Harriet Tubman

Welcome

Welcome to the fictional blog of Harriet Tubman!  This blog is the product of a collaboration with Ms. Jenkins class at Dowell Elementary.  Through the eyes of Ms. Jenkins students, you will experience the life of Harriet Tubman.  Her students have researched Mrs. Tubman extensively and will attempt to create posts that are representative of what her thoughts might have been.  Because of policies prohibiting student blogs in place in our district, students have done their writing in a word processor and Ms. Jenkins is pasting their writing into the blog itself. Some of her students will write as people who have encountered Mrs. Tubman and others will comment on those posts from the same historical and personal persepctive.  We will also post a podcast as part of this effort. Please note that we have removed most, but not all, date references to the posts in order to give each post as much of a realistic feel as possible without implying that the writing was done by Harriet Tubman or other actual people. We have also set the blog so that this welcome message will remain at the top.

Please feel free to tell us what you think by leaving comments at this post.

I am six years old and I am a slave working for Mr.Brodas. I used to bring pails full of water to other slaves, but then I was hired out to help Mrs. Cook with her weaving and whenever I make a mistake I was wiped. I had to sleep in a corner and got only a piece of cornbread for dinner. I started to work for Mr. Cook trapping muskrats in the river. Even though it is hard I still liked it better than weaving. I got ill from working in the river. I came home so my mom could help me get better. When I was cured I had to go back to Mr. and Mrs. Cook. I was not aloud out the house because they didn’t want me to get ill again. I didn’t like to work for Mr. and Mrs. Cook. So I was not going to weave. Even though I got wiped I still didn’t like it. I just got hired out again to Mrs. Susan and she has not been nice.

My mistress’ house was a little like Mr. Brodas’ house. When I first went into the house I saw so many fancy things. I didn’t even touch anything. Then I was told to clean the carpet and dust the tables. One day while I was cleaning the carpet, the dust went into the air and fell on the table. My mistress saw the dust and whipped me. My mistress’ sister came and said, “What are you doing to that poor child?” So her sister Emily said, “Did you even know that she doesn’t even have a floor or even brooms?” Then her sister starting making dinner. All I got was a piece of corn bread. This morning while my mistress was yelling at her sister, I was coming to get the baby. I saw a sugar cube and I wondered what it was. I was going to take it but she saw me. After running away and returning to Miss Susan because I had no where else to go, I almost died from the whipping I got before she sent me back to Mr. Brodas.

Of course, Mr. Brodas hired me out again as a field hand that is the lowest job for a slave. It is back breaking labor. Loading wood into wagons, working the plow, driving oxen and splitting rails. I prefer working as a field hand. It gives me a chance to be outside and predict the weather. I know the swampland and the plants that grew there. Working in the fields callused my hands. My muscles grew stronger and I was still a child, I did the work of a man. Soon I graduated from scratchy linen shirt to a long dress of a woman. When I worked in the field I tucked my skirt into the rope belt around my waist. I worked barefoot. Now that I am about eleven or twelve I have started to were a brightly colored bandana around my head. Although I am barely five feet tall I am a young woman now. There are white over seers who watch us to make sure we work hard. They were suspicious of a song we sing. Nat Turner and a group of slaves set out at night to end slavery. The slave owners passed laws that forbid us to go to church, talk with each other, and even sing. This was about the time that talk about the Underground Railroad began to spread. Yet the slaves found out ways to gather together and whisper together few at a time.

A few months ago I helped a slave escape.  I stood in the doorway blocking the overseer from the runway.  The overseer threw a large weight at the runaway, but it hit me instead. Everyone expected me to die from the injury, but after many months I am getting better. I have a large scar on my forehead and suffer from spelling spells every now and then. All I have been able to think about lately is getting to freedom myself.  There are rumors that my three brothers and I are going south with the next chain gang.  I am very worried and don't know what to do.

Today my master, Mr. Brodas, died and we just found out that none of us are going to be sold south. My mom and dad are happy that my brothers and I are not going to be sold south. I am still worried about this. My dad teaches me things about working in the woods. My dad teaches me bird sounds. He also teaches me which berries are good and which ones are poisonous.

I am now twenty-three years old and I have married a handsome man named John Tubman. He is not a slave. He is a free man. My husband never worries about much, but I have been having dreams about the slave hunters. I still want to be free myself. I told him about my worries and nightmares, but he said if I try to run away he will tell my master. This hurt my feelings more than whips.

Last week while I was working in the field a Quaker Woman came up to me in a buggy. We started to talk when nobody was around. She whispered that if I ever needed help, I could come to her farm near Buck Town. Not long after that another slave told me that me and my three brothers we will be sold to a slave trader. That night my 3 brothers and I made a run for it. But on the way my brothers got scared. I was going to go alone but my bothers forced me to go back. The next day I heard I was setting sold that night I deiced that I was going alone. When I got to the Quaker woman’s house, I knocked on the door. She open the door and smiled. She explained that it was not safe. She gave me a piece of paper. She told me to go to the Hunn’s house. It was white with green shutters. I wanted to thank her so I gave her my hand made quilt.   

I finally came to a white house it was the next station. Usually I hid in the house but if I wanted fresh air I would go outside and sweep. Then I was back on my journey. I came to a graveyard with a man. Then he dressed me in his clothes. Then he drove me through the city. Then he told me get out it is not safe. I was back in the woods. From this point on was the most dangerous part of my journey. I could not believe it when I finally saw the sign with the word PENNSYLVANIA written on it. I knew that I was free at last. I had finally crossed the line.

I didn’t need to worry about slave catchers or baying dogs. Cause I was a free slave. Soon I joined a Vigilance Committee this was a group that helped runaway slaves. The group leader was William Still. I often went to the office of the Vigilance Committee. I got to know William a little better. Last week when I went to the office William told me some bad news. Trouble was brewing for my family. My sister was married to a man named John Bowley was a free man. They had two children. One day John heard that his family was going to be sold south so John went to a Quaker and asked for her help. The Quaker was a helper for the Underground Railroad. The Quaker sent a message to William but William couldn’t write what John Bowley had told him. Someone might read the letter. Then they would know John was trying to help his family escape. I have decided to go and help bring my sister and her family to freedom. This would be my time as a conductor of the Underground Railroad.

After helping my sister’s family to freedom I began a career as a conductor. Now that the Fugitive Slave Law had been passed it became even more dangerous for all blacks living north of the Mason-Dixon Line. I was not going to let this stop me though. I had not seen my husband in two years and wanted to bring him North to live with me in freedom. Last night I went to his cabin and found that he had moved on with his new wife. Before I leave tonight I am going to stop by the plantation I use to work at and gather a group of slaves who want to go North with me.

Four days ago I found out that my three brothers are to be sold south and are being put on the chain gang the day after Christmas.  I didn’t have much time, but I was determined to save them.  I made it to my parents’ house just in time. I found my brothers and some other slaves who wanted to go with us.  We hid in a shed.  My father helped us get everything we needed for our long trip.  We left late that night.  I promised my father that I would be back for him and my mother very soon.

I remember walking in the snow with slaves to go over the Mason-Dixon Line to have freedom when one night a slave said that he was tired of not having food and standing in the cold swamps. I took a pistol and pointed it at his head and said move. Not long after that he was a free man. I have just been given the new nickname Moses by my people.  When some other slave hunters heard about me they wanted to know who this great man was taking their slaves to freedom. So, all the slave hunters were putting up posters for a reward of $40,000 to catch the Moses.  I have been giving young boys money to take down the posters when all the slave hunters are gone.

I heard my father was in trouble. So I took one last trip to get mother and father. I took one of Mr. Thomson’s horses and a pair of old wheels and made a wagon. We left at nighttime. We traveled all night. It was hard to travel with my parents because they were elderly. We all live together in a small rented house.  I have been speaking about my trips a lot to earn money. 

After I turned forty years old, my days as a conductor were over. I helped the slaves and the soldiers in the Civil War. I worked as a nurse. I used my moms medicines made from herbs. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which allows black men to join the northern army. I also worked as a spy for the army and worked with many of the black men who joined the army. For the last two years I have been at home taking care of my parents.

In December 1865 the slavery law had passed. There was no more slavery in the United States of America. The battle I fought for fifteen years was finally over. We won! I was still there for other slaves and I had to watch over my parents. I always took in sick slaves and healed them. I never turned any slaves down. Then I sold my house to a church for slaves that were not well. Then the church started to charge people 100 dollars. So I got very mad because I never charged any one. Now I am very old and can barely walk. I have many friends and family members who visit me and keep me company. I enjoy sharing my stories about my days as “Moses” Tubman with anyone who will listen.

Audio & Enhanced Audio Post

Please listen (or listen and watch) to Abigail's interviews with students as they play the role of people who lived at the same time as Harriet Tubman. They will attempt to tell you a bit about what it was like to live as a slave.

Audio only
Download Tubman_Project_Interviews.mp3 (10394.0K)

Audio enhanced with pictures
Download Tubman_enhanced.m4a (5395.6K)

The Important Thing About Harriet Tubman

The following are paragraphs that students wrote about Harriet Tubman and what they felt was important about her life.

Download important-2.doc Download important_darian.doc

Download important_morgan.doc Download important_taylor.doc

Download Important-Eileen.doc Download Importantmelanie.doc

Download the_important_anderson.doc

Fictional Stories of the Underground Railroad

After studying about Harriet Tubman and learning about the Underground Railroad, the students wrote stories of what it might have been like if their own family were to travel on the Underground Railroad. 

Download slave_story1.doc

Download slave_story2.doc

Download slavestory-3.doc

Download slave_story4.doc

Download slave_story6.doc

Download slave_story7.doc

Download slave_story8.doc

Download slave_story9.doc

Download slave_story10.doc

Download slave_story_11.doc

Download slave_story12.doc

Download slave_story13.doc

Download slave_story14.doc

Download slave_story16.doc

Download slave_story17.doc

Download slave_story19.doc

Download slave_story20.doc

Download slave_story21.doc

Download slave_story22.doc

Dedication

We would like to dedicate this blog to the memory of Harriet Tubman.

We hope that by sharing this blog with you, you will able to learn more about Harriet Tubman and her incredible life. We enjoyed learning about this extraordinary woman, and hope you enjoy our blog that we worked so hard to create.