"WHEN I CROSSED THAT LINE, I LOOKED AT MY HANDS TO SEE IF I WAS THE SAME PERSON"

HARRIET TUBMAN, "MOSES", DIES

Auburn, New York (JFK+50) On March 10, 1913, Harriet Tubman*, known as "Moses" to the many slaves she helped escape to freedom,  died here in Auburn of pneumonia.

Born into slavery as Armita Ross, she married John Tubman, a free black man, in 1844.  She changed her name to Harriet and later escaped slavery making her way to Pennsylvania.  

Mrs. Tubman recalled...

"When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person.  There was such a glory over everything, the sun came like gold through the trees....and I felt like I was in heaven."

As the most famous conductor on the underground railroad**, she took pride on having "never lost a passenger".   Tubman had sustained a head injury as a youth which caused her to have visions which she saw as signs from God. Her faith saw her through 13 expeditions back into slave territory to help others escape.

During the Civil War, Harriet was a Union spy and is considered to be the first African-American woman to serve in the military.  Surrounded by friends and family, Harriet Tubman passed away quietly.

*Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) was born in Dorchester County, Maryland & escaped to Philadelphia in 1849.  She returned to Maryland to rescue her family.  HT guided a raid at Combahee Ferry, SC in 1863 which freed 700 slaves.  After her service in the Civil War, HT worked in the women's suffrage movement.

**Underground Railroad--a network of secret routes and safe houses set up in the mid 1800s as a means to help escaped slaves reach free territory and Canada.

SOURCE

"Harriet Tubman," Edited by Debra Michals, PhD, 2015, National Women's History Museum, www.womenshistory.org/ 
 

Statue of Harriet Tubman 
by Jane DeDecker
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Photo by Dwight Burdette
www.commons.wikimedia.org/ 

JAMES EARL RAY

JAMES EARL RAY PLEADS GUILTY 

(JFK+50) Forty-five years ago today, March 10, 1969, James Earl Ray, alleged killer of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,  plead guilty of the murder.

Ray, born on March 10, 1928 in Alton, Illinois, was facing a death sentence but the guilty plea would change that to a 99 year prison sentence.

Born in poverty, Ray joined the army and served in Germany.  After service, he committed burglary in California and was sent to jail in 1949.

Evidence which tied Ray to the murder of King included fingerprints on a 30-06 hunting rifle found at the scene.  This weapon is on display today at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.

Ray made good his escape but was arrested in London in June 1968.

On March 13, 1969,  Ray attempted to change his plea to not guilty claiming he had been "set up".  

While serving his sentence at Tennessee's Brushy Mountain State Prison he escaped twice but was recaptured both times.  

Ray died on April 23, 1998 in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 70.

James Earl Ray 

Mug Shot (1955)

JFK SPEAKS ON FARM PROBLEMS

Stevens Point, Wisconsin (JFK+50) 54 years ago today, March 10, 1960, on the campaign trail here in Stevens Point, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Democratic nominee for President of the United States, spoke about the problems faced by the American farmer.

Senator Kennedy said:

"If we can get men in government who understand the farmers problems - who recognize his need for inexpensive credit -- who treat him as a 1st class citizen -- then our farm economy can grow & flourish."

JFK went on to win the Wisconsin Primary on April 5, 1960.  He won 56% of the vote while Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota won 44%.

It was the Senator's second primary victory. 

JFK would eventually win all the primaries he entered and claim the 1960 Democratic Presidential nomination.

 Stevens Point, Wisconsin

HARRIET TUBMAN DIED 101 YEARS AGO TODAY

Auburn, New York (JFK+50) Known as "Moses" to the many slaves she helped to escape to freedom, Harriet Tubman died a century and one year ago today, March 10, 1913, here in Auburn of pneumonia.

Tubman was born into slavery in 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland.

When she first reached freedom herself, Miss Tubman recalled:

"When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person.  

There was such a glory over everything, the sun came like gold through the trees....and I felt like I was in heaven."

As the most famous "conductor" on the "underground railroad", she took pride on having "never lost a passenger". 

During the Civil War, she was a Union spy and later worked in the suffrage movement.

Tubman had sustained a head injury as a youth which caused her to have visions which she saw as signs from God.  Her passionate faith saw her through thirteen expeditions back into slave territory to help others escape.

Surrounded by friends and family, Harriet Tubman passed away quietly. 
She was buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery.

Harriet Tubman 

1822-1913