Harriet Tubman and her family in the 1880's
Harriet Tubman’s work on the Underground Railroad established her place in history as one of the key leaders in the fight against slavery. As an escaped slave, she knew both the horrors of slavery and the dangers of following escape routes leading north. Because of her trips to Maryland in the 1850s to free slaves, she was called “Moses” after the biblical Moses who led his people out of slavery in Egypt. Tubman earned fame as an abolitionist, Civil War nurse and spy, suffragette, and humanitarian. After the Civil War, she committed herself to fighting for equality and freedom for African Americans and women, and determined never to be defeated by slavery or by the inferior roles imposed by society. She overcame incredible obstacles and never lost her passion for freedom and civil liberties, struggling to ensure that all Americans would experience fair treatment, legal protection, and the freedom to choose their own destiny (Larson, 2015). |
This site updated December, 2015