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Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography
Harriet Tubman: The Life and the Life Stories
Harriet Tubman’s name is known world-wide and her exploits as a self-liberated Underground Railroad heroine are celebrated in children’s literature, film, and history books, yet no major biography of Tubman has appeared since 1943. Jean M. Humez’s comprehensive Harriet Tubman is both an important biographical overview based on extensive new research and a complete collection of the stories Tubman told about her life—a virtual autobiography culled by Humez from rare early publications and manuscript sources. This book will become a landmark resource for scholars, historians, and general readers interested in slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and African American women.
Born in slavery in Maryland in or around 1820, Tubman drew upon deep spiritual resources and covert antislavery networks when she escaped to the north in 1849. Vowing to liberate her entire family, she made repeated trips south during the 1850s and successfully guided dozens of fugitives to freedom. During the Civil War she was recruited to act as spy and scout with the Union Army. After the war she settled in Auburn, New York, where she worked to support an extended family and in her later years founded a home for the indigent aged. Celebrated by her primarily white antislavery associates in a variety of private and public documents from the 1850s through the 1870s, she was rediscovered as a race heroine by woman suffragists and the African American women’s club movement in the early twentieth century. Her story was used as a key symbolic resource in education, institutional fundraising, and debates about the meaning of "race" throughout the twentieth century.
Humez includes an extended discussion of Tubman’s work as a public performer of her own life history during the nearly sixty years she lived in the north. Drawing upon historiographical and literary discussion of the complex hybrid authorship of slave narrative literature, Humez analyzes the interactive dynamic between Tubman and her interviewers. Humez illustrates how Tubman, though unable to write, made major unrecognized contributions to the shaping of her own heroic myth by early biographers like Sarah Bradford. Selections of key documents illustrate how Tubman appeared to her contemporaries, and a comprehensive list of primary sources represents an important resource for scholars.
Born in slavery in Maryland in or around 1820, Tubman drew upon deep spiritual resources and covert antislavery networks when she escaped to the north in 1849. Vowing to liberate her entire family, she made repeated trips south during the 1850s and successfully guided dozens of fugitives to freedom. During the Civil War she was recruited to act as spy and scout with the Union Army. After the war she settled in Auburn, New York, where she worked to support an extended family and in her later years founded a home for the indigent aged. Celebrated by her primarily white antislavery associates in a variety of private and public documents from the 1850s through the 1870s, she was rediscovered as a race heroine by woman suffragists and the African American women’s club movement in the early twentieth century. Her story was used as a key symbolic resource in education, institutional fundraising, and debates about the meaning of "race" throughout the twentieth century.
Humez includes an extended discussion of Tubman’s work as a public performer of her own life history during the nearly sixty years she lived in the north. Drawing upon historiographical and literary discussion of the complex hybrid authorship of slave narrative literature, Humez analyzes the interactive dynamic between Tubman and her interviewers. Humez illustrates how Tubman, though unable to write, made major unrecognized contributions to the shaping of her own heroic myth by early biographers like Sarah Bradford. Selections of key documents illustrate how Tubman appeared to her contemporaries, and a comprehensive list of primary sources represents an important resource for scholars.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published November 19, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 4, 2023
A deeper dive into my favorite historical figure. In the fifth grade, I picked Harriet Tubman for a school assignment. I read her biography and wrote a paper about her life. As a young child, I spent much time in the woods in Northern Minnesota, and I was awestruck at anyone who could travel through the dark woods as Harriet Tubman did without fear, or being able to control the fear. Every time I learn something new about Harriet Tubman's life, her accomplishments amaze me further at and give me a deeper understanding of the whole of her life and personality, as much as we can see it from the distance of this many years.
This book greatly expands on the details of Harriet Tubman's life, and gives a good balance between the biography, stories about Harriet Tubman, supporting documents. The writing of Humez comes from a historical and scholarly perspective, and the book is well organized and easy to read. The section filled with transcripts of many original documents of the time, such as letters, newspaper articles, and diary entries from people Harriet Tubman associeted with - in my opinion, this is the best part of the book. Photos are sprinkled throughout, and are of a generous size for viewing.
