Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; 1820 – March 10,
1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and
Union spy during the American Civil War. Born into slavery,
Tubman escaped and subsequently made more than thirteen missions
to rescue more than 70 slaves using the network of antislavery
activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. She
later helped John Brown recruit men for his raid on Harpers
Ferry, and in the post-war era struggled for women's suffrage.
As a child in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman was beaten by
masters to whom she was hired out. Early in her life, she
suffered a severe head wound when hit by a heavy metal weight.
The injury caused disabling seizures, narcoleptic attacks,
headaches, and powerful visionary and dream experiences, which
occurred throughout her life. A devout Christian, Tubman
ascribed the visions and vivid dreams to revelations from God.
In 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, then immediately
returned to Maryland to rescue her famil