Harriet Tubman

Following her escape from slavery Harriet made more than thirteen missions to free more than 70 slaves. She did so by utilizing a network of antislavery activists. These activists set up safe housing for the escapees along their route to freedom. This was referred to as the Under Ground Railroad.

As a child Tubman was beaten by some of the masters with whom she was hired out to work for. One incident foreshadowed her deeds to come. A slave in the process of escaping was confronted by a pursuing slave master. Harriet was in a position to stop the escape and was asked to do so by the pursuing master. When she refused to help in the re-capture the slave master threw a heavy iron weight at her which struck her in the head. The resulting head wound caused her to have seizures and headaches and powerful visions for the remainder of her life. She equated these visions as revelations from God. She helped in the recruitment for men in John Brown’s ill-fated attack on Harpers Ferry. She saw Brown as a hero and respected him more than she did Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War Harriet worked for the Union army first as a cook, nurse and then as an armed scout and spy. She was such a thorn to the Confederates that they placed a large reward on her, dead or alive. Following the Civil War she worked for the Woman’s Suffrage Movement. She was active until her death in 1913.