Born into slavery on a Maryland plantation in 1822, feisty Harriet (born "Araminta" and nicknamed "Minty") endured whippings, beatings, and a skull-fracturing head wound at the hands of abusive plantation owners.  She escaped to freedom in 1849, worked as a housekeeper in Philadelphia, but could not forget the enslaved.

A deeply religious woman, she decided to do something about their plight, making a total of thirteen very dangerous trips south to lead slaves (including her elderly parents) to freedom in the north, often taking them as far as Canada.  "I never ran my train off the track and never lost a passenger," she said.  Estimates on the number of slaves she freed run from seventy to three hundred.  (Harriet herself claimed the lower figure.) The Civil War found Harriet serving the Union Army first as a nurse for fugitive slaves and then as head of an espionage and scout unit.   In the post-war era, she befriended Susan B. Anthony, worked for women's suffrage, and founded a home for the elderly and indigent. Pneumonia claimed her life in 1913. This inspiring woman led countless men, women, and children to freedom while embodying perseverance, courage, hope, and an unwavering commitment to justice.