Harriet Tubman ~ Born a slave around 1820 in Maryland, she escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 through the Underground Railroad, then returned to rescue family and guide others to freedom, earning the name “Moses of her People.” Clever and brave, she used secret codes and paths, never losing a single person. Forced to live in Canada for a time due to the Fugitive Slave Act, she still made regular rescue trips. She helped John Brown plan his raid, served as a Civil War scout and nurse, and led a mission freeing over 700 slaves. After the war, she built schools, worked for women’s rights, and opened a home for the elderly. She died in 1913 with military honors—born a slave, she lived to free others.
