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
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
posted by Perri Chernick at
1:32 PM
3 Comments:
Hey Perri, good job on the blog. You presented Harriet Tubman as an ambitious and brave person, who was willing to sacrifice herself to save others from slavery. She is very different to Lady Macbeth, because LM's goal (to make Macbeth king) was centered around herself and her husband, whereas Harriet's goal was to help other people. It is obvious that Harriet, through her work, helped many women and men to achieve their freedom. We should look to Harriet as a bold and selfless person who put the lives of others before her own. :)
By
Alex Highet, at 5:55 PM
Perri,
Wonderful job on your blog! I agree that Harriet Tubman was a brave person. As Alex said, she is the opposite of Lady Macbeth. She is brave and willing to make a sacrifice even though she does not gain anything from what she did.
By
JP Staropoli, at 4:48 PM
I agree that Harriet Tubman was definitely an ambitious woman. Something had to drive her to help free all those slaves. Merely a want would not have persuaded most people to risk their lives and freedom over and over again to help others. However, she is also has a very different sort of ambition from Lady Macbeth as hers was a selfless ambition.
Further, there were men in her life, though it is uncertain whether they affected Ms. Tubman positively or negatively. The fact that her husband found another wife would have had a negative impact on her, but she still helped him to escape.
In all, I think you covered everything that needed to be covered. Good post, Perri!
By
Faye, at 5:22 PM
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