Harriet Tubman is remembered for leading enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad. But before the escape routes and the disguises and the pistol she carried for protection, there was a woman doing housework who started hearing from God.
The Domestic Labour of Slavery
In the late 1840s, Tubman was still enslaved on the Brodess plantation in Maryland. Her daily work included cooking, cleaning, and field labour — whatever the household demanded. She'd suffered a traumatic head injury as a teenager when an overseer threw a metal weight that struck her skull. The injury left her with seizures and sudden episodes where she'd fall into a deep sleep.
It was during these ordinary tasks — sweeping floors, carrying water, the repetitive labour of a life she didn't choose — that Tubman began experiencing what she described as direct communication from God. Not visions in the dramatic sense. More like an inner guidance system that activated in the most mundane moments.
God in the Everyday
Tubman described it plainly. She'd be doing a task and suddenly know something — where danger was, which path to take, whom to trust. She called it "consulting with God" and said it worked the same way whether she was scrubbing a pot or planning an escape. God didn't differentiate between the two.
Her biographer Sarah Bradford recorded Tubman's own words: "I always told God, I'm going to hold steady on you, and you've got to see me through." This wasn't a prayer she saved for special occasions. It was how she talked to God while doing laundry.
From Housework to History
When Tubman finally escaped and began leading others to freedom, she relied on the same guidance she'd first experienced while doing housework. The skills weren't different. The listening was the same. She'd simply learned to pay attention during floor-sweeping, and that same attention saved lives on the Underground Railroad.
What This Means for You
Tubman's relationship with God started in the most powerless setting imaginable — enslaved, injured, doing work she was forced to do. But that setting didn't limit what God could communicate. If God spoke to Harriet Tubman while she swept a floor, he can speak to you wherever you are. The question isn't where you are. It's whether you're listening.