A childhood injury that left a heavy weight across her skull changed the course of Harriet Tubman’s life — and, in turn, the course of American history. Born into slavery as Araminta Ross around 1822 in Maryland, Tubman escaped slavery in 1849 (ACLU podcast with Tiya Miles) and became the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad.
Born: c. March 1822, Dorchester County, Maryland · Died: March 10, 1913, Auburn, New York · Known for: Underground Railroad, Civil War service, abolitionism · Rescue missions: Approximately 13 trips, 70+ enslaved people freed · Disability: Traumatic brain injury (seizures, narcolepsy) from a childhood blow to the head · Birth name: Araminta Ross
Quick snapshot
- Escaped slavery in 1849 (ACLU podcast with Tiya Miles) ((UK Disability History Month))
- Made about 13 rescue missions (UK Disability History Month)
- Freed approximately 70 enslaved people (Ms. Magazine)
- Died of pneumonia in 1913 (Wikipedia)
- Exact number of people rescued (estimates range from 70 to 300) (Ms. Magazine)
- Exact birth date (no official record) (Wikipedia)
- Whether her last words are verbatim or anecdotal (Wikipedia)
- Whether her visions were seizures or divine guidance (Psychology Today)
- Exact bounty amount (reportedly up to $40,000) (Wikipedia) ((Ms. Magazine))
- c. 1834 – Struck in the head with a metal weight, causing lifelong seizures and narcolepsy (UK Disability History Month)
- Plans to feature Tubman on the $20 bill remain delayed as of 2025 (Wikipedia)
Six key facts, one pattern: Tubman’s life was marked by resilience in the face of physical and systemic adversity.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Araminta Ross (later Harriet Tubman) (Wikipedia) |
| Born | c. March 1822, Dorchester County, Maryland (Wikipedia) |
| Died | March 10, 1913, Auburn, New York (Wikipedia) |
| Spouse | John Tubman (married 1844–1851), Nelson Davis (married 1869–1888) (Wikipedia) |
| Disability | Traumatic brain injury causing seizures and narcolepsy (UK Disability History Month) |
| Known for | Underground Railroad, Civil War scouting, abolitionism (UK Disability History Month) |
What is Harriet Tubman best known for?
The Underground Railroad
- Tubman escaped slavery in 1849 and returned about 13 times to lead roughly 70 enslaved people to freedom using a network of safe houses and anti-slavery activists (ACLU podcast) (UK Disability History Month).
Civil War service as a scout and spy
- During the Civil War, Tubman served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army, and she became the first woman to lead an armed expedition — the Combahee Ferry Raid, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people (UK Disability History Month).
Abolitionist and women’s suffrage activism
- After the war, Tubman remained a lifelong activist for abolition and women’s suffrage, working alongside figures like Susan B. Anthony (UK Disability History Month).
The implication: Tubman’s legacy is built on measurable actions — specific missions, numbers freed, and tactical victories — rather than symbolism alone.
What is Harriet Tubman’s disability?
Traumatic brain injury from a childhood blow to the head
- At about age 12, Tubman was struck in the head with a heavy metal weight thrown by an overseer. The blow caused a skull fracture that produced lifelong neurological symptoms (UK Disability History Month).
Seizures, narcolepsy, and severe headaches
- Disability-history sources describe chronic seizures, episodes of unconsciousness (then called “fits”), and intense headaches. Modern scholars have suggested narcolepsy, cataplexy, or hypersomnia as possible diagnoses (Disability Rights Connecticut)(Psychology Today).
- Ms. Magazine reports that Tubman was transparent about these painful symptoms, describing them as “frightening fits” (Ms. Magazine).
Impact on her life and work
- Rather than hindering her, Tubman’s disability may have contributed to her visionary leadership. She reported vivid visions and dreams that she interpreted as divine guidance, and some historians argue that her brain injury intensified her focus and resolve (540 West Main).
What this means: Her disability was integral to her identity, not incidental.
Modern disability scholarship reframes Tubman not as someone who overcame her disability, but as someone whose disability shaped the very tactics — hyper-vigilance, strategic patience — that made her an effective conductor and spy.
What were Harriet Tubman’s last words?
Reported final words
- Wikipedia records her last words as “I go away to prepare a place for you,” a reference to the Gospel of John (Wikipedia).
Context of her death
- Tubman died of pneumonia on March 10, 1913, at the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged in Auburn, New York, surrounded by friends and family (Wikipedia).
The implication: Whether verbatim or anecdotal, the final phrase echoes the same religious conviction that guided her Underground Railroad missions.
Why isn’t Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill?
Plans to redesign the $20 bill
- In 2016, the U.S. Treasury under Secretary Jack Lew announced that Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill, with a target date of 2020 (Wikipedia).
Political and logistical delays
- Under the Trump administration, the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin delayed the redesign, citing technical reasons. As of 2025, the Biden administration has not announced a new timeline (Wikipedia).
The pattern: The delay reflects political inertia, but the demand for Tubman’s image on the currency remains a symbol of recognition for Black women’s contributions.
Why did Harriet Tubman’s father cover his eyes?
Ben Ross’s story
- Harriet Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, was a free black man who reportedly covered his eyes when she escaped slavery in 1849. By doing so, he could truthfully claim he did not see her leave, thereby avoiding suspicion and punishment (Wikipedia).
