The Metro: How religion compelled Harriet Tubman to fight for freedom

What do you know about Harriet Tubman, her life and contribution to helping others escape enslavement?  What is known comes from the numerous accounts of her heroism through the biographers and people who knew her personally. 

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery and grew up in one of this country’s darkest periods. She is often compared to Moses and described as a one woman army. 

She was a landowner, a civil war spy and hero, as well as an ecologist. Most notably, Harriet Tubman guided over 70 people to freedom. So, who or what was guiding her?

How did a woman who was born into such a physically and mentally abusive time accomplish such great feats? 

Tiya Miles is a professor of history at Harvard University. She wrote “Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People,” a biographical look into Harriet Tubman’s life. Miles joined The Metro to talk about Harriet Tubman’s religion bolstered her and helped her achieve the great feats we remember her for.