Harriet Tubman s Original Birth - 2119 Words

Harriet Tubman, an African American slave during the early 1800s, believed she deserved to be treated with respect and have a better life. What stopped her were her surroundings, she saw others like her who were treated like a piece of trash on the side of a road and wanted them to have a better life as well. Harriet Tubman’s many contributions as the â€Å"conductor† of the Underground Railroad and a civil rights activist helped many African Americans thrive. Harriet Tubman’s original birth name was Araminta â€Å"Minty† Ross but she changed it after she freed herself from Maryland. Some people were curious as to where she had thought of the name â€Å"Harriet† they came to the conclusion that it was to honor her mother, and because she had gotten†¦show more content†¦He ended up in the store that Tubman was at. The slave was trying to escape the general store because he was trapped in the tiny store, but the slave’s overseer blocked the door way. As the overseer blocked the door he commanded Tubman to help tie the slave down but she refused knowing that it was wrong to help capture an African American man going through the same hardships as her and knowing that he must have suffered as much as she did. As she was refusing the slave broke free and ran yet again, the overseer had gotten angry and threw a heavy metal object toward the slave but missed and hit Harriet Tubman in the head. â€Å"Tubmanâ₠¬â„¢s early act of defiance against the overseer and the system he represented served to strengthen her resolve that she would one day attempt her own flight to freedom.† (National Women’s History Museum par. 1). She would not let her â€Å"sleeping spells† get in her way for what she was going to do, but that hit in the head gave her a motivation to fight for freedom for all African Americans slaves. As many people in the world, Tubman had wanted to get married and have a family. Harriet Tubman had met John Tubman in 1844 and was granted permission to marry him. â€Å"By the laws of the slave-holding states, she is still enslaved†¦until the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, in the free states she can live a free life.† (Lowry 151). He was a free African American although if they decided