Thirst for Freedom essays

Thirst for Freedom essays Thirst for freedom HARRIET TUBMAN In 1820, Benjamin Ross and Harriet Greene both slaves in Buck Town Maryland gave birth to Araminta Greene also born a slave. Araminta lived some 90 years of hardship and peerless journeys to free her people from slavery. Cruelty and unbearable living conditions were a norm for these times. First, we'll need some background on the institution of slavery, which began in the early 15th and 16th century recorded in the ancient history of Babylon and Rome. Portuguese explores living east of Africa provided slave labor for Whites, West Indies and Spanish Plantation owners; in 1660 Virginia Law decreed slaves would serve their masters for life. With the development of plantation land and its five staples of produce Rice, Cotton, Sugar, Tobacco and Coffee required strenuous work to harvest. At the age of six Araminta was taken from her parents to live with James Cook, whose wife was a weaver, to learn the skills of weaving. James Cook would order her to guard his muskrat traps, which compelled her to wade through the water. Once she was sent when she was ill with the measles, and caught a cold from wading in the water and she grew very sick. Her mother convinced her master to take her away from the Cooks until she could recuperate. After she entered her teens she was hired out as field hand. In the fall of that same year slaves were required to work evenings, cleaning up wheat, husking corn, etc. On one afternoon one of the slaves of a farmer named Barrett, left work and went to the village store without permission. The overseer and Araminta followed him. When the slave was found, the overseer swore he would whip the slave, and called on Araminta and others to help tie him. She refused and as the man ran away the overseer picked up a two-pound ...