Harriet Tubman

Born a slave, Harriet Tubman escaped through the Underground Railroad and then spent years helping other slaves to escape as well. After the Civil War, she continued to help those less fortunate by opening her home to the needy and homeless. In the following activity, you will learn more about her life and the times she lived in. Grade Levels: 4–8

Lesson

• Start by reading a biography of Harriet Tubman's life at http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/life.htm.

• Create an illustrated time line that shows what happened during each of the time periods given below. You can find more photographs at http://www.harriettubman.com to help you picture what she looked like.
  
  

  1820–1829:

  1832:

  1844–1848:

  1849–1850:

  1851–1857:

  1857:

  1861–1864:

  1865–1900:

  1908:

  1913:

• Harriet Tubman was called the "Moses" of the Underground Railroad. She was being compared to the biblical Moses, who lived in ancient Egypt and led his people, who were slaves of the Pharoah, to freedom. Read more about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad at http://camalott.com/~rssmith/Moses.html and at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html. Was Harriet Tubman like Moses? In what ways?

Teacher's Notes