who was harriet tubman

The books say she worked as an Underground Railroad conductor, using a network of safe houses and trusted helpers. She relied on navigation and local knowledge—like the North Star, other stars, natural signs, waterways—and moved quietly through the landscape to lead people north.

Accounts vary. Some say she "rescued dozens," others say "hundreds." One book notes she made about nineteen rescue trips between 1851 and 1860, and another cites the Combahee River Raid, which freed roughly 700 people.

The books highlight skills such as navigating by the North Star and other stars, reading natural signs, moving silently through woods, finding and following waterways, and working with sympathetic local helpers.

The books describe her serving as a nurse, scout, and advisor; some accounts also describe her as an armed scout and spy. Several titles note her involvement in the Combahee River Raid.

The books report she was born enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland. They give differing birth years, citing "about 1820" in one account and 1822 in another.