Harriet Tubman was born in 1822 and spent her whole life enslaved. She was a slave in Maryland, where she worked as a house servant and nursemaid. In 1849, at around the age of 27, Tubman escaped from slavery. She escaped to Pennsylvania using the Underground Railroad—a network of people who helped slaves escape from the South to free states or to Canada. She didn’t travel alone; she made several trips back and forth along the Underground Railroad to bring her family members who were still enslaved to freedom.
Before each trip, she studied maps and planned out what she would say and how she would act so that she wouldn’t get caught by bounty hunters or slave catchers. She used many different disguises during her journeys, including that of a male slave; she often had scars on her face from being whipped or burned when traveling in disguise.
Harriet returned to Maryland in 1850 to rescue her family and friends; however, when Tubman got there, a lot of people were angry at her for helping slaves escape because they feared it would lower their property values. After Tubman rescued her family and friends, they settled in New York City where they ran a hotel that served African-Americans.
