Harriet Tubman: A Life in American History - Paperback

by Kerry Walters (Author)

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.

Author Biography

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.