Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman, (1820-1913), helped nearly 300 slaves escape bondage from the Southern United States by using a network of safe houses, homes, and churches known as the Underground Railroad. Tubman was born a slave in Maryland. She escaped to Philadelphia in 1849. Through ingenious disguises, she evaded capture while leading slaves along the Underground Railroad into the North. Some were lead as far north as Canada (outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fugitive Slave Law). 

At one time, a $40,000 bounty was offered for the capture of Tubman. Although she could not read or write, she was a master at providing slaves with food, clothing, shelter, and an escape route to freedom.