Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery around 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland. As a small child, she was hired out to other households, forced to clean homes, care for children, and work in harsh conditions. She also worked outdoors in marshes and fields, where she learned to read the land, using stars, rivers, trees, and natural landmarks to navigate. Those survival skills would later become tools of liberation.
In 1849, after the death of her enslaver and fearing she would be sold deeper into the South, Tubman made the courageous decision to escape. She initially fled with her brothers, but when they became afraid and turned back, she was forced to return with them. Refusing to accept bondage, she escaped again, this time alone, traveling nearly 100 miles north to Pennsylvania. After days of danger and uncertainty, she crossed into freedom.
But freedom for herself was not enough.
Tubman returned to Maryland again and again to rescue others, including family members. When she attempted to bring her husband north, she discovered he had remarried and chosen to remain in the South. Though heartbroken, she did not allow her pain to derail her mission. Instead, she continued leading others to freedom.
Over the next decade, Tubman made approximately 13 dangerous trips back to slaveholding states, guiding at least 70 enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad network. Armed with both courage and a pistol for protection, she maintained strict discipline during escape journeys, understanding that turning back could endanger everyone involved.
During the Civil War, Tubman expanded her role in the fight for freedom. She served the Union Army as a nurse, scout, spy, and intelligence operative. In 1863, she helped lead the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people, making her the first woman in U.S. history to lead an armed military expedition.
Across her lifetime, Harriet Tubman directly freed dozens and indirectly helped free hundreds more. Her bravery, strategy, and unwavering faith made her one of the most powerful freedom fighters in American history.
Harriet Tubman was not just escaping slavery—she was dismantling it.

Written By: RoShawn C. Evans