Chapter 3, Crossing Over to Freedom Summary

Often, when fugitives arrived in the North, they would take on new identities and names. Araminta chose to use her mother's name, Harriet, but kept her last name, Tubman. This perhaps shows her devotion to her husband.

Fugitives were most often men, yet Harriet was a girl in her twenties. In her later years, she would share stories about her escape with Sarah Bradford, a reformer who wrote an authorized biography of Tubman in 1869. Bradford's account suggests that Tubman wanted to run away for several years before she actually did. The reasons for delaying were her limited resources and lack of a guide to help her out. She also didn't want to leave her husband. In the end, her fears about being sold into the Deep South propelled her forward.

Tubman left the Brodess plantation...