Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • Harriet Tubman: An African-American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, she escaped and subsequently made numerous missions to rescue enslaved people using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.

Usage

• Proper noun:
  • Harriet Tubman is celebrated as a hero of the abolitionist movement.
  • The biography details the courageous life of Harriet Tubman.

Advanced Usage

• "to follow the North Star like Harriet Tubman": to pursue freedom or a guiding principle with determination and courage.
  • Facing injustice, they were inspired to follow the North Star like Harriet Tubman.

Variants and Related Words

• Conductor (on the Underground Railroad): A guide who led enslaved people to freedom.
  • Harriet Tubman was the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad.
• Moses (figurative nickname): A biblical allusion comparing her role in leading people to freedom to the prophet Moses.
  • They called her "Moses" for leading her people to freedom.

Synonyms

• Abolitionist: A person who advocated for the abolition of slavery.
• Liberator: A person who sets others free from oppression or confinement.

Related Phrases

• "on the Underground Railroad": participating in the secret network to help enslaved people escape.
  • Harriet Tubman risked her life working on the Underground Railroad.

Related Idioms

• "a Tubman-like resolve": possessing extraordinary determination and courage in the face of great danger, especially for a moral cause.
  • The activists showed a Tubman-like resolve in their fight for human rights.

Noun

1. United States abolitionist born a slave on a plantation in Maryland and became a famous conductor on the Underground Railroad leading other slaves to freedom in the North (1820-1913)