Q: Known as “Moses,” this woman helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom, led a band of scouts during the Civil War, and joined the women’s suffrage movement after the war.
A: Harriet Tubman was a runaway slave from Maryland who became known as the “Moses of her people.” Between 1850 and 1858, she helped more than 300 slaves reach freedom. She also became a leader in the abolitionist movement and during the Civil War she was a spy for the federal forces in South Carolina. After the war, she became a major supporter of the women’s suffrage movement.
In 1990, President George H.W. Bush designated March 10th Harriet Tubman Day.
