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THE MOSES OF HER PEOPLE

SARAH BRADFORD 

Letter from Frederick Douglass. 
ROCHESTER, August 29, 1868

DEAR HARRIET: I am glad to know that the story of your eventful life has been written by  a kind lady, and that the same is soon to be published. You ask for what you do not need when you call upon me for a word of commendation.  I need such words from you far more than you can need them from me, especially where your superior labors and devotion to the cause of the lately enslaved of our land are known as I know them. The difference between us is very marked. Most that I have done and suffered in the service of our cause has been in public, and I have received much encouragement at every step of the way. You, on the other hand, have labored in a private way. I have wrought in the day—you in the night. I have had the applause of the crowd and the satisfaction that comes of being approved by the multitude, while the most that you have done has been witnessed by a few trembling, scarred, and foot-sore bondmen and women, whom you have led out of the house of bondage, and whose heartfelt “God bless you” has been your only reward. The midnight sky and the silent stars have been the witnesses of your devotion to freedom and of your heroism. Excepting John Brown—of sacred memory—I know of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than you have. Much that you have done would seem improbable to, those who do not know you as I know you. It is to me a great pleasure and a great privilege to bear testimony to your character and your works, and to say to those to whom you may come, that I regard you in every way truthful and trustworthy.  

Your friend,

     FREDERICK DOUGLASS.

 Letter from Wendell Phillips.

June 16, 1868. 

DEAR MADAME: The last time I ever saw John Brown was under my roof, as he brought Harriet Tubman  to me saying: “Mr. Phillips, I bring you one of the best and bravest persons on this continent—General Tubman, as we call her.”

     He then went on to recount her labors and sacrifices in behalf of her race. After that, Harriet spent some time in Boston, earning the confidence and admiration of all those who were working for freedom. With their aid she went to the South more than once, returning always with a squad of self-emancipated men, women, and children, for whom her marvelous skill had opened the way of escape. After the war broke out, she was sent with endorsements from Governor Andrew and his friends to South Carolina, where in the service of the Nation she rendered most important and efficient aid to our army.

     In my opinion there are few captains, perhaps few colonels, who have done more for the loyal cause since the war began, and few men who did before that time more for the colored race, than our fearless and most sagacious friend, Harriet.

Faithfully yours, 
WENDELL PHILLIPS. 

Extracts from a Letter written by Mr. Sanborn, Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of State Charities. 

MY DEAR MADAME:  Mr. Phillips has sent me your note, asking for reminiscences of Harriet Tubman, and testimonials to her extraordinary story, which all her New England friends will, I am sure, be glad to furnish.

     I never had reason to doubt the truth of what Harriet said in regard to her own career, for I found her singularly truthful. Her imagination is warm and rich, and there is a whole region of the marvelous in her nature, which has manifested itself at times remarkably. Her dreams and visions, misgivings and forewarnings, ought not to be omitted in any life of her, particularly those relating to John Brown.

     She was in his confidence in 1858-59, and he had a great regard for her, which he often expressed to me. She aided him in his plans, and expected to do so still further, when his career was closed by that wonderful campaign in Virginia. The first time she came to my house, in Concord, after that tragedy, she was shown into a room in the evening, where Brackett’s bust of John Brown was standing. The sight of it, which was new to her, threw her into a sort of ecstasy of sorrow and admiration, and she went on in her rhapsodical way to pronounce his apotheosis.

     She has often been in Concord, where she resided at the houses of Emerson, Alcott, the Whitneys, the Brooks family, Mrs. Horace Mann, and other well-known persons. They all admired and respected her, and nobody doubted the reality of her adventures. She was too real a person to be suspected.  In 1862, I think it was, she went from Boston to Port Royal, under the advice and encouragement of Mr. Garrison, Governor Andrew, Dr. Howe, and other leading people. Her career in South Carolina is well known to some of our officers, and I think to Colonel Higginson, now of Newport, R.I., and Colonel James Montgomery, of Kansas, to both of whom she was useful as a spy and guide, if I mistake not. I regard her as, on the whole, the most extraordinary person of her race I have ever met. She is a negro of pure, or most pure blood, can neither read not write, and has the characteristics of her race and condition. But she has done what can scarcely be credited on the best authority, and she has accomplished her purposes with a coolness, foresight, patience and wisdom, which in a white man would have raised him to the highest pitch of reputation.    

