Day 49: Harriet Tubman Day

Since 1990 with the passing of Public Law 101-252, the nation has celebrated Harriet Tubman Day. The holiday recognizes the day of her death, March 10th, 1913 and her life, which she dedicated to anti-slavery and voting rights.

Former president George H. W. Bush was in office.

“Her story is one of extraordinary courage and effectiveness in the movement to abolish slavery and to advance the noble ideals enshrined in our Nation's Declaration of Independence: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,’ Bush proclaimed.

“After escaping from slavery herself in 1849, Harriet Tubman led hundreds of slaves to freedom by making a reported 19 trips through the network of hiding places known as the Underground Railroad,” he continued. “For her efforts to help ensure that our Nation always honors its promise of liberty and opportunity for all, she became known as the ‘Moses of her People.’

“Serving as a nurse, scout, cook, and spy for the Union Army during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman often risked her own freedom and safety to protect that of others. After the war, she continued working for justice and for the cause of human dignity. … [W]e are deeply thankful for the efforts of this brave and selfless woman.”

She was later honored as a saint by the same Episcopal church that her former “owner” attended.

In 2021, an Obama-era call to memorialize Tubman on the $20 bill resounded with the Biden-Harris Administration, after a delay during Trump’s presidency and nearly a year of intense (and sometimes violent) race-based discourse across the country and world.

“The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes,” current White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a daily briefing within days after the inauguration. “It’s important that our … money reflects the history and diversity of our country.”