Harriet Tubman was the most famous 'conductor' on the Underground Railroad, personally leading approximately 70 enslaved people to freedom over 13 missions into the South. Born into slavery in Maryland, Tubman escaped in 1849 and then repeatedly risked her life returning to guide others north.
Tubman's courage was legendary—she carried a pistol to discourage any who might turn back, and slaveholders offered a $40,000 bounty for her capture. During the Civil War, she served as a spy, scout, and nurse for the Union Army, and led the Combahee River Raid, freeing over 700 enslaved people—the first woman to lead an armed assault in American history.
After the war, Tubman settled in Auburn, New York, where she supported women's suffrage and established a home for elderly African Americans. Her deeply Christian faith motivated her activism. She became an icon of American freedom, though she lived in poverty until her death. Her face will appear on the $20 bill, replacing Andrew Jackson.