Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross, nicknamed “Minty”, to her parents Ben and Harriet Ross around the year 1822. Growing up, she had 4 brothers and 4 sisters, with some of her siblings being sold to different masters over the years. As early as 5 years old, she was hired as the caretaker of an infant, being instructed not to let the child cry at night or face whippings from her mistress, Miss Susan. The scars she received would remain for the rest of her life.

 

For several years, she was also given the job of taking captured muskrats from their traps, causing her to go through water that reached her waist day in and out. She was also hired as a maid during her early years until she reached the age of 12 when another slave owner mistakenly hit Tubman's head with an iron. This event caused her to develop narcolepsy, and it became difficult to hire Minty out due to her illness. Instead, she remained working with lumber and in the fields with her father and brothers.

 

Later on, she married a free man named John Tubman and changed her name after her mother Harriet. She first attempted to run away with two of her brothers in 1847, only to turn back when her brothers became too scared. A few years later, however, she ran away on her own after finding out she was going to be sold and taken away from her family. Using the Underground Railroad, she managed to travel over a hundred miles from Dorchester County, Maryland to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to find freedom.