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Harriet Tubman

DATES 1820 - March 10, 1913

ABOUT HER
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery and suffered her whole life from blackouts caused by a skull fracture she received at age 13 when an overseer struck her with a two-pound weight for trying to save another slave from punishment. After Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery, she became the most famous leader of the Underground Railroad. She made about 19 trips, risking her own life to free other slaves. Over her lifetime she helped more than 300 others escape to Canada and was given the nickname "Moses," for leading so many to freedom. In Maryland at one point a reward was posted of approximately $40,000 for her capture.

During the Civil War, Harriet Tubman also served as nurse, scout, and spy for the Union Army. After the war she raised money for black schools and she started a home, the Harriet Tubman Home, for elderly and needy blacks.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Blacks During the Civil War, American Civil War Emancipation
Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman, Sara H. Bradford
Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman, Dorothy Sterling

Photo Source: Bettmann Archive Inc.

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