Harriet Tubman escaped slavery to freedom in 1849. Tubman risked her life to lead hundreds of slaves from the plantation to freedom on this elaborate secret network of safe houses. Using the underground railroad, Tubman traveled nearly 90 miles to Philadelphia. She was a leading abolitionist before the Civil War, and also helped the Union Army during the war, working as a spy. After the Civil War ended, she dedicated her life to helping impoverished former slaves.
