Harriet Tubman
/ˌhæriət ˈtʌbmən/
/ˌhæriət ˈtʌbmən/
- (1821-1913) a US woman who was born a slave but escaped in 1849 and became active in the campaign to free slaves. She was given the nickname Moses because she helped more than 300 slaves to escape by the Underground Railroad. She also worked as a spy (= person employed to find out secret information) for the US Army during the Civil War. see also abolitionism