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Today's history lesson is about our ancestor, Mother Harriet Tubman:

Let's kick off Juneteenth by celebrating Mother Harriet Tubman-Davis (aka Harriet Tubman)! Tubman was the last name of her first husband. Davis was the last name of her second husband. Her headstone reads, Harriet Tubman-Davis.

Most of us know Mother Harriet as an Underground Railroad conductor. She is believed to have freed 70-300 people in this role. Fewer of us know her for her work with Union soldiers during the US Civil War. She served as a cook, nurse, laundress, scout, and spy. She was also the first woman to lead an armed military raid on behalf of the US government. She co-led the assault at Combahee Ferry, freeing approximately 800 enslaved people.

Mother Harriet received media coverage for her work and was called a “hero”; yet, the government refused to pay her a pension because they "had no documentation" of her work. Even so, they did give her a one-time sum of $200.

Though advocates wrote letters petitioning the government for Mother Harriet to be paid a soldier’s pension, she was never paid as a soldier. Nelson Davis, Mother Harriet’s husband and a former Union soldier, received a monthly pension.

After he passed, Mother Harriet received an $8/month widow’s pension.

At 78-years old and after almost 35 years of petitioning, Mother Harriet’s pay was increased to $20/month: $8/month for her widow’s pension and $12/month for her services as a nurse.

Sources
1) Harriet Tubman’s Three-Decade Battle for a Federal Pension - Government Executive (govexec.com)
2) Compensation for Civil War Services : Harriet Tubman (harriet-tubman.org)
3) Congress and Harriet Tubman’s Claim for a Pension – Education Updates (archives.gov)
4) https://visitdorchester.org/what-your-textbooks-didnt-tell-you-about-harriet-tubman/
5) Harriet Tubman: Life, Liberty and Legacy | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)

Let's also give a BIG shout out to for their artwork. They created this lovely, colored version of Mother Harriet. If you have never seen their work, check them out at: https://www.youtube.com/c/RoyaltyNowStudios

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