Harriet Tubman and the Fight for Freedom
A Brief History with DocumentsFirst Edition ©2013
Harriet Tubman is a legendary figure in the history of American slavery and the Underground Railroad. In the introduction to this compelling volume, Lois Horton reveals the woman behind the legend and addresses the ways in which Tubman's mythic status emerged in her own lifetime and beyond. Going be...
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Harriet Tubman is a legendary figure in the history of American slavery and the Underground Railroad. In the introduction to this compelling volume, Lois Horton reveals the woman behind the legend and addresses the ways in which Tubman's mythic status emerged in her own lifetime and beyond. Going beyond mere biography, Horton weaves through Tubman's story the larger history of slavery, the antislavery movement, the Underground Railroad, the increasing sectionalism of the pre-Civil War era, as well as the war and post-war Reconstruction. A rich collection of accompanying documents — including the Fugitive Slave Acts, letters, newspaper articles, advertisements and tributes to Tubman — shed light on Tubman's relationships with key abolitionist figures such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison; her role in the women's rights movement; and her efforts on behalf of fugitive slaves and freed blacks through the Civil War and beyond. A chronology of Tubman's life, along with questions for consideration and a selected bibliography, enhance this important volume.
"This volume offers a compelling account of Tubman's work, alongside other antislavery activists, to liberate enslaved women, men and children from bondage and lay the foundation for free black communities in the northern states and Canada. The accompanying documents, photographs and illustrations add another level of detail and insight that will engage students and facilitate both discussion and writing assignments." — Barbara Krauthamer, University of Massachusetts Amherst "This is an important volume. Weighing history and memory, fact and myth, the overlapping constraints of race, gender, and illiteracy on Harriet Tubman, this volume make the opportunities and challenges of studying the lives of fugitive slaves accessible to undergraduates." — Adam Arenson, University of Texas at El Paso "The Introduction is excellent — thought-provoking and energetically presented. It does a wonderful job of contextualizing Tubman's life and times."— Calvin Schermerhorn, Arizona State University
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
PART ONE. Introduction: An Uncommon Woman and Her Times
Myth and Reality
Slavery in Maryland
The Multiracial Underground Railroad and Antislavery Movement
Resistance and the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
The Moses of Her People
Growing Sectional Tensions and Greater Militancy
Tubman and the Antislavery Network
John Brown’s War
Fighting the War to End Slavery
Going Home
Tubman’s Life into the Twentieth Century
Harriet Tubman in History and Memory
PART TWO. The Documents
1. United States Constitution, Provision Regarding Fugitive Slaves, 1787
2. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793
3. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
4. Austin Bearse, Reminiscences of Fugitive-Slave Law Days in Boston
5. Solomon Northup, Kidnapped Into Slavery, 1841
6. Eliza Ann Brodess, Runaway Advertisement, 1849
7. Liberator, "Slave-Hunters in Boston, November 1, 1850
8. Thomas Garrett, Sending Underground Railroad Passengers to Philadelphia, 1854
9. William Still, "‘Moses’ Arrives with Six Passengers," December 29, 1854
10. "Fugitive Slaves aided by the Vigilance Committee since the passage of The Fugitive slave Bill 1850," Boston, Massachusetts, 1850-1858
11. John Brown, Letter to John Brown, Jr., April 8, 1858
12. Liberator, Tubman Addresses July 4th Outdoor Meeting, Framingham, Massachusetts, 1859
13. Lewis Hayden, Letter to John Brown, September 16, 1859
14. Douglass’ Monthly, Charles Nalle Rescue, Troy, New York, April, 1860
15. Songs of Freedom, Emancipation Eve, 1862
16. Commonwealth, "Harriet Tubman," Combahee River Raid, June, 1863
17. Commonwealth, "Harriet Tubman," Boston, 1864
18. Freedmen’s Record, "Moses," March, 1865
19. Thomas Garrett, Memories of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
20. Frederick Douglass and Wendell Phillips, 1868 Testimonials
21. William Wells Brown, "Moses," 1874
22. Sarah H. Bradford, Harriet Tubman Biographies, 1869 and 1886
23. Harriet Davis, Affidavit, May 28, 1892
24. Harriet Davis, Affidavit, November 10, 1894
25. Wilbur H. Siebert, Letter to Earl Conrad, September 4, 1940
26. U. S. Senate, Committee on Pensions Report, 1899
27. Syracuse Herald, "To End Days in Home She Founded," June 4, 1911
28. New York Times, "Harriet Tubman Davis," Obituary, March 14, 1913
29. Auburn Citizen, Harriet Tubman Memorialized, Auburn, New York, June 12, 1914
Appendixes
A Chronology of the Life and Times of Harriet Tubman (1822 – 1913)
Questions for Consideration
Selected Bibliography
Index
Authors
Lois E. Horton
Lois E. Horton (Ph.D., Brandeis University) is Professor of History Emerita at George Mason University. Her work focuses on African American communities, race, gender, and social change. With James Oliver Horton she has written and edited numerous books, including Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory; Slavery and the Making of America; Hard Road to Freedom: The Story of African America; and In Hope of Liberty: Culture, Community and Protest among Northern Free Blacks, 1700-1860. For several years she also served on the scholarly advisory committee of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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