Harriet Tubman

Tubman, Harriet (c.1820–1913), U.S. abolitionist. Born a slave in Maryland, she escaped in 1849. Using her wits, her knowledge of the woods, and her trusted contacts on the Underground Railroad, Tubman conducted 19 rescue missions that freed more than 300 slaves from Maryland. Despite a $40,000 reward for her capture, she was never caught. During the Civil War (1861–65) she served as a nurse and spy for the Union army in South Carolina; after the war, she helped raise money for African-American schools in Auburn, N.Y., and in 1908 she established a home for elderly and needy African Americans.

See also: Abolitionism; Underground Railroad.