Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman (c. 1821-1913) escaped to freedom at age 25. Known as the "Moses of her people," Tubman became the most famous conductor on the "Underground Railroad," the secret network of safe houses where runaway slaves could stay on their journey north to freedom. Over the course of 10 years, and at great personal risk, she made 19 trips back to the South, leading hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

She later became a leader in the abolitionist movement, and worked for the Union as a nurse, a spy and a scout during the Civil War. At one time $40,000 was offered for her capture. Her later years were given to establishing an old-age home for impoverished blacks.