Harriet Tabmen is an African-American abolitionist. Biography of Harriet Tabmen

African American Harriet Tubman opposed the slave system in the US and was committed to social reforms in the mid-nineteenth - 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 their rights. Because of the talk that soon her face appears on an American banknote with a face value of twenty dollars, she was talked about in the world. Who was Harriet?

early years

Araminta Ross was born, known to all as Harriet Tubman, presumably in 1820 in the family of a slave from the county of Dorchester (USA). At the age of thirteen, she was in a situation where she could die. She was in the store when her slave supervisor requested her help. She had to take part in the beating of a runaway slave. The girl refused to comply with the demand and blocked the white man's way. For this he threw a two-pound weight in her direction, hitting Harriet in the head. The girl miraculously survived, but the process of recovery continued for many months. Trauma troubled 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 his desire to escape to the north. But the man did not support her, threatening to give the owners for trying to escape. Then Harriet decided to act independently, in secret from her husband. Having escaped to Maryland, she joined the abolitionists. What is the essence of this movement?

The concept of abolitionism

Translated from Latin, the word means "cancellation." This movement, which fought for the abolition of slavery. By the birth of Harriet Tubman was forbidden to import into the United States and the British colony of African slaves. 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 develop, he survived the death of his first wife and several of his children from the first and second marriage, he overcame debts, once even sat for it in prison. But John could not think of anything other than a struggle for the liberation of slaves. Over time, his activities were joined by his sons. His methods of struggle were aggressive. As a result of the events in Harpers Ferry, he was presented to the court and sentenced to death through hanging.

A young woman became part of the movement for the liberation of slaves in the United States. She maintained a relationship with John Brown.

Participation in the abolitionist movement

Harriet Tubman became part of the movement from 1849, immediately after the escape. She saved the slaves, forwarding the runaway inhabitants of the southern states to the north, and also to Canada. To this end, a special organization was created under the name "Underground Railway".

On the account of Harriet Tubman, hundreds of freed slaves and thousands of those who fled on their own, inspired by its example.

She herself claimed (from the words of her biographer Sarre 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 (an African-American abolitionist) did not stay aside during the events of 1861-1865. Civil war became the most bloody in US history. The country was divided into two opposing camps. One of them was the North, consisting of non-slave states, whose basis of economy was industrial production. The second was the South, which included the slave states of the southern and northern United States, the basis of the economy was the agrarian economy, which was supported by slaves.

She fought in the army of the North as a nurse and scout. The detachment with her participation in 1863 was able to release about 750 slaves. One of the outcomes of the war was the prohibition of slavery throughout the United States. However, the issue of granting equal rights to the black population remained unresolved.

At the end of the war, the woman continued the movement to improve the life of the Negroes, as well as for the rights of women. Harriet died on 10.03.1913 in Obernai (New York).

A film about the life of an African-American abolitionist

Biography Harriet Tubmen will soon become the basis for a feature film, which so far has the working title "Harriet." The screenwriter was Gregory Allen Howard, who already raised the topic of racial discrimination in his other creation - "Remembering the Titans."

Despite the fact that the script is already ready, filming will begin in 2017. It is assumed that the director will be Seth Mann. He is known for his works, for example, serials "Prospect" and "Walking Dead".

Image on a dollar bill

If you know the biography of a well-known abolitionist in the United States, it's not surprising that an image of Harriet Tubman can be presented on a new twenty-dollar bill. The dollar will receive a new face, presumably in 2020, by the centenary of the election of women with voting rights.

Interestingly, on a denomination of twenty dollars already depicted women. In 1863 it was Lady Liberty with a shield and sword in her hands, in 1865 - Pocahontas, who is known as an Indian princess.

It is worth recalling that from 1928 to the present day, the banknote depicted the seventh president - Andrew Jackson. At one time, he earned a huge fortune by engaging in the slave trade.

According to some reports, Tabmen and Jackson will share a banknote for two. This neighborhood will look very provocative, given the views of both on slavery.