Harriet Tubman
Several years after returning from a visit to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, my mind remains fixated on the grace, strength, and courage embodied in this great American heroine. Before this journey, I only partially understood her full story, but now I recognize how much more there is to appreciate.
The Byway winds 125 miles through Maryland’s Eastern Shore before crossing into Delaware at Sandtown, where it continues for another 98 miles, linking through Dover to Wilmington. Accompanied by my wife, Regina, we began our journey at the Dorchester County Visitor Center in Cambridge, Maryland, overlooking the eerily serene Choptank River. This was the first of forty-five stops on the historic tour, each offering interpretive markers, museums, exhibits, and preserved landmarks that breathe life into the past.
Over two days, we visited roughly half the sites. At the Harriet Tubman State Park and Visitors Center, we learned that the surrounding fields, forests, marshes, and waterways remain virtually unchanged from the time of Tubman’s enslavement. Her intimate knowledge of this rugged terrain was instrumental in her success, guiding more than seventy enslaved people to freedom. The weight of history pressed upon us as we reflected on the brutal legacy of slavery juxtaposed against the striking beauty of the Eastern Shore landscape.
The liberator known as Moses was the figure I remembered from childhood lessons. Yet, as we traveled along the muted roads that once shaped her world, I saw Tubman as a figure of almost biblical proportions—her life a testament to unwavering resolve and sacrifice. “Liberty or Death” was her creed; in many ways, she represents the most complete embodiment of the American ideal, a relentless pursuit of freedom against impossible odds.
Most people know the textbook story of Araminta Ross, later Harriet Tubman - born enslaved in 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland, escaping in 1849, then risking her life multiple times to lead others to freedom. Her daring exploits are legendary—first as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, then as the first woman to lead an armed assault during the Civil War, and later as a suffragist, civil rights worker, and humanitarian. But just as the tributaries of the Eastern Shore feed into the vast Chesapeake Bay, Tubman’s life unfolds in layers, each connected to a larger struggle. Her story is one of escape, resistance, resilience, and leadership.
Standing at Parson’s Creek, formerly Joseph Stewart’s Canal, we were alone except for the buzz of insects, hovering like silent sentinels over a place where history still lingers. From 1810 to 1832, enslaved laborers dug this seven-mile canal through the great marsh, enduring brutal weather, biting insects, and unspeakable horrors. Here, I envisioned a young Tubman, just five feet tall yet known for her extraordinary strength, hauling timber along the canal. I imagined her listening to African American watermen who navigated these waterways, sharing news and stories that would fuel her insatiable thirst for freedom.
At that moment, I no longer saw just the Harriet Tubman of legend—I saw Araminta “Minty” Ross, fully realized as the fearless leader who would defy an entire system of oppression. She was a liberator, strategist, warrior, and woman whose legacy continues to shape the fight for justice today.