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Writer's pictureBrian Powers

Episode 18 - The Raid

What I like about this story is that the general idea of who Harriet Tubman was gelled around her work as a famous Conductor on the Underground Railroad, and while that was, indeed, incredible, the story of the Combahee Ferry Raid only amplifies her intelligence, her bravery, and her commitment to giving freedom to as many enslaved people as she could. She was a genuine, straight-up BADA**.


There's more to the story, too - she was down in South Carolina during the Port Royal Experiment, the first major attempt at helping the formerly enslaved forge a life after bondage. It was a fascinating moment in time, and Harriet Tubman knew where she needed to be - right in the heart of it.

And yet, it is 100% unsurprising that she fought for the money she was owed for thirty years - $1800 - and was rebuffed by the government at every turn. She could only help plan and execute a truly daring military maneuver, but she couldn't be paid as an equal. Also, she named herself "Harriet" in honor of her mother. Tubman wasn't her final last name, either - she took the last name of her second husband, Nelson Davis. But her fame came as Tubman, so that's how it is in the history books.


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