Harriet Tubman was born in 1822; so, this year, many around the world will honor her on the 200th anniversary of her birth. On March 12 and 13, there will be a special weekend where visitors at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park in Maryland can learn more about Tubman and her life.
Born in Maryland, Tubman had a hard life as an enslaved person. She escaped to freedom in 1849, but she realized that life was not the same without her family. So she risked her life more than a dozen times making the trip back into Maryland to lead enslaved people, including many of her family members, to freedom.
After leading others to freedom, she wasn’t done with her quest to help others. In the Civil War, Tubman served as a cook and a nurse before becoming the first U.S. woman to lead an armed military raid. That military raid freed around 700 enslaved people in South Carolina. Later, Tubman became active in the suffrage movement, working to gain women the right to vote. Many believe that her remarkable life holds lessons we can still learn from today.
What Do You Think? Harriet Tubman risked her life to help other people. Why do you think she did that? What lessons from her life are still important today?
Photo Credit: Chanda Powell/NPS Photo
