Of all the abolitionists during the 1800’s, Harriet Tubman could be considered to be one of the most successful. There are many reasons for this. Not only was she efficient and clever, she was also a former slave herself. This could have been one of the reasons why she was so determined to free slaves. Although Harriet Tubman had many achievements, her greatest achievement was helping blacks get to freedom. This is because she risked her life for their freedom, she was determined to help, and she was always taking care of people.
Harriet Tubman risked her life for others. An example of this can be seen in Document A. It shows that Harriet Tubman felt it necessary to escort slaves all the way to Canada, not just New York. The reason for this could have been because of the Fugitive Slave Act, or she may have felt that the freed slaves would not have as many rights in the North than in Canada. In ten years, Harriet Tubman had freed thirty-eight slaves by herself without getting caught (Doc B). Lastly, Harriet Tubman operated behind the lines during the Civil War. She then provided intelligence for a Union raid to free slaves (Doc. C). This shows that even with such a big risk, Harriet Tubman was determined to help.
It is amazing to see how much work Harriet Tubman put into freeing slaves. Most of her trips were in December when nights were long. She met fugitives at prearranged places and recued on Saturday nights. By rescuing slaves on Saturday nights, slave owners would not realize they were gone until Monday, since most slaves had Sunday off (Doc B). Harriet Tubman was also selected to go on the Combahee River Raid. During the raid, she freed eight hundred slaves in one night (Doc C). And even after her contribution, Harriet Tubman did not get paid, which shows how hard she tried to help take care of people (Doc C).
After the Combahee River Raid, Harriet Tubman served as a nurse for the wounded survivors of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers (Doc D). After the dangerous raid, she was still determined to care for and help people. On top of that, Harriet Tubman still did not make any money, but she continued with her work anyway (Doc D). After her work as a nurse, Harriet Tubman continued to help people. During the forty-eight years between the end of the Civil War and her death in 1913, Harriet Tubman spent most of her time treating the needy. This included the aged, the deserted baby, the epileptic, the blind, and the paralyzed (Doc E). She freed blacks from enslavement, pain, and their troubles.
Whether she was helping slaves, soldiers, or the disadvantaged, Harriet Tubman seemed to have the need to bring people out of their troubles. She clearly accomplished this by freeing slaves, helping the wounded, and taking care of the disadvantaged. Based on these facts, Harriet Tubman’s greatest achievement can easily be recognized as helping blacks get to freedom.