Symbolism and historical accounts
- This story illustrates the dangers faced by free black families who aided runaways. It also highlights the strategic thinking that Tubman likely inherited from her father.
What this means: The act of covering his eyes was a practical survival tactic, not a sign of complicity in the institution of slavery.
How old was Harriet Tubman when she got hit in the head?
The incident at age 12
- Tubman was approximately 12 years old when she sustained the head injury. The exact year is uncertain because no official birth record exists, but most sources estimate the event occurred around 1834 (UK Disability History Month) (Wikipedia).
Long-term health consequences
- The injury triggered chronic seizures, narcoleptic episodes, and severe headaches that persisted for the rest of her life, and likely contributed to her interpretive visions (Disability Rights Connecticut).
A violent act meant to enforce discipline instead forged one of America’s most disciplined freedom fighters. The blow that should have silenced her became the source of her visionary leadership.
The catch: The same blow that caused her seizures may have also sharpened the resolve that defined her life.
Timeline of Harriet Tubman’s life
- c. March 1822 – Born Araminta Ross in Dorchester County, Maryland (Wikipedia)
- c. 1834 – Sustained a severe head injury when an overseer threw a metal weight (UK Disability History Month)
- 1844 – Married John Tubman (Wikipedia)
- 1849 – Escaped slavery to Philadelphia (ACLU)
- 1850–1860 – Conducted approximately 13 Underground Railroad missions (UK Disability History Month)
- 1861–1865 – Served as a scout, spy, and nurse for the Union Army (UK Disability History Month)
- June 1863 – Led the Combahee Ferry Raid, freeing over 700 enslaved people (UK Disability History Month)
- 1908 – Opened the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged in Auburn, New York (Wikipedia)
- March 10, 1913 – Died of pneumonia (Wikipedia)
The pattern: Every major phase of her life — from injury to escape to military command — was marked by a refusal to accept limitation.
What we know and what remains unclear
Research on Tubman draws on her own testimony, contemporary accounts, and later scholarship. Some details are well documented; others rely on oral tradition or estimates.
Confirmed facts
- She escaped slavery in 1849 (ACLU)
- She made multiple rescue missions on the Underground Railroad (UK Disability History Month)
- She suffered a traumatic brain injury at age 12 that caused seizures (UK Disability History Month)
- She served the Union during the Civil War (UK Disability History Month)
- She died of pneumonia in 1913 (Wikipedia)
What remains uncertain
- Exact number of people she rescued (estimates range from 70 to 300) (Ms. Magazine)
- Whether her reported last words are verbatim or anecdotal (Wikipedia)
- Her exact date of birth (no official birth record) (Wikipedia)
What this means: The gaps in the historical record remind us that Tubman’s story, like many from enslaved people, is partly recovered and partly inferred.
Harriet Tubman in her own words
I never ran my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger.
— Harriet Tubman
I go away to prepare a place for you.
— Harriet Tubman, last words
Tubman suffered a traumatic head injury in childhood after being struck by a heavy weight by an overseer.
— UK Disability History Month
These excerpts capture her blend of practicality and faith — a combination that guided her through extreme risk.
For Americans debating whose faces belong on currency and whose stories are told in schools, Tubman’s legacy is a reminder that disability and leadership can coexist. The delay of the $20 bill redesign leaves a symbolic gap — one that Tubman’s life itself already filled.
Hennes livs historia, som inkluderar hennes barndomsskada som orsakade hennes funktionsnedsättning, är lika spännande som Harriet Tubmans roll som konduktör i Underground Railroad.
Frequently asked questions
What did Harriet Tubman do after the Civil War?
She settled in Auburn, New York, founded the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, and continued her advocacy for women’s suffrage and civil rights (UK Disability History Month).
Was Harriet Tubman ever captured?
No. Despite a bounty on her head, she was never captured during her Underground Railroad missions or her Civil War service (Wikipedia).
Did Harriet Tubman have children?
No biological children, but she and her second husband Nelson Davis adopted a daughter, Gertie (Wikipedia).
How many slaves did Harriet Tubman free?
She personally led about 70 people to freedom via the Underground Railroad, and the Combahee Ferry Raid she commanded liberated over 700 people (Ms. Magazine) (UK Disability History Month).
What is the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged?
A nursing home she established in Auburn, New York, after the Civil War to care for elderly and indigent African Americans. It opened in 1908 (Wikipedia).
Did Harriet Tubman have a bounty on her head?
Yes. Southern slaveholders offered rewards for her capture, reportedly as high as $40,000, though the exact amount is debated (Wikipedia).
How did Harriet Tubman learn to read?
She was never taught to read or write during her childhood in slavery. She learned a few letters later in life but remained largely illiterate (Wikipedia).
These questions reflect the enduring curiosity about Tubman’s life and the ongoing effort to fill in the blanks.
Related reading
- Elizabeth Smart: Latest Verified Information and Key Facts — A biographical article about a woman who overcame extreme adversity and trauma, paralleling Tubman’s resilience.
- Ramsay Hunt Syndrome: Causes, Early Signs, Treatment & Recovery — Tubman’s disability involved neurological impairment; this article discusses a condition affecting facial nerves and health recovery.
Ethan Morrison is Senior Reporter at Aussie Brief, covering breaking stories and explainers.