#BlackHistoryFacts | Harriet Tubman — Figure Out Your Life Blog

Black History Fact #4

Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was an American abolitionist, who became famous as a "conductor" of the Underground Railroad (an elaborate secret network of antislavery activists and safe houses helping enslaved people reach freedom in the North). Born into slavery, Tubman escaped in 1849 and subsequently made at least 19 trips to the South to lead her family and hundreds of slaves to freedom using the Underground Railroad. Despite having a bounty on her head, which eventually reached as high as $40,000, she was able to elude bounty hunters, relying on her faith in God, courage, intelligence, and pistol. Tubman did not lose any of her "passengers" during the dangerous journey to freedom. She also served as an armed scout, nurse, and spy for the United States army during the Civil War. After the war ended, she continued to help impoverished former slaves and the elderly, establishing her own Home of the Aged. In honor of her life, the US Department of Treasury announced in 2016 that Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill (it is expected to debut in 2020).