I am, dear Madame, very truly your servant.
F.B. SANBORN             

Letter from Col. James Montgomery. 

ST. HELENA ISLAND, S.C., July 6, 1863.
HEADQUARTERS COLORED BRIGADE.  

BRIG.-GEN. GILMORE, Commanding Department of the South— 

GENERAL: I wish to commend to your attention, Mrs. Harriet Tubman, a most remarkable woman, and invaluable as a scout. I have been acquainted with her character and actions for several years.

     I am, General, your most ob’t servant, JAMES MONTGOMERY, Col. Com. Brigade.
 

Letter from Mrs. Gen. A. Baird
PETERBORO, Nov. 24, 1864. 

    The bearer of this, Harriet Tubman, a most excellent woman, who has rendered faithful

And good services to our Union army, not only in the hospitals, but in various capacities, having been employed under Government at Hilton Head, and in Florida; and I commend her to the protection of all officers in whose department she may happen to be.

     She has been known and esteemed for years by the family of my uncle, Hon. Gerrit Smith, as a person of great rectitude and capabilities. 

MRS. GEN. A. BAIRD.
Letter from Hon. Gerrit Smith.
PETERBORO, N.Y., Nov. 4, 1867. 

     I have known Mrs. Harriet Tubman for many years. Seldom, if ever, have I met with a person more philanthropic, more self-denying, and of more bravery. Nor must I omit to say that she combines with her sublime spirit, remarkable discernment and judgment.

     During the late war, Mrs. Tubman was eminently faithful and useful to the cause of our country. She is poor and has poor parents. Such a servant of the country should be well paid by the country. I hope that the Government will look into her case. 

GERRIT SMITH.    

Testimonial from Gerrit Smith.
PETERBORO, Nov. 22, 1864.      

     The bearer, Harriet Tubman, needs not any recommendation. Nearly all the nation over, she has been heard of for her wisdom, integrity, patriotism, and bravery. The cause of freedom owes her much. The country owes her much.

     I have known Harriet for many years, and I hold her in my high esteem. 

GERRIT SMITH.  

Certificate from Henry K. Durrant, Acting Asst. Surgeon, U.S.A. 

     I certify that I have been acquainted with Harriet Tubman for nearly two years; and my position as Medical Officer in charge of “contrabands” in this town and in hospital, has given me frequent and ample opportunities to observe her general deportment; particularly her kindness and attention to the sick and suffering of her own race. I take much pleasure in testifying to the esteem in which she is generally held. 

HENRY K. DURRANT,
Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S.A.
In charge “Contraband” Hospital.
Dated at Beaufort, S.C., the 3d day of May, 1864.
I concur fully in the above. 
R. SAXTON, Brig.- Gen. Vol.                 

      A Letter from Gen. Saxton to a lady of Auburn.

ATLANTA, Ga., March 21, 1868. 

MY DEAR MADAME: I have just received your letter informing me that Hon. Wm. H. Seward, Secretary of State, would present a petition to Congress for a pension to Harriet Tubman, for services rendered in the Union Army during the late war. I can bear witness to the value of her services in South Carolina and Florida. She was employed in the hospitals and as a spy. She made many a raid inside the enemy’s lines, displaying remarkable courage, zeal, and fidelity. She was employed by General Hunter, and I think by Generals Stevens and Sherman, and is as deserving of a pension from the Government for her services as any other of its faithful servants.

I am very truly yours,
RUFUS SAXON, Bvt. Brig.-Gen., U.S.A. 

     Rev. Samuel I. May, in his recollections of the anti-slavery conflict, after mentioning the case of an old slave mother, whom he vainly endeavored to assist her son in buying from her master, says:

     “I did not until four years after know that remarkable woman Harriet, or I might have engaged her services, in the assurance that she would have bought off the old woman without paying for her inalienable right—her liberty.”

     Mr. May in another place says of Harriet, that she deserves to be placed first on the list of American heroines, and then proceeds to give a short account of her labors, varying very little from that given in this book.   

To be continued… 

The Rescue of Charles Nalle –  Troy Whig, April 28, 1859.

