As we complete March which is Women’s History month, I wanted to pay homage to a true female hero that I’ve learned about as I continue to study our black heritage–Harriet Tubman–our first black female soldier/warrior.
As an officer in the USAF, having studied various levels of military education required for promotion (from Squadron Officer School to Air War College) there was no mention of this extraordinary lady’s contribution to our military history–go figure!
Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland in 1822, and hired out as a domestic by her master as a young girl,Tubman (then known as Araminta Ross) escaped Maryland in 1849 when her masters threatened to sell her. Tubman would later recall being whipped with a switch if the baby whose cradle she rocked all night woke up and cried.
Early signs of her struggle with slavery and its abuses came at age twelve when she intervened to keep her master from beating an enslaved man who tried to escape. She was hit in the head with a two-pound weight, leaving her with a lifetime of severe headaches, narcolepsy and trances.
Spiritual Gift: Tubman believed that her trances and visions were God’s revelation and evidence of his direct involvement in her life. One activist said that Tubman “talked with God, and he talked with her every day of her life.” It was thought that this confidence in heaven-sent guidance and protection helped make her fearless–with an air of authority that demanded respect.
Barely five feet tall, Ross went first to Philadelphia, where there was a strong anti-slavery movement. Already being hunted, that’s when she changed her name to Harriet Tubman.
Underground Railroad: In December 1850, she began guiding other slaves to freedom, starting with her sister and her two children. Over the next decade, she made close to 20 trips back into Maryland, bringing back as many as 300 slaves, none of whom was ever recaptured.
Some historians call her “the Moses of her people,” while others–because of spying she did during the war to help the north – called her a “Robinhood.”
The Civil War: When it began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. As a nurse, Harriet dispensed herbal remedies to black and white soldiers dying from infection and disease. The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people. After an extensive campaign for a military pension, she was finally awarded $8 per month in 1895 as Davis’s widow (he died in 1888) and $20 in 1899 for her service.
After the war, she retired to the family home on property she had purchased in 1859 in Auburn, New York, where she cared for her aging parents.
Women Activist: She was active in the women’s suffrage movement until illness overtook her, and she had to be admitted to a home for elderly African Americans that she had helped to establish years earlier. After her death in 1913, she became an icon of courage and freedom.
Twenty-dollar bill: As a result of her unparalleled courage and respect for freedom, in 2016, our Treasury Secretary announced plans to add a portrait of Tubman to the front of the twenty-dollar bill, moving the portrait of President Andrew Jackson, himself a slave owner, to the rear of the bill. However, in 2017 U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he would not commit to putting Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill due to the past administration’s desire to continue with only Andrew Jackson’s image. The equality struggle continues!
This year, under the Biden administration, the Treasury Department resumed the effort to add Tubman’s portrait to the front of the $20 bill and hoped to expedite the process stating “It’s important that our money reflect the history and diversity of our country.” Hurrah!
I’m feeling SO grateful for all that Harriet stood for and accomplished with her life–paying her freedom forward more times than one would think possible–truly an amazing spirit!
Warriors–support our freedom from this pandemic by wearing your mask and getting vaccinated when possible.
More Covid Humor: I told my wife how thankful I was to have someone I enjoyed being quarantined with, she said “Must be nice.”