Harriet Tubman’s NY Home to Be Turned Into National Park

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Now that our very own Moses, Harriet Tubman, has been confirmed to appear on the $20 bill, her home in upstate New York is one step closer to becoming a National Historical Park, reports the Associated Press

After the Civil War, Tubman retired to her home in Auburn, N.Y., the site of the proposed National Park.

Tubman (née Araminta Ross) was born into slavery in Maryland, escaped as an adult and subsequently made some 13 missions back to Maryland to rescue 70 enslaved families and friends, using the network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.

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When the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse and then as an armed scout and spy. The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 slaves and helped John Brown recruit men for his 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry in Virginia.

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New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand reportedly hailed the signing of the agreement, which came two days after the U.S. Treasury Department announced that Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill.

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Schumer said the park could open by the end of the year.

Read more at the Associated Press.