How Did Harriet Tubman Contribute To Slavery

Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross to the slave parent, Harriet Green and Ben Ross. It is unknown when exactly she was born. Her mother was sent to work at "the big house" and had little time for her family. Therefore, Tubman took care of a younger brother and baby. When she was five or six years old, the Brodess family hired her as a nursemaid for a woman named "Miss Susan." She was told to watch on the baby while it slept. If it woke up and cried, she would be whipped. About 1844, Tubman married a free black man named John Tubman. Their marriage was complicated because of her being a slave. Later on September 17, 1849, Tubman and her brothers escaped from slavery. Two weeks later, she posted a runaway notice that offered a reward of up to 100 dollars for each slave that was returned. Soon, Tubman's brothers had doubts. They went back, forcing her to go with them. Not long after, she escaped again, without her brothers this time.

The challenge of escaping slavery changed in 1850, when the Fugitive Slave Law was passed. This law said that runaway slaves could be caught in the North and returned to slavery in the South. This led to the abduction of many former slaves living in the North. Police officers in the North had to help capture the slaves, despite their personal principles. After learning of the law, Tubman changed the route of the Underground Railroad to Canada, which banned slavery. She kept an active role during the Civil War. She worked for the Union Army as a cook and nurse and later became a spy. She was the first woman to head an armed expedition when she guided the Combahee River Raid. This raid freed more than 700 slaves in South Carolina. Her actions helped save numerous lives of slaves and free blacks in the North and