United States History Student Edition

BIOGRAPHY HARRIET TUBMAN (c. 1820–1913)

Two months after the uprising began, authorities captured and hanged Turner. Still, his rebellion terrified white Southerners. White mobs killed dozens of African Americans, many of whom had nothing to do with the rebellion. Whites also passed more severe slave codes, making life under slavery even harsher. Armed revolts such as Turner’s were rare because enslaved African Americans realized they had Enslaved people also resisted by running away from their owners. Often their goal was to find relatives on other plantations. Sometimes, they left to escape punishment. Less often, enslaved African Americans tried to run away to freedom in the North. Getting to the North was very difficult. Among those who succeeded were Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, two African American leaders. Most who succeeded escaped from the states in the Upper South. A runaway might receive aid from the Underground Railroad , a network of “safe houses” owned by people opposed to slavery. The big danger, of course, was capture. Most runaways were caught and returned to their owners. The owners punished them severely, usually by whipping. 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING 1. Identifying Cause and Effect How did African American spirituals develop? 2. Explaining What are some ways that enslaved African Americans rebelled against the system of slavery? Southern Cities GUIDING QUESTION What changes did urbanization introduce in the South by the mid-1800s? Although it was mostly agricultural, the South had several large cities by the mid-1800s, including Baltimore and New Orleans. The 10 largest cities in the South were either seaports or river ports. Cities located where the region’s few railroads crossed paths also began to grow. little chance of winning. Escaping Slavery

Harriet Tubman was born in Maryland into slavery. She began

working as a young child and over time performed different jobs, including maid, field-worker, and cook. Hearing rumors that she

was about to be sold, Tubman escaped the plantation where she lived in 1849. Fleeing on foot, she traveled alone into unfamiliar territory. She reached the state of Pennsylvania and moved to Philadelphia, where she found work. However, it was not enough for Tubman that she had gained freedom for herself. So the following year, she returned to Maryland to free her family. This began her work as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. Tubman made 19 trips to the slaveholding South and helped many enslaved people escape to freedom. She once said that in all of her trips to the South and back she “never lost a single passenger.” Harriet Tubman later became an activist against slavery, served during the Civil War, and fought for women’s rights. Explaining Why did Tubman decide to become a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad? These included Chattanooga, Montgomery, and Atlanta. Free African Americans formed their own communities in Southern cities. They practiced trades and founded churches and institutions, yet their rights were limited. Most states did not allow them to move from one state to another. Free African Americans did not share equally in the South’s economic and political life with white citizens.

Underground Railroad a system of cooperation to aid and house enslaved people who had escaped

Library of Congress and the National Museum of African American History & Culture [LC-DIG-ppmsca-54230]

Life in the North and the South 385