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Harriet Tubman

The Moses of her people — who escaped slavery and returned 13 times to free others.

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About

Harriet Tubman (c. 1822–1913) was an enslaved African American who escaped in 1849 and then made 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people using the Underground Railroad — a network of safe houses and abolitionists. She was called 'Moses' by Frederick Douglass and boasted that she 'never lost a passenger.' During the Civil War, Tubman served as a spy, scout, and nurse for the Union Army — leading the Combahee River Raid (1863) that freed 700 enslaved people, the largest liberation by an individual in the war. She suffered from narcolepsy caused by a childhood head injury — collapsing into sudden deep sleep — yet continued her missions. After the war, she became active in the women's suffrage movement.

# Top 10 Harriet Tubman facts

  1. 1Tubman made 13 return trips into slave territory, freeing approximately 70 people — she was never caught
  2. 2She suffered narcoleptic seizures throughout her rescue missions — collapsing into sudden deep sleep, sometimes in the middle of escape routes
  3. 3During the Civil War, she led a raid that freed 700 enslaved people in a single operation — more than any individual in history

Fascinating Facts

  • Tubman made 13 return trips into slave territory, freeing approximately 70 people — she was never caught
  • She suffered narcoleptic seizures throughout her rescue missions — collapsing into sudden deep sleep, sometimes in the middle of escape routes
  • During the Civil War, she led a raid that freed 700 enslaved people in a single operation — more than any individual in history
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