Harriet Tubman proclaimed, "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world" (Licthenwalner, 2011).
According to Lichtenwalner (2011), Harriet Tubman began her life by being born into slavery
(Lichtenwalner, 2011). All Harriet Tubman knew was the life of slavery. Growing up, Tubman was horribly beaten by her different masters (Lichtenwalner, 2011). According to Licthenwalner (2011), "In one instance, she received a tramatic blow to her head, when she refused [to] help a slave master detain a runaway slave" (Lichtenwalner, 2011). This injury caused her to experience headaches, seizures and even powerful dreams and visions, which continued throughout her life (Licthenwalner, 2011). Tubman defined her visions and dreams as messages from God (Licthenwalner, 2011). She later became an abolitionist for slavery after making an escape to the free states (Licthenwalner, 2011). Harriet Tubman also fought for the rights of elderly African-Americans and also became a Union spy during the American Civil War (Lichtenwalner, 2011).
Harriet Tubman was an excellent example of a Servant Leader. Tubman spent her entire life as a servant, whether it was for her slave masters or her fellow slaves. She continuously risked her life to fight for the freedom of slaves. Harriet Tubman was fully committed to serving other slaves who were seeking freedom. Tubman did whatever she could to free others. Through Tubman's actions to free other slaves, she became known as "Moses" (Lichtenwalner, 2011). Lichtenwalner (2011) wrote, "She is accredited with at least thirteen missions that freed more than 70 slaves, though the Underground Railroad" (Lichtenwalner, 2011). Tubman also freed an estimated 700 slaves during the Civil War (Lichtenwalner, 2011). Throughout Harriet Tubman's life she displayed many attributes of a Servant Leader, such as empathy, foresight, persuasion, stewardship, and conceptualization.
Harriet Tubman proudly proclaimed, "I was a conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say - I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger" (Harriet Tubman Quotes and Facts, n.d.)
(Harriet Tubman And The Qualities That Made Her A Great Heroine, 2013).
For further information on Harriet Tubman and her important role as a Servant Leader, check out these extra websites:
https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2013/11/08/from-slavery-to-freedom-harriet-tubman-and-transformational-leadership/
http://www.themarkofaleader.com/harriet-tubman-and-the-road-to-freedom/
References
Harriet Tubman And The Qualities That Made Her A Great Heroine.
(2013, July 19). Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://lifetickler.com/harriet-tubman-and-her-qualities/
Harriet Tubman Facts and Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/harriet-tubman/#.WL8Y-bGZPLY
Lichtenwalner, B. (2011, February 08). Servant Leadership.
Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://modernservantleader.com/servant-leadership/servant-leadership-profile-harriet-tubman-black-history-month/
