​"Every great dream begins with a dreamer."

• RESCUED SLAVES on the Underground Railroad
• Born a slave named Araminta Ross, she escaped when she was in her mid-twenties
• While still a slave, she was struck in the head with an iron, causing her to suffer from seizures and narcolepsy for the rest of her life
• The most famous "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, her role was actually as an "abductor," repeatedly risking her life to go to plantations and convince slaves to escape
• Became known as "Moses" for bringing perhaps as many as 300 slaves to safety and NEVER losing any
• She was never paid for her work with the Underground Railroad, and had to work as a domestic helper between trips, although she did receive some financial assistance from other abolitionists
• Held many roles during the Civil War, including nurse and advisor for escaped slaves and Union soldiers, and spy for General David Hunter
• Also became the FIRST American woman to lead an armed assault when she freed more than 700 slaves in South Carolina in a single raid
• After the war ended, she petitioned the government for compensation for her work, but only got $8 per month, and that was only because she was the widow of a veteran. Not until 1899 -- 34 years later -- was she awarded a pension of $20 per month, which she received for the rest of her life.
• Donated her property to a local church, which established the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged​

Photo by H. B. Lindsley [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography: Clinton, Catherine. “Tubman, Harriet.” The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, Vol. 4, Oxford University Press, 2008, 252-253.
Doyle, Caitlin. Girls Can Do Anything: From Sports to Innovation, Art to Politics, Meet Over 200 Women Who Got There First. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2016. Print.
Drimmer, Stephanie W. National Geographic Kids: The Book of Heroines: Tales of History's Gutsiest Gals. Washington DC: National Geographic Partners, LLC, 2016. Print.
Shen, Ann. Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2016. Print.

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Support these organizations dedicated to preserving her story:

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway

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