 HARRIET TUBMAN 

This republication of Sarah H. Bradford’s memorable biography of Harriet Tubman is an exact, unaltered and unabridged, reprint of the expanded second edition of 1886. The first edition appeared in 1869. Both were privately printed by Mrs. Bradford for the purpose of raising funds to aid “the Moses of her people.”

Harriet Tubman Day set: Public invited to celebration Saturday
 

CAMBRIDGE - The Harriet Tubman Organization invites the community to attend the Harriet Tubman Day Annual Celebration on Saturday, at the Elks Lodge, 618 Pine St., from 6 to 10 p.m. The annual banquet and program is sponsored by the Harriet Tubman Organization with Donald Pinder, president, and Evelyn Townsend, vice president.

For historical accuracy, the first Harriet Tubman Day Celebration began in the late 1960s and was arranged by Addie Clash Travers. The day was with a weekend of historical and cultural activities in the city of Cambridge, ending in church services at the historical Bazzel AME Church at Bucktown.

The Harriet Tubman Historical Society, voice/advocate for the preservation and recognition of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad reached Dorchester County during the early 1980s in search of Harriet Tubman's trail and to reconnect the Maryland & Delaware Underground Railroad. Vivian Abdur-Rahim visited the Dorchester County Public Library and spoke with librarian Gloria Henry.

Ms. Henry led her directly to Addie Clash Travers, Linda Wheatley and members of the Harriet Tubman Association (now the Harriet Tubman Organization). Together, both organizations established a friendship and network that continues today with Evelyn Townsend and officials of the Harriet Tubman Organization.

The Harriet Tubman Historical Society and the Harriet Tubman Association of Dorchester County, joined to sponsor the first National Harriet Tubman Day Celebration. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del., the late Sen. Bill Roth and Rep. Thomas Carper, D-Del., sponsored Harriet Tubman Day legislation in the United States Congress .

Harriet Tubman Day was proclaimed by President Bush, Congress, more than 20 governors, elected officials, cities, and St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

On March 9, 1990, the Harriet Tubman Historical Society sponsored the Harriet Tubman Day cultural program in Wilmington; March 10, 1990, the first Harriet Tubman Freedom Tour, departed from Wilmington, stopping at Underground Railroad sites in Delaware, crossing the Choptank River, en route to the celebration banquet in Cambridge.

Since the Harriet Tubman Day celebration in the late 1960s and the first National Harriet Tubman Day, March 10, 1990, several major events of interest have been reported:

l $50,000 was awarded to Evelyn Townsend to support the Harriet Tubman Organization "to pay the mortgage on the group's Race Street Headquarters and to conduct major repairs," Mrs. Townsend said as she received the check from Del, Rudy Cane;

l Harriet Tubman Millennium Pilgrimage sponsored by Addie Richburg & the International Network to Freedom, Washington, D.C. May 2000;

l Dedication of the Harriet Tubman Memorial Garden, May 22, 2000, Cambridge;

l Harriet Tubman Highway, a stretch of U.S. 50 was dedicated to Tubman;

l The Harriet Tubman Special Resource Study legislation sponsored by New York Sen. Charles Schumer and Maryland Sen. Paul Sarbanes;

l The Web site is www.HarrietTubmanStudy.org

Gov. George Pataki in 2003 proclaimed March 10 a holiday in the state of New York, initiated by the Black Women Leadership Caucus.

During the 2000 session of the Maryland General Assembly, the African American Tourism Council of Maryland and the Harriet Tubman Organization of Cambridge were successful in getting Senate Joint Resolution 12 passed to designate March 10 every year as Harriet Tubman Day in Maryland. Louis Fields played an important role in establishing the day.

The Harriet Tubman Historical Society wrote letters to the Congressional Black Caucus May 1999, requesting their support for the Harriet Tubman National Holiday. Theme: The Millennium Project for Peace and Reconciliation.

The community is invited to join the Harriet Tubman Organization Saturday and meet descendants and friends at the Harriet Tubman Annual Celebration.

For tickets contact The Harriet Tubman Organization, 424 Race St. or Donald Pinder at (410) 228-0401. Tickets for adults are $20 and include the Harriet Tubman dinner and cultural program; half-price for children under 12.

