Harriet Tubman A Sexist

Women during the 1800’s were known as second class citizens, encouraged to stay within the boundaries of the home and family. Although this mentality was sexist, in can be argued that the life of a female slave was exponentially worse, with having to tend to their families and serving their master. While most women were kept in the background of history, Harriet Tubman was able to rise from the depths of her community and become a female icon for slaves, by impacting the lives of Americans both politically and identity wise. Jim Powell writes believes that, “Few freedom fighters were more tenacious than petite Harriet Tubman…” an article dedicated to the abolitionist. He highlights her ability to be able to rise as a woman despite her disadvantages …show more content…
From a young age, Tubman herself accredited her rebellious attitude to her said ancestors the Ashanti, whose courage was a legend throughout Africa. Children of slaves have little chance to savor their childhood, as young Tubman would soon discover at the age of five. By then she was already accustomed to what a mistress was, how to maintain a house, the striking pains of the forced labor. Once she was about twelve, she was able to work in the fields. This was good news to Tubman because it gave her a better opportunity to see her family and socialize with other slaves. During her time as a field worker Harriet had sustained a major head injury that gave her frequent seizures in the future. She had been been asked to tie up a slave, who had left without order, yet Tubman refused. The overseer went to throw a brick at the fugitive but instead hit Tubman. Around the 1930s, rumors were exchanged of whites in the North leaning aid to enslaved African Americans. Tubman heard of such rumors and she states “‘ I seemed to see a line, and on the other side… were green fields… and beautiful white ladies, who stretched their arms to me over the line, but I couldn’t reach them’” Harriet Tubman began to dream of a possibility to live freely and receiving the same opportunity. In 1849 when the death of her owner occured, Tubman successfully escaped from her plantation and made it to Philadelphia. At first she had left with her two brothers but seeing that they had a price for their return, Tubman thought it best to return her siblings safely home. Once she finally made it to Philadelphia she said “ ‘When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven.’” And from then on, Tubman made it her mission

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