McDonough, Who was Harriet Tubman 72). When the troops brought back slaves, Harriet helped teach them to think of themselves as free people, because they had never been free before. She took care of all the soldiers and fed them well. Harriet gave medicine to the soldiers, chased away insects that swarmed around the patients, cooked food and much more for them. She later became a spy. Colonel James Montgomery asked her to become a spy personally. Harriet worked for the Northern side of the Civil War and admired Abraham Lincoln. She knew that Lincoln would help end slavery because he also helped prevent slave shipments from arriving. Harriet was small enough to sneak anywhere without getting caught, and she seemed harmless. She was able to go to the South Side and talk to black people there. They trusted him and shared all the information they could with him. However, she couldn't just go to the other side and free them all, so they had to do it in battle. Harriet became commander of intelligence operations for the Union Army's Southern Department, and she had nine scouts under her command (McDonough, who was Harriet Tubman '78). White men were not used to being commanded by women, even if they were black, but quickly learned to respect her. They also came to admire him and try to be like him because of his courage. Harriet was accustomed to the dangers of being arrested because she was once a conductor for the Underground Railroad. She was not afraid of danger. Harriet led numerous raids and battles against the South, on and off land. She kept Southern supplies from entering and freed slaves. One of her great exploits was when she led a raid on a rice plantation. This plantation had over 100 slaves and she helped free them all. Harriet also carried a gun with her and was not afraid to use it. The only problem was that she had to wear a long skirt. It was considered inappropriate for a woman to wear men's clothing, so she had no choice. She went on a mission wearing a long skirt and couldn't do it. She could not move freely. After that, she went to the tailors and they gave her an outfit with a short skirt, worn with pants underneath, and a jacket. She could move freely and feel comfortable there..