An individual who has the capability to aid others in their time of need, and give them strength to go on through life’s difficulties. To have a moral obligation to seek those who are struggling, and change their lives for the better. Such a person would be identified as a hero in today’s society. Heros are not born, they are created through actions of selflessness, courageous, and intelligent. Without these traits one can not simply identify an individual as a hero, one hero in particular who demonstrates all these traits is Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman was an abolished and political activist, born into slavery in Maryland.Harriet Tubman successfully escaped to freedom to the North in 1849 becoming the most famous conductor on the underground railroads. Tubman would constantly risk her own safety to help hundreds of slaves and her own family to escape from the plantation system through an elaborate system of underground railroads. Harriet Tubman demonstrated true selflessness, courageous, and intelligent throughout her actions, and with these essential traits one can truly embody the title of a hero.
One who is willing to put themselves before others, is driven by deep values of motivations and concerns to make a positive and practical difference to the lives of other individuals. Such a trait would be categorized as selflessness, a essential characteristic that one
must embody if one is in favor in becoming a hero. Tubman was selfless due to the fact she was concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with her own. After she escaped from slavery, she returned to help other african american slaves escape. Tubman willingly put everyone ahead of herself, making sure that they were safe. She was in desperate need of money and help with how she lived, but yet she spent her time helping others. ‘She saved her money in the hope of returning to Maryland to deliver her family to freedom… Tubman made a total of nineteen trips into slave territory over the next ten years. She guided more than three hundred slaves to freedom’ (Lauren Tarshis 6). Harriet Tubman constantly would save up her own money that she worked for and didn’t spend it all on things that she needed for herself. Furthermore, she rather spend her hard earned money going back and forth from the north and south to help slaves escape. With her hard earned money she was able to free many african american slaves and her family. Harriet Tubman was selfless because her main focus in life was to help slaves in the south escape to the north. She did everything in her power to help lead many african american slaves to freedom. Tubman always had the moral obligation to aid others in their time of need especially in an era of slavery. With this in regard one can absolutely say that Harriet Tubman embodies true selflessness a trait that is essential to being a hero.
It takes courage to live a human life. We all have varying degrees of courage. For some, it is buried deep in hearts and psyches; for others, it is a bright light that guides every step. But, for all of us, finding courage can be a choice we make every day. Harriet Tubman was brave because of what she had to risk to escape from slavery. Tubman always cared about others and put them before herself. Like risking her life to help someone else. ‘Later that year [1860], Harriet made one final trip to the South. She could no longer be a conductor on the Underground Railroad. The slave owners wanted her dead’ (McDonough, Yona Zeldis., and Nancy Harrison.). Tubman would have kept going south to rescue more slaves, but her abolitionist partners convinced her to stop. She decided to stop because of her safety and freedom. Because Tubman could have and would have kept rescuing slaves until she died, she risked her life every time. ‘Each time she made the dangerous journey, she risked being captured and returned to her owner, or even killed. As word of her daring rescues spread, white Southerners offered a large reward for her capture’ (‘Harriet Tubman.’). Tubman’s bravery led to her risking her life and freedom to rescue slaves down in the South. She was well known around the south, yet she still went to rescue slaves and did everything she could to avoid being caught and executed. Tubman was brave because she decided to risk her life to protect others and helped slaves escape.
Being able to think on on one’s feet Harriet Tubman concocted perfectly orchestrated escape plans. She would mimic bird sounds or sing songs at varying tempos to let slaves know if it was safe to escape out of their cabins at night. She eventually learned that Saturday night was prime time to lead escapes because print shops were not open on Sundays. That meant that even though slave owners knew the slaves had escaped, they couldn’t get the word out until Monday when the reward posters could be printed and distributed. Harriet was a brilliant leader who was the perfect combination of firmness and love. Though uneducated, her dedication to freeing her friends and family forced her to acquire a specific and valuable set of skills. Ultimately those skills, combined with her leadership qualities, brought about the freedom of roughly 70 slaves via the Underground Railroad(Sass 8). In addition to saving slaves, when the Civil War broke out, Harriet jumped right in as a spy for the Union army. One of her greatest achievements in the war was aiding in the rescue of 700 slaves from South Carolina. Harriet dedicated her life to helping people, and fought to save others until the day she died.
Harriet Tubman was a hero because she was selfless, courageous, and intelligent. First, she was selfless because she put others ahead of herself and volunteered to help hundreds of slaves escape from slavery. Secondly, she was also courageous because she did everything she could to help her family and slaves find freedom. Third, she was intelligent because her ability to constructed well throughout plans in order to help the slaves escape. She risked her life and freedom in order to lead others to freedom. With this in mind, one who is able to embody all three of these traits can truly identify as a hero in today’s society.
