Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), an American abolitionist, was born into slavery. She escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 and returned more than a dozen times to help over 300 slaves escape to freedom. She became a speaker for anti-slavery lectures and served as nurse, cook, laundress, scout, and spy. In 1863 she participated in a raid that resulted in freeing more than 700 slaves.