Harriet Tubman's Legacy to the Military and Country

Harriet Tubman’s Legacy to the Military and Country
Name:
Instructor:
Institution:
Date:
Introduction
Mostly, when people think about African American history, they tend to avoid going past the civil rights struggle. Even if they do, it will just be a few individuals. The most interesting thing, however, is that some of the individuals who lived during this time are the ones who built the foundations for the Civil Rights Movement and its leaders. Among the most famous women of the time was Harriet Tubman. Born as Armanita Greene in around 1820 in Dorchester, Maryland, Harriet Tubman got her name after she took up her mother’s name Harriet, and later on Tubman, after getting married to John Tubman in 1844.This was a time when slavery was real. Harriet was a history maker. Her struggles against slavery made her very smart and influential individual. She served as a spy, a nurse, a laundress and a feminist, roles which helped her play very key parts in the military, and the country as a whole.
Discussion
Harriet Tubman helped her country by agitating for equality for everyone. Being born into slavery, she knew very well the challenges faced by slaves. She especially was an activist for the women and blacks. Harriet understood very well that every citizen had rights. She fled away from her master after his death, fearing that she might end up being sold to an even crueler master. She headed north, where she experienced freedom. She then came back to pick up her family and also sneaked them through and into the North (Lewis,2001).This was just the beginning of what would culminate in the ‘Underground Railroad’ fame, where she was the leader of the African exodus from the chains of slavery in the south, to the freedom of the North in Canada. This was just before the onset of the American Civil War.
She left a legacy as far as civil rights activism goes. The Dorchester area and areas surrounding Cambridge were deeply scarred and divided regions. However, in Cambridge, the civil rights legacy left by Harriet is proving to be the single most important tool in its revitalization. By learning from one of its products, the region has embraced reconciliation and unity as the best way to honor Harriet Tubman (Lewis, 2001).As it can be seen, Harriet Tubman's legacy went as far as being a source of unity for the people.
According to Lewis (2001), Harriet made a total of nineteen trips from the North to the South, to free both blacks and whites. This was one of the highlights that made Harriet stand out as indeed an impartial leader. At a time when prejudice was widespread and blacks were restricted, she showed great courage and impartiality not only to make such many trips to and fro but also taking with her anyone, including whites. The railroad wasn’t actually that, it was just a path stretching for about 130 miles, was the route to salvation that they desperately wanted (Kudlinski, n.d.). Harriet epitomized the typical American ideals that are being advocated for, even today. These are the appreciation and embracing of everyone, without placing basis on race or background. She was the pioneer of national healing and reconciliation. Sh...