Freedom

For slaves living in the South, like Harriet Tubman, freedom was the primary goal in their lives. Slavery presented situations where slaves were mistreated and sold away from their spouses, parents, and children. Finding freedom for oneself and one's family became one of the few ways to prevent this from happening.

The importance of freedom, both in reality and symbolically can be seen through the Biblical references that were used to describe the North. Slaves and others referred to the North and Canada as Canaan, a reference to the Biblical land that the Israelites were promised. In both cases, "Canaan" was a haven, a place of freedom and goodness for former slaves. Tubman became known as "Moses," furthering the perceived connections between the Bible and the situation in antebellum society.

Tubman viewed freedom as an important goal. She risked her life to escape from her masters and then...