Watch: Harriet Tubman Visions of Freedom

HARRIET TUBMAN: VISIONS OF FREEDOM

Go beyond the legend and meet the inspiring woman who repeatedly risked her own life and freedom to liberate others from slavery. Born 200 years ago in Maryland, Harriet Tubman was a conductor of the Underground Railroad, a Civil War scout, nurse and spy, and one of the greatest freedom fighters in our nation’s history.

FILM CLIPS

EASTERN SHORE | 3m 41s

Harriet Tubman is born into slavery in Maryland in 1822 and forced to work—catching muskrats in the swamps and cleaning and caring for a colicky baby—by age five.

COTTON IS KING | 3m 10s

Young Harriet and her family live with the terror of being separated and sold to the Deep South. Public slave auctions are common and Harriet witnesses her older sisters being dragged away in chains.

VISIONS | 4m 5s

While trying to protect a young boy chased by his enslaver, Tubman is hit in the head with a heavy metal weight which leaves her with lifelong seizures, terrible headaches and visions she interprets as being from God.

THE ESCAPE | 4m 8s

With her two brothers, Tubman makes her first attempt to escape, braving the terrifying fate faced by runaways including beating, maiming and death.

ORIGINAL ABOLITIONISTS | 4m 3s

Traveling alone, Tubman escapes to Philadelphia and becomes involved with the Black abolitionist movement while the new Fugitive Slave Law makes life for African Americans even more dangerous.

WADE IN THE WATER | 4m 16s

Tubman’s fearlessness, extensive knowledge of the land and skills at subterfuge and disguise make her a brilliant conductor on the Underground Railroad.

GENERAL TUBMAN | 3m 28s

During the Civil War, Tubman is a nurse and spy, and the mastermind behind the first major military operation in American history planned and executed by a woman—one that freed over 720 people.

EXPLORE MORE

Legend & Reality | 1:27

Stanley Nelson speaks to the importance of going beyond the legend to understand Harriet Tubman’s story.

Courage - Strength - Legacy | :50

Stanley Nelson explains how the legacies of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass shaped the past and impact current events.

Why Now? | :44

Stanley Nelson shares why it’s essential to know and understand the lives and stories of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.