We arrived at the area to be immediately greeted by its serenity. Before the presentation, we sat outside around picnic tables by the pond and read aloud the words of the period we were about to explore--Harriet Tubman's words as transcribed from her plural speeches, along with the voices of her brothers and others.
Pictured above: Images taken outside of Harriet Tubman's house. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos or video inside the actual home itself (which is not pictured).
Afterwards, the presentation began. Paul, the presenter, seemed to surprise us all with his amiability and entertaining sense of humor. Any lingering bit of sleepiness any one of us would have had would have easily been swept aside by his unique manner of storytelling that was fully educational and fully entertaining. The many facets of Harriet Tubman's life to which I was previously unexposed became clear as he walked us through a timeline of her birth, her youth, her work on the plantation, her injury, her family, her connection to religion, her courageous escape, her many rescues, her marriage, her entrepreneurship, her work in the war, and the many other strides she took that made Tubman such a critical figure in the history of African-Americans and in the history of America as a whole.
One of Paul's quotes on the subject of her wondrous life was one that I instantly recognized as being a perfect amalgamation of the many themes associated with this class:
"It's better to life for a cause instead of just because."
- Ashley
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