Harriet Tubman was born a slave on a plantation in the state of Maryland in 1820 when many states in the U.S. still practiced slavery. Life as a slave was extremely difficult. Slaves were forced to work in terrible heat without rest. They were often beaten and lived in horrible conditions. When the owner of the plantation died, Harriet was afraid that she would be sold to work on another plantation. Instead of waiting for that possibility, she escaped to the North in 1849.