Harriet Tubman: An American Hero
In 1820, Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on a plantation in Maryland. When she was 19, she used something called “the Underground Railroad” to escape to Pennsylvania, a state where slavery was illegal. Actually, the Underground Railroad wasn’t a railroad at all. It was a string of hiding places where escaping slaves could stay as they moved north to states where slavery was outlawed.
After she had gained her freedom in Pennsylvania, Harriet Tubman wasn’t satisfied to stand by and do nothing while other people suffered. So she became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, thus helping others gain their freedom, too. No wonder she earned her place in the history books!
More Facts About Harriet Tubman
It’s a Fact: Before the Civil War, she rescued over 70 people from slavery. She never had a failed rescue attempt. During those years, she acquired the nickname “Moses.”
It’s a Fact: When the Civil War began, she joined the Union army as a nurse. But she also acted as a scout and an spy behind enemy lines.
It’s a Fact: During the war, she worked with a Union officer named James Montgomery. With Tubman’s help, the Union forces freed over 700 slaves at once.
It’s a Fact: After the Civil War, she became a well-known figure on the American political landscape. She used her fame to promote the right for women to vote. The efforts to achieve voting rights for women was called the Women’s Suffrage Movement.
It’s a Fact: Harriet Tubman died in 1913, 7 years before women earned the right to vote in America.
You Can Make the World a Better Place, Just Like Harriet Tubman Did!
It is up to each of us to contribute something to this sad and wonderful world.
Eve Arden
Enter school to learn; leave school to serve..
Mary McLeod Bethune
Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.
Danny Thomas
Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A life isn’t significant except for its impact on other lives.
Jackie Robinson
Fun Fact: The Civil war began in 1861 and ended in 1865.
Fun Fact: The President of the United States during the Civil War was Abraham Lincoln.
Fun Fact: Today, Harriet Tubman is admired for the courage she showed in help others gain the freedoms they deserved. People who, like Tubman, wanted to abolish slavery in America were called abolitionists.
Fun Fact: In addition to Harriet Tubman, countless other men and women have fought for civil rights in America. Prominent figures in the Civil rights Movement include Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks.
Just for fun,
After the Civil War, did Harriet Tubman retire, or did she keep working for civil rights?
She kept working for civil rights. And she also fought for women’s right to vote.
Who was president of the United States during the Civil War.
What do Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks all have in common?
All four of them worked to gain equality and civil rights for all Americans.
If you have time, you can write a story of your own.
Here are a couple of story ideas you can choose from.
Idea #1: You can write about the courageous life of Harriet Tubman.
Or
Idea #2: You can write about someone else who has done something courageous. Why did they do it? Who did they help? What was the outcome?
Here's a riddle for you:
Which food is never on time?
For fun-to-read books about a girl detective who homeschools on a train... check out The Mystery Ryders, a series from the creators of the Homeschool Express.
