2. Local law such as a zoning ordinance enacted by the governing body of a city or municipality which applies only within its boundaries. To have full force and effect of law, an ordinance must not be in conflict with any higher law such as state or national law or constitutional provisions.
In 1844 or 1845, Harriet married John Tubman, a free black. The marriage was apparently not a good match, from the beginning. Shortly after her marriage, she hired a lawyer to investigate her own legal history, and discovered that her mother had been freed on a technicality upon the death of a former owner.
In preparation to her escape she changed her name to Harriet, after her mother, and adopted her husbandâs last name, Tubman. Changing their given and last names was a common occurrence among fugitive slaves. They did not want to leave traces, all they wanted was a total break from their lives in bondage. Fugitive slaves had to cross the Mason-Dixon Line to be free. Harriet Tubmanâs exact route to freedom is unknown.