Tubman banquet an inspiration

By Renee Gilliard, Daily Banner

CAMBRIDGE — Saturday’s annual Harriet Tubman Day Banquet gave many guests the opportunity to reflect on the significant contribution made by one of the “conductors” of the Underground Railroad.

The annual event at the Elks Lodge No. 223 celebrates the life of Harriet Tubman on the anniversary of her death in 1913.

Emcee Royce Sampson led those in attendance on a journey through Ms. Tubman’s contributions to the African American community and society as a whole through a variety of speeches and musical performances.

“We are so grateful that there were people like Harriet Tubman…and it makes no difference what color our skin may be, we are all children of God,” Mr. Sampson shared as he set the spiritual tone for the evening.

The evening began with a selection from the Warriors of Worship choral group and the Waugh Chapel Gospel choir, who got the crowd of nearly 100 clapping in unison to a variety of Christian music.

The Moves of Praise dance company then presented a series of dances, with a range of performers from toddlers to teenagers. Their interpretive movements were inspired by faith and slavery and brought many in attendance to tears.

Evelyn Townsend, a retired teacher, welcomed guests to the event and reinforced a tone of faith saying,

“[Harriet Tubman] had faith in God and took her life in her own hands, not letting anything come between her and her faith in God.”

Guests had the opportunity to dine while listening to the words of the Rev. Lena Dennis, keynote speaker. The reverend is a Dorchester native and pastor of Eastern United Methodist Church in Baltimore.

Her passion for Christianity took her to West Africa where she conducted Bible studies with young adults and taught students about marriage, sex education, and HIV and AIDS.

Vivica Grissom, a theologian from Philadelphia was also in attendance. The event brought her to Cambridge as a descendant of Harriet Tubman.

SENATE
STATE OF MISSOURI 

     Whereas, the members of the Missouri Senate always welcome the opportunity to acknowledge milestone events in the histories of Show-Me State communities and neighborhoods that are dedicated to improving the future by remembering the past; and 

     Whereas, on March 10, 2007, Harriet Tubman Day will be observed in Kansas City, Missouri, as a part of the Women’s History Month celebration at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Museum; and 

     Whereas, Harriet Ross Tubman is closely associated with the struggle for civil rights and with the Underground Railroad that helped many African Americans win their personal freedom by assisting them on their arduous journey out of slave states during the Civil War; and 

     Whereas, the inaugural Harriet Tubman Day in Kansas City is taking place in large measure because of the steadfast vision and activities of Shirley Johnson; and 

     Whereas, in addition to serving as a memorial to Harriet Tubman, Harriet Tubman Day will entail awards, certificates, ribbons, and the giving of a special Freedom Award to an outstanding and worthy citizen; and 

     Whereas, Harriet Tubman Day also will involve more than one hundred schools, some of whose students will perform selections depicting historical tributes honoring women in history; and 

     Whereas, Harriet Tubman day began in Cambridge, Maryland, in the late 1960s due to the leadership efforts of Addie Clash Travers, who organized Father’s Day weekend historical and cultural activities that concluded in services at the historic Bazzel AME Church in nearby Bucktown, Maryland; and 

     Whereas, Harriet Tubman Day became a national celebration in 1990 when the Harriet Tubman Historical Society joined with the Harriet Tubman Association of Dorchester County, Maryland, the United States Congress, more than twenty state governors, and many city officials to dedicate March 10^th in her honor: 

     Now Therefore, Be It Resolved that we, the members of the Missouri Senate, Ninety-fourth General Assembly, join to applaud the work, goals, and accomplishments associated with the life of Harriet Tubman and to convey to all of those involved this legislative body’s most hearfelt best wishes for a highly successful Harriet Tubman Day in Kansas City; and 

     Be It Further Resolved that the Secretary of the Senate be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for presentation at the Harriet Tubman Day program in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Offered by Senator Coleman

Maida J. Coleman

State of Missouri:  
City of Jefferson: 

I, Michael R. Gibbons, President Pro Tem of the Senate, do hereby certify the above and foregoing to be a full, true and completed copy of Senate Resolution No. 518 offered into and adopted on March 6, 2007, as fully as the same appears of record. 

In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the Senate of the State of Missouri this 6th day of March, A.D. 2007.

Michael R. Gibbons
President Pro Tem
94^th General Assembly