Harriet Tubman (1826 - 1913)
Tubman, who was born into slavery, escaped North in 1849, establishing her famous Underground Railroad, from which she reputedly "never lost a single passenger." She rescued over three hundred men, women, and children, risking her own freedom nineteen times on her heroic trips into the slave states. Dubbed Moses, she became a legendary figure. A reward of forty thousand dollars was offered for her capture, but she was never caught. During the Civil War, she worked as a spy, scout, nurse, and commander in the Union Army of both black and white troops. Tubman expressed her beliefs in freedom and liberty by lecturing, organizing, and inspiring others. In her later years, she linked her work in the black community with feminist activities, attending women's suffrage conventions and helping to organize the National Federation of Afro-American Women (1895).
