She passed away 110 years ago today!
Harriet Tubman is probably one of the most notable and prolific abolitionists in United States History. Born into slavery in 1820 near Bucktown, Maryland, Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849. She found work as a cook and became the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad, making numerous trips back down South to help free other enslaved people. Nicknamed Black Moses, Tubman later served as a spy for the Union army during the Civil War.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZcoQj7sdI0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
While many of us may know the gist of Tubman’s story, there are many particulars that we may not know and are continuing to learn everyday. That’s even more of a reason to make sure we pass the knowledge on early and often to the children, with hopes that it won’t take them so long to understand our history and the sacrifices of freedom fighters like Harriet Tubman. To help you in your efforts to teach the babies and extend the knowledge to other family and friends, here are 5 kid-friendly places in the U.S. that will teach your family things they never learned about Harriet Tubman.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmMa7VpHXSC/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center
This center is located in Church Creek, Maryland and offers self-guided pre-booked experiences to learn about Tubman’s life and legacy. The park features a theater, museum store, and garden area spotlighting some of Tubman’s accomplishments. There is also more information about her work during the Civil War and a list of all the formerly enslaved people that she helped escape to freedom. This is also the site of the newly discovered home of Harriet Tubman’s father.
National Museum of African American History & Culture
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C. is another great place to learn of Tubman’s work. They have personal relics from Tubman, such as the shawl given to her by Queen Victoria and her hymnal book. There is also a lot of information about Tubman’s impact on justice work and ways that she’s been posthumously honored since her death more than a century ago.
Harriet Tubman National Historic Park
After escaping to freedom and going back for her family members, Tubman eventually settled in Auburn, New York in 1859. Central New York was a hub for abolitionist and women’s suffrage work, and Tubman continued to do her part to advocate for those causes while making her home in the North. The historic park is located on Tubman’s former farm in Auburn, New York and includes private property and property owned by the National Park Service. The Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church can also be found at the park. Tubman helped raise funds for the building of the church, and her funeral took place there when she passed in 1913. The park is full of activities for families and information about her work and family there. The Fort Hill cemetery, where Tubman is buried, is also located near the park.
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway is probably the most comprehensive educational experience that exists to educate and honor Tubman. The scenic driving tour can be taken alone or with a guide, and it stretches 125 miles through Dorchester and Caroline Counties in Maryland before taking you another 98 miles into Delaware, ending in Philadelphia, where Tubman first gained her freedom.
The tour includes more than 30 sites that include outdoor markers. Included in the Byway is the Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, the Harriet Tubman Memorial Garden, the Tubman Museum & Educational Center, the Dorchester County Courthouse, which features a bronze sculpture of the abolitionist, Webb Cabin, Brodess Farm, Bucktown General Store, Tuckahoe Neck Meeting House and the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park.
Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey
The Harriet Tubman Museum is located in Cape May, New Jersey and just recently opened its doors. It’s the newest edition celebrating Tubman’s legacy and takes a unique look at the work she did while living in Cape May in the early 1850s. It was there that Tubman raised money working in hotels and as a cook to execute her Underground Railroad trips, eventually leading freedom seekers to Canada. The museum highlights the critical role Cape May played in the Underground Railroad and why anti-slavery abolitionists like Tubman called Cape May home.
Let’s keep Tubman’s legacy alive for future generations! Because of her, we can!
5 kid-friendly places in the U.S. that’ll teach your family things they never learned about Harriet Tubman/ “Take My Hand” mural at the Harriet Tubman Museum/Photo Courtesy of Harriet Tubman Byway