My only concern is that Humez at times assumes (negative) intent and emotion behind actions of people. Those writing with a scholarly slant should endeavor to remain unbiased and to not make assumptions, unless one clearly provides qualifiers like "perhaps" or "seems to" (she occasionally does this). Even then, assumptions of intent and emotion should be sparing, as the intent of a book like this is (or should be) to provide as historically correct facts as possible.
With this in mind, the book still has a lot to offer. There aren't as many biographies of Harriet Tubman as there are of other historical figures, so each one is important. I'd like to see a future version where the assumptions of intent/emotion are fixed, and, if available, even more supporting documents, photos, a timeline and relevant maps are added.
This book greatly expands on the details of Harriet Tubman's life, and gives a good balance between the biography, stories about Harriet Tubman, supporting documents. The writing of Humez comes from a historical and scholarly perspective, and the book is well organized and easy to read. The section filled with transcripts of many original documents of the time, such as letters, newspaper articles, and diary entries from people Harriet Tubman associeted with - in my opinion, this is the best part of the book. Photos are sprinkled throughout, and are of a generous size for viewing.
My only concern is that Humez at times assumes (negative) intent and emotion behind actions of people. Those writing with a scholarly slant should endeavor to remain unbiased and to not make assumptions, unless one clearly provides qualifiers like "perhaps" or "seems to" (she occasionally does this). Even then, assumptions of intent and emotion should be sparing, as the intent of a book like this is (or should be) to provide as historically correct facts as possible.
With this in mind, the book still has a lot to offer. There aren't as many biographies of Harriet Tubman as there are of other historical figures, so each one is important. I'd like to see a future version where the assumptions of intent/emotion are fixed, and, if available, even more supporting documents, photos, a timeline and relevant maps are added.
March 29, 2024
Clearly, a biography of Harriet Tubman is going to be interesting - she was an interesting person! I was surprised at how repetitive this was, however. The book is organized into 3 sections: 1) timeline and history of Tubman's life and important acts, 2) background info and narratives about interpretation of the primary sources, 3) some transcripts of primary sources. This meant that rather than a single narrative of Tubmans life accompanied by the author's interpretation, Tubman's life is basically repeated 3 times throughout the book.
Also, there's a photo of Tubman in her older age. It's on p.114 of the paperback and dates to 1909. And Tubman's pupils are not the same size!! This is a physical manifestation of the ways she lived with chronic illness and was what I wanted to read a hell of a lot more about.
Also, there's a photo of Tubman in her older age. It's on p.114 of the paperback and dates to 1909. And Tubman's pupils are not the same size!! This is a physical manifestation of the ways she lived with chronic illness and was what I wanted to read a hell of a lot more about.
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July 21, 2019What a great work! I remember reading about Harriet Tubman in high school before they taught Black History in schools. I did not know there was so much more to this great women. Her time with the Union Army, working with Susan B. Anthony and others for women's suffrage and the tireless efforts made till the end of her life working and serving those in need. Ms. Humez has successfully produced a detailed comprehensive work of life of Moses. While reading I often found myself shaking my head in wonder of her accomplishments, sacrifice and never altering faith.
October 20, 2019
I got a good amount of info from this book and was glad I read it, but the setup is a little weird. Some stories are repeated a lot and stories from the time Harriet was a slave are kind of pushed towards the back and glossed over. So, this is mostly from her time of escape, the Underground Railroad and later life. Not that this isn't plenty of material. I guess there is only a certain amount of info out there and that is what the author had to work with. I just didn't understand the repetition--the book could've had about a third edited out. From what I see, there aren't THAT many books about Harriet and I think this may be among the best of the lot.
December 19, 2008
Amazing and thoughtful inquiry into the source of Tubman's courage and power, emphasizing the role of spirituality. Excellent research and exceptionally well-grounded interpretations of a much-mythologized person.
Want to read
January 15, 2009I want to read more about Harriet Tubman. In school you are only taught so much.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews