In my copy of the American Patriot’s Almanac, (Bennett & Cribb) today’s entry is about Harriet Tubman. Although her date of birth was never recorded (the year was probably 1822), I imagine the editors, wanting to make sure they included her story in the Almanac, chose November 29th because that was the time of year that Tubman was engaged in a mission to rescue nine slaves from Maryland, leading them to safety in Canada.
Today’s weather here in Michigan is best described as bleak; low 40′s, windy, rainy. And the thought of being outdoors for more than five minutes isn’t something I want to contemplate – brrrrr! So just imagine… traveling cross country for hundreds of miles, mostly at night, in the rain, and maybe the snow, with little food, only occasional shelter, risking discovery and arrest… All the while trying to keep up not only your own spirits, but encouraging those in your care. Harriet Tubman was one amazing woman!
Born into slavery on a Tidewater Maryland plantation, Harriet was courageous even as a girl. While barely in her teens, she deliberately blocked the path of an overseer chasing a fleeing slave, only to be hit in the head with a rock aimed at the runaway. The injury, leaving her with strange dreams, severe headaches, and periods of narcolepsy that plagued her for the rest of her life, only made her more determined to stand up to the injustice of slavery.
Growing up, Harriet learned woods lore from her father, Ben, who was the leader of a slave timber crew. The knowledge she absorbed, of plants, wildlife and path-finding, would serve her well in the years to come.
Harriet married John Tubman, a black who had never been a slave, in 1844. Cotton prices were falling at the time and with rumors on the plantation of the slaves being “sold South,” she began to think increasingly of running away to the North. But John, though free himself, not only said he wouldn’t join her if she fled, he threatened to betray her if she did.
One day in 1849, Harriet learned she had been “sold South.” Willing to risk her life, rather than spend it enslaved, that night she ran away. With the names of a couple Underground Railroad stops, supplied by white woman in nearby Buckland, she headed North – all alone, but relying on her faith in God:
“I said to the Lord, I’m going to hold steady on to you, and I know you’ll see me through.”
And He did. Harriet went on to rescue several members of her own family and eventually – as an invaluable conductor on the Underground Railroad herself – helped some 300 slaves make their way to freedom. Joining up with the Abolitionists in the North, her courage, determination, and moral conviction, truly inspired the cause of freedom.
A memorial plaque in Maryland carries this short tribute ~
The “Moses of her people,” Harriet Tubman of the Bucktown District
found freedom for herself and some three hundred other slaves
whom she led north. In the Civil War she served the
Union Army as a nurse, scout and spy.
~~~~~~~
Just an aside – because I can’t resist 
~ Do you recall Hillary Clinton channeling Harriet Tubman during the run-up to the ’08 election? HA! Although old “Shrillary” was pretty much delusional, the two actually did have one thing in common: weak-charactered, cheating spouses.
In 1851, risking a trip back home to convince her husband to join her, Harriet found that after she fled North – John had married another woman! After recovering from the shock of that betrayal she left, taking only his name, and continued what became her life’s mission… leading others to liberty.
