Harriet Tubman - by Kerry Walters (Paperback)

About the Book

Harriet Tubman: A Life in American History is an indispensable resource for high school and college students about the life and times of anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman, who exemplifies how slaves took the initiative to free themselves and others.

Book Synopsis

Harriet Tubman served a pivotal role in leading slaves to freedom in the decade before the Civil War. This biography offers a demythologized chronicle of her life and work, providing information about her life as a slave, role as conductor on the Underground Railroad, work as a military scout during the Civil War, and postwar activism for blacks and women.

Harriet Tubman: A Life in American History provides valuable context that situates Harriet Tubman against the backdrop of the slavery debate in antebellum America, and the hardships endured by ex-slaves in postbellum America. As such, the timeframe covers nearly a full century, from the first quarter of the nineteenth to the first quarter of the twentieth. In addition to ten biographical chapters and a short timeline, Harriet Tubman includes an interpretive essay reflecting on Tubman's importance in American history, an appendix of primary documents about Tubman's life and work, a bibliography, and a number of sidebars and short commentaries embedded in the text that invite readers to explore connections between Tubman's life and political, intellectual, and social culture.

Review Quotes

"This excellent work is a synthesis... presenting Tubman as the fascinating, headstrong, self-sacrificing, physically damaged, financially destitute, and occasionally gullible person that she was in historical reality. One hopes this book will find its way into many classrooms, and that, in better days to come, she will yet appear on our currency.Highly recommended." --Choice Reviews

"Thanks to Walter's especially accessible prose, a wide range of potential readers should consider attaining a copy of this book. Rather than bog the book down with convoluted academic jargon, Walters crafts the manuscript in a manner that will at once reach a broad audience and inform more nuanced conversations--academic and public--on Harriet Tubman's manifold contributions to U.S. history. Her personal life and bonds are integral to a better understanding of the Civil War and its era. Harriet Tubman: A Life in American History is an excellent book. Walters does an exceptional job of interweaving Tubman's diverse lived experiences into larger historical events. After reading it, I found myself revising my lecture notes to ensure that Tubman's story--both public and personal--is centered in the narrative." --The Civil War Monitor

Thanks to Walter's especially accessible prose, a wide range of potential readers should consider attaining a copy of this book. Rather than bog the book down with convoluted academic jargon, Walters crafts the manuscript in a manner that will at once reach a broad audience and inform more nuanced conversations--academic and public--on Harriet Tubman's manifold contributions to U.S. history. Her personal life and bonds are integral to a better understanding of the Civil War and its era. Harriet Tubman: A Life in American History is an excellent book. Walters does an exceptional job of interweaving Tubman's diverse lived experiences into larger historical events. After reading it, I found myself revising my lecture notes to ensure that Tubman's story--both public and personal--is centered in the narrative.

This excellent work is a synthesis... presenting Tubman as the fascinating, headstrong, self-sacrificing, physically damaged, financially destitute, and occasionally gullible person that she was in historical reality. One hopes this book will find its way into many classrooms, and that, in better days to come, she will yet appear on our currency.Highly recommended.

About the Author

Kerry Walters, PhD, is professor emeritus of philosophy at Gettysburg College. He is author or editor of over forty books, including The Underground Railroad, American Slave Revolts and Conspiracies, and Lincoln, the Rise of the Republicans, and the Coming of the Civil War.