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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Ambitious Women in History

The term ambition is defined as "eagerly desirous of achieving or obtaining success, power, wealth, or a specific goal." An extremely ambitious woman from the 19th century was African American abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Born Araminta Ross,
a slave in Maryland around 1820, she lived her life working in the house and field while suffering from head trauma due to an accident during her teenage years. Around 1844 when she married a free African American man named John Tubman. Harriet escaped from her plantation in 1849 and made the trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the help of people hiding her along the way. While working in Philadelphia, she saved enough money to return back to Maryland and help her sister and nieces escape, and later on, her brother and husband (who had found a new wife). Harriet made the trip to the south 19 times, each time making a successful trip without getting caught and helping freed slaves start a new life. She is known as the “Moses” of her people because she led the African Americans in the South out of slavery.



Harriet Tubman was seen by freed slaves as a savoir because she was the one who helped create a life for slaves. Even African Americans that were not slaves thought she was incredibly brave for risking her life each time she journeyed to the South. Frederick Douglas said that [he knew] of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than [Harriet Tubman]." In modern society, Harriet Tubman is still looked at as a heroine who constantly demonstrated courage throughout her life. She is considered to be ambitious because she had a goal, to free as many slaves as possible, and she achieved her goal with the help of the underground railroad.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html