The 1800s were a bad time for the United States. A new country and we already had very divergent opinions on one subject: slavery. People were in one extreme or the other, leading to heated debates and struggles over laws and regulations. A revolutionary of her time and a runaway slave, Harriet Tubman was single-handedly the most effective “conductor” of the Underground Railroad that ever existed. Without it, many slaves would never have been freed from the institution of slavery. Rebellious and eager to achieve her freedom from a very young age, she never let anyone keep her in her “place”. The eleventh child in a family and illiterate all her life, she managed to free more than 300 slaves in around ten years. Born on the Edward Brodas Plantation in the Dorchester area to Benjamin Ross and Harriet Green around 1820, Harriet Tubman was one of the most advanced forces with the Underground Railroad. Originally named Araminta 'Minty' Ross, she changed her last name upon her marriage and her first in honor of her mother (Women in History). As a young child, she was employed as a servant, handling menial tasks like cleaning and caring for babies. She once said, "I was so little I had to sit on the floor and put the baby on my lap, and that baby was always on my lap except when he was sleeping or when his mother was feeding him (Driggs) . » She didn't like being forced to babysit every day for hours on end. Many times she was "loaned" to other slave owners to do similar work in their homes (PBS). She was rebellious even at a young age; she stole a sugar cube when she was seven and ran away to avoid punishment. She was away for five days before finishing... middle of paper... Her exploits were truly remarkable; most would not be willing to try one if the opportunity presented itself. Many admired Harriet, as many still do. His name will live on for many, many years. Works Cited Driggs, Margaret Barton. They called him Moses. Harriet Tubman.com, nd. Internet. December 6, 2009.Harriet Tubman. Church of the True Living Waters, nd. Internet. December 6, 2009.Harriet Tubman. PBS, nd. Internet. December 6, 2009.John Harper and the Harper's Ferry raid. West Virginia Division of Culture and History, n.d. Internet. December 8, 2009. Paregorical. University of Maryland Medical Center, nd. Internet. December 7, 2009. Temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsy Foundation, nd. Internet. December 6, 2009. Washington, Margaret. Harriet Tubman. American National Biography, February 2000. Web. December 8, 2009. Women in history. Biography of Harriet Tubman. Lakewood Public Library, October 20, 2009. Web. December 6. 2009.