Ruby Bridges, the first African American to attend an all-white school in Louisiana, told President Obama, “We all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.”
Harriet Tubman was born enslaved and spent her childhood in Maryland. She escaped from slavery in 1849 to become a courageous conductor on the underground railroad. She formed deep friendships--with fugitive slaves and anti-slavery leaders. She worked as a scout, spy and nurse for the Union during the Civil War and, later in life, stood up for people whose rights had been denied. Her speeches told of the evils of slavery and the risks African-Americans took to find freedom. Her passion, wit, charm, and the wealth of her experience gave power to her voice.
Ruby Bridges, the first African American to attend an all-white school in Louisiana, told President Obama, “We all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.”
Tuesday night, as mothers all across the country tucked young daughters into bed, many told them when they awoke our country would have elected its first woman president.
In 2020, the new $20 bill will feature Harriet Tubman. Also appearing on new U.S. currency will be Lucretia Mott and Eleanor Roosevelt. All three are subjects of my biographies—and the topic of a...
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Harriet Tubman, a fearless conductor on the Underground Railroad. She is greatly admired for her bravery in guiding slaves to freedom and for her...
A new postage stamp, designed by my good friend Antonio Alcala and Gail Anderson, is marking the Emancipation Proclamation's 150th anniversary. Early on the first day of the new year my husband...
Historians ignored Harriet Tubman for decades after her death in 1913 (with a few intermittent exceptions). Ninety years later, in 2003, they took another look.
"Meticulous about what is known and what is not confirmed, the simple prose is eloquent in describing how Tubman started as a passenger on the Underground Railroad and went on to become one of its...