Talk:Harriet Tubman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Featured article star Harriet Tubman is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do.
This article is within the scope of the following WikiProjects:
This article has an assessment summary page.
Archive
Archives
March 2007


Contents

[edit] Nelson Davis

Unless someone can find something notable he did besides marrying Harriet after the war, I think his brief stub article should be nerged into this one. Caerwine Caer’s whines 19:01, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

I believe Nelson should only have a link, but placed in Harriet Tubman's article.Vinaq 16:30, 1 March 2007 (UTC)Vinaq

Does anyone know when Nelson Davis died. It would be VERY useful in my report! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.102.251.10 (talk) 01:55, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Errors

My research indicates that Harriet Tubman returned to the South 19 times and helped free more than 300 slaves, not the 13 trips and 70 slaves your article indicates.

Kate 14:10, 13 May 2007 (UTC) The research clearly indicates that Harriet Tubman did not rescue 300 people in 19 trips. Sarah Bradford made those numbers up. Harriet Tubman herself remembered bringing away 50 to 60 in 9 trips - she told people this over and over again in 1858 and 1859. She made one more trip in 1860, bringing away another 7. We can document 13 trips and 70 people, plus about 70 more she gave instructions to who found their way to freedom on their own. We can name and date most of them. Tubman returned to Maryland to rescue family and friends - the people loved the most. If you have done the research, please let us know when she made these 19 trips and the names of the 300. Thank you.

I am with u kate, my teacher told us 300, but i researched myself and found out it was only 70.Alyaly94 22:28, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

Historians now believe that contrary to what people used to believe, Harriet Tubman escorted only about 70 people out of slavery. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.161.211.18 (talk) 12:58, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Her owner, Eliza Brodess, posted a 40,000 reward for her return

40,000 what? Dollars? That seems like an awful lot of money for a single mother who is selling possessions to repay debts.

Of course not dollars! This was in the 1800's. I'm sure they had a different system for money...don't you? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.102.251.10 (talk) 01:51, 6 March 2008 (UTC) -

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html says "By 1856, Tubman's capture would have brought a $40,000 reward from the South. On one occasion, she overheard some men reading her wanted poster, which stated that she was illiterate." This implies that perhaps it was somebody else who posted the reward... Bjartmarr 00:24, 8 October 2007 (UTC)


Yes My research indicates at least 200 if not almost 300 slaves saved - it's in every published history book I have read.

[edit] The Underground Railroad and the Civil War

The heading "Early Life" seems inadequate to describe these crucial periods in Tubman's life, so I suggest the above new heading.

I also propose adding the following text on Tubman's role in John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, a subject at present omitted from the article.

"According to the Harriet Tubman Organization in Cambridge, Maryland, Harriet Tubman committed herself to participate in John Brown’s raid of 1859 on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. Brown’s purpose was to arm the slaves and launch a slave rebellion. According to the Harriet Tubman Organization, her illness alone prevented her from participating in the raid."

"Since many of Brown’s followers were killed at the arsenal, and Brown was later tried and executed, it seems likely that had Tubman participated, she also would have died at the scene, or would have been tried and executed. Her decision to participate is more evidence of her intense devotion to the cause of abolition, but was it wise? Could a slave revolt in North American ever have succeeded? The failure of all the slave rebellions in North America, the most famous being the Nat Turner Rebellion, suggests that success was unlikely. Finally, the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) did succeed, but slaves in Haiti formed a large majority, and force able to stop the revolution was far away. Neither of these conditions was present in North America."

Chateau-Gaillard 16:18, 1 August 2007 (UTC)


There are many errors and unsubstantiated statements concerning her CW period. "before long she was leading a band of scouts through the land around Port Royal." There are no primary sources that she ever went into the countryside.

Bradford, Clinton and Larson all report that she led these scouting expeditions. Larson sometimes visits this page; perhaps she can discuss the issue. – Scartol • Tok 17:19, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

"provided him with key intelligence which aided the capture of Jacksonville, Florida" again we have no primary sources to back this up. Hearsay is not fact.

While I don't have primary sources to back it up, I do believe – again – that Larson confirmed this item in Clinton's book. (They both came out simultaneously.) – Scartol • Tok 17:19, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

"...guided three steamboats around Confederate mines in the waters leading to the shore." While 3 ships did start out on the trip only two advanced as one ran aground. Tubman had no first hand knowledge of the torpedoes or waters. Some of the pilots that she was associated with did have the navigational skills of the river. The phrase ..."leading to shore" is misleading as the torpedoes were in the river, not an open body of water as is inferred.

I'll defer to others on this point; perhaps Larson can weigh in. – Scartol • Tok 17:19, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

"...understood that it was being liberated" Should be "they" were being liberated.

Except that the sentence reads: "slaves throughout the area understood that it was being liberated". Thus "it" refers to "the area". – Scartol • Tok 17:19, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Then you need to define the area. What area are we talking about, what were the loose boundaries? The entire area was not being liberated nor were all the slaves that wanted to go liberated, many were left behind.Jeff G (talk) 14:24, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

"....steamboats packed full of slaves took off toward the north." Actually the gunboats went to the southeast and east back to Beaufort, not to the north. Jeff G (talk) 14:47, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Changed to "toward Beaufort". – Scartol • Tok 17:19, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Hairdresser

I have never heard of Harriet Tubman being a hairdresser, and even if she ever was, I wouldn't categorize her as an abolitionist and hairdresser any more than I'd call her an abolitionist and nurse or abolitionist and childcare giver. I suspect vandalism, and accordingly I am removing the text "and hairdresser" from the headline. Starsword333 04:10, 3 October 2007

Good catch - I looked at that but did not have the knowledge of her biography to be confident in reverting. docboat 04:50, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] John's story?

Added today an episode about her purported return to help her husband - I have asked for a citation, but suspect this is erroneous information (vandalism??) - is there anyone who can verify the facts? docboat 06:53, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

Sorry about that. I added the citation you wanted. Lmessenger 03:46, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] A section for what she did after her escape?

I think it would be helpful if we add a section about what she did after her escape. (e.g. Philidelphia)

Lmessenger (talk · contribs)

[edit] Major revision

I have begun work on a major revision of this article, using books by Larson, Clinton, and Humez as the major resources. They indicate that some of the details of Tubman's life (for example, the $40,000 bounty) are mythical. Hopefully I'll be able to get to the truth behind many of these well-told stories. Other folks are obviously welcome to work on the article as well, but are asked to discuss major structural changes before making them. – Scartol · Talk 22:17, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

Also, I'll rewrite the lead once I've filled in all the relevant info from the article. Please leave it as is until then. – Scartol · Talk 00:02, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
The revision is done. Edit as you will. (Thanks to everyone who helped with peer reviews and whatnot.) – Scartol · Talk 03:28, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
Real nice work on an article that needed it.--Idols of Mud (talk) 19:37, 19 November 2007 (UTC)