Tubman suffered a severe head injury as an adolescent.

Araminta Ross

  1822 -- 1913

 

As an adolescent, Tubman suffered a severe head injury when an overseer threw a two-pound metal weight at another slave who was attempting to flee. The weight struck Tubman instead, which she said "broke my skull".

 Bleeding and unconscious, she was returned to her owner's house and laid on the seat of a loom, where she remained without medical care for two days.^[23] 

 After this incident, Tubman frequently experienced extremely painful headaches.^[24] She also began having seizures and would seemingly fall unconscious, although she claimed to be aware of her surroundings while appearing to be asleep. 


This condition remained with her for the rest of her life; Larson suggests she may have suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy as a result of the injury.^[25][26]

 
After her injury, Tubman began experiencing visions and vivid dreams, which she interpreted as revelations from God.

 These spiritual experiences had a profound effect on Tubman's personality and she acquired a passionate faith in God.^[27]

 Although Tubman was illiterate, she was told Bible stories by her mother and likely attended a Methodist church with her family.^[28][29] 

She rejected the teachings of the New Testament that urged slaves to be obedient, and found guidance in the Old Testament tales of deliverance. This religious perspective informed her actions throughout her life.^[30]