African-American Harriet Tubman opposed the slave system in the United States and was committed to social reform in the mid-nineteenth and early twentieth century. Her whole life was aimed at legitimizing equality for black people and women.
With her personal example, she attracted many slaves to fight for her rights. Because of the talk that her face would soon appear on the American twenty-dollar banknote, they started talking about her in the world. Who was Harriet?
Early years
Araminta Ross, known to everyone as Harriet Tubman, was born, presumably in 1820, in the family of a slave from Dorchester County (USA). At the age of thirteen, she was in a situation that could have killed her. She was in the shop when the slave overseer demanded her help. She was supposed to take part in the beating of the fugitiveslave. The girl refused to comply and blocked the white man's path. For this, he threw a two-pound weight in her direction, hitting Harriet in the head. The girl miraculously survived, but the recovery process continued for many months. The injury has plagued her all her life.
At twenty-four, the girl married a free black John Tubman. In an effort to gain freedom, she told her husband about her desire to escape to the north. But the man did not support her, threatening to betray her owners for trying to escape. Then Harriet decided to act independently, secretly from her husband. After fleeing to Maryland, she joined the abolitionists. What is the essence of this movement?
The concept of abolitionism
The word means "cancellation" in Latin. This is a movement that fought for the abolition of slavery. By the birth of Harriet Tubman, it was forbidden to import African slaves into the United States and the British colonies. In 1833, slavery was banned in the British Empire. However, in the US, the situation remained the same.
One of the first white abolitionists in the United States is John Brown. The fate of this man was not easy: his business did not work out, he survived the death of his first wife and several of his children from his first and second marriages, he became overgrown with debts, once he even went to prison for it. But John could think of nothing else but the struggle to free the slaves. Over time, his sons also joined his activities. His fighting methods were aggressive. As a result of the events at Harpers Ferry, he was brought to trial andsentenced to death by hanging.
Young woman became part of the freeing movement in the US. She maintained a relationship with John Brown.
Participation in the abolitionist movement
Harriet Tubman has been part of the movement since 1849, immediately after her escape. She rescued slaves by ferrying fugitives from the southern states to the north, as well as to Canada. For this purpose, a special organization called the Underground Railroad was created.
Harriet Tubman has hundreds of freed slaves on her account and thousands of those who escaped on their own, inspired by her example.
She herself claimed (according to her biographer Sarah Bradford) that for her there was only a choice between freedom and death. She saw her life in the struggle for freedom.
Participation in the Civil War
Harriet Tubman (African-American abolitionist) did not stand aside during the events of 1861-1865. The Civil War was the bloodiest in US history. The country was divided into two opposing camps. One of them was the North, which consisted of non-slave states whose economy was based on industrial production. The second was the South, which included the slave states of the southern and northern parts of the United States, the basis of the economy of which was an agricultural economy based on the labor of slaves.
She fought in the army of the North as a nurse and scout. A detachment with her participation in 1863 was able to free about 750 slaves. One of the outcomes of the war wasprohibition of slavery throughout the United States. However, the issue of granting equal rights to the black population remained unresolved.
After the end of the war, the woman continued the movement for the improvement of the life of blacks, as well as for the rights of women. Harriet died on March 10, 1913 in Auburn, New York.
A film about the life of an African-American abolitionist
Harriet Tubman's biography will soon become the basis for a feature film, which currently has the working title Harriet. The script was written by Gregory Allen Howard, who has already raised the topic of racial discrimination in his other creation - "Remembering the Titans".
Despite the fact that the script is ready, filming will begin in 2017. Seth Mann is expected to direct. He is known for his work, such as The Wire and The Walking Dead.
Image on dollar bill
If you know the biography of the well-known abolitionist in the United States, it is not surprising that the new twenty-dollar bill may feature the image of Harriet Tubman. The dollar is expected to get a new face in 2020, the centenary of women's enfranchisement.
Interestingly, the twenty dollar bill already featured women. In 1863 it was Lady Liberty with a shield and sword in her hands, in 1865 it was Pocahontas, who is known as the Indian princess.
It is worth recalling that from 1928 to the present day, the seventh president, Andrew Jackson, was depicted on the banknote. At one time hemade a huge fortune in the slave trade.
According to some reports, Tubman and Jackson will share the banknote for two. Such a neighborhood would look very provocative, given the views of both on slavery.
