Book Analysis Essay on Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom

Introduction

The book "Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom" discusses the life experiences and actions of Harriet Tubman. She was a slave girl who resisted slavery and heroically escaping from her master's plantation and later became an abolitionist. She walked a 90-mile distance from Maryland to Philadelphia to free herself from the slavery bondage. She is celebrated for her courage because she led the Underground Railroad from bondage to freedom. She is an American icon who entered the books of history in the 19th century as the most enduring and significant figures. In the book, there is criticism about Tubman because the information about her life experiences is an educated guess. Although it is believed that the information about Tubman is true; most people doubt it because there were no required written documents in the 1800s. The criticism is justifiable because most educated scientists make guesses from what is known about her. She made thirteen trips to rescue seventy slaves who regarded her as Moses. The secret network that helped save slaves was the underground railway. Tubman later helped a radical abolitionist, John Brown to recruit men who would steal arms from government arsenal to conduct a slave rebellion. The men conducted the raid on the Harpers Ferry. Another heroic action was during the American Civil war where she became a spy and an armed scout for the American army. Moreover, Tubman also became an activist in the fight against women suffrage (Clinton 120).

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Tubman Life Experiences

Harriet Tubman whose name was Araminta Ross was born a slave in 19822 in Dorchester County, Maryland. Her parents were Harriet Greene Ross and Ben Ross also slaves working in white's plantation. She was hired as a child and her master treated her harshly. For instance, she was whipped and beaten several times and at one time she was hit heavily in the head when she tried to intervene between a slave and an angry master. Despite the fact that she recovered, the injury was severe to the extent that the effects were irreversible. She continued to experience pain, spells of hypersomnia, and dizziness throughout her life. These symptoms were caused by the head injury she sustained from the son of a slave owner. She was a devoted Christian and had dream and visions which she claimed came from God and foretold her mission to rescue the enslaved people. In 1844, Tubman married John Tubman who was a free black man. She immediately changed her name from Araminta as a sign that she is now a different person (Clinton 145).

Tubman runs for her freedom in Philadelphia in 1849, but went back to Maryland to free her family members. She made her moves slowly to free friends and relatives out of the bondage one set at a time. Her actions were well coordinated and with extreme secrecy because she wanted to take every slave to a free state. The slaves regarded her as Moses as she was the only person who saved them from slavery. Although she traveled at night, she did not lose any passenger. She was compared with Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land. The slave in Tubman's turn called the north as their "Canaan" because they believed it was a land of freedom. John Brown referred to Tubman as the General because she admired the courage and ability to lead people. She risked her life several times to save the less privileged in the society. In 1850, the Congress of the United States approved the Fugitive Slave Act that punished the slaves who tried to escape from their masters. Most slaves who tried to escape were captured by law enforcement officers and hence they sought refuge in Ontario which had abolished slavery. She not only freed the slaves but also helped them find new jobs in British North America.

In 1858 Tubman met with John Brown, an abolishment who used violence to end slavery in the U.S. Tubman was a peaceful woman and did not recommend violence and rebellion as a way to solve the problem. She supported Brown because of her belief that every human being is equal before God. Like Tubman, he believed that God would defend them against the ruthless slave masters. He planned several missions to attract the slave masters but had to equip the raiders with guns. Tubman helped him to recruit and organize raid at Heapers Ferry. The mission did not succeed because the government officials learned about the attack and apprehended Brown.

The life experiences of Tubman have faced many criticisms throughout the entire book. The book by Clinton makes educated guesses about events that took place in the 19th century as written documents about such stories were not recorded. Clinton and other scientists base the information on Tubman as true because they have conducted research of her actions to abolish slavery that was a huge menace at that time. Although some of the information about Tubman is a true fact, the criticisms are just because there are no primary data to back it up.

Tubman traveled back to Maryland to rescue more than seventy slaves because of the dreams and vision she experienced. She risked her life thirteen times to ensure that all groups were saved from slavery one at a time in an extreme secret manner. The visions she experienced foretold her duty to free all captives and she believed that she was born for this mission like Moses in the Bible. Moses was sent by God to Egypt to free the Israelites and led them to "Canaan". She believed that the North was their promised land because people were free from bondage.

During the Civil War, Harriet joined the army where she worked as a cook and later a nurse. When the war continued, she became a scout and a spy of the U.S government. Tubman became the first woman to organize and lead an expedition, for instance, the Combahee Ferry's raid. The raid was a success as approximately seven hundred slaves were liberated. When the war was over she moved to New York and established an elderly home where she cared for the old. In her old age, she was actively involved in women's suffrage movement that fought for gender equality. Her life history was enough proof that what a man can do a woman can do better. However, she became ill and was admitted to an elderly that she established for African Americans. In 1913, Harriet died but left a legacy of a heroic woman who risked her life to free slaves. She also inspired women to fight for their rights without fear.

Work Cited

Clinton, Catherine. Harriet Tubman: The road to freedom. Little Brown & Company, 2004.