Who was the first woman to free slaves?

Asked by: Garrick Ritchie  |  Last update: June 8, 2026
Score: 4.1/5 (35 votes)

While pinpointing the absolute "first" is difficult due to historical records, Harriet Tubman is the most famous and impactful woman known for freeing slaves, personally guiding around 70 people via the Underground Railroad and leading the Combahee Ferry Raid freeing over 700 during the Civil War, making her a leading figure in abolition.

Who was the woman who freed the slaves?

Explore ten crucial facts about Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist, spy, nurse, suffragette, and former slave who worked tirelessly to free enslaved people using the Underground Railroad. Fact #1: Tubman was born into slavery in Eastern Maryland sometime between 1820 and 1821.

Who was the woman who abolished slavery?

Discover the life and contributions of Elizabeth Heyrick, a 19th-century pioneer for change. Elizabeth Heyrick's name is not widely familiar, yet she played a decisive role in one of the great campaigns in 19th-century Britain: the abolition of slavery within the British Empire in 1833.

Who was the first person to save slaves?

1850: Harriet Tubman Engineered First Rescue Mission. Abolitionist and suffragist Harriet Tubman, perhaps the most famous conductor for the Underground Railroad, engineered her first rescue mission in December of 1850. The exact date is unknown. Tubman, who had escaped slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in Sept.

How long did it take Harriet to free the slaves?

Harriet Tubman freed slaves over roughly a decade, from the early 1850s to the Civil War, personally rescuing about 70 people (mostly family and friends) in around 13-19 perilous trips into the South via the Underground Railroad, famously never losing a "passenger". While popular figures claimed she freed 300, she herself stated much lower numbers, though she did guide many others with detailed instructions to freedom as well. 

. The Woman Who Led 750 Slaves to Freedom in One Night - And America Forgot Her Namе

35 related questions found

Who led the most slaves to freedom?

Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most well-known of all the Underground Railroad's "conductors." During a ten-year span she made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom. And, as she once proudly pointed out to Frederick Douglass, in all of her journeys she "never lost a single passenger."

At what age did Linda realize she was enslaved?

The Story: Linda Brent does not realize she is enslaved until she is six years old. With her maternal grandmother, Aunt Marthy, near them, Linda lives with her parents and her brother William until her mother dies.

Who stopped slavery first in the world?

On March 16, 1792, Denmark became the first country to issue a decree to abolish their transatlantic slave trade from the start of 1803.

Did Harriet Tubman believe in Jesus?

These moments of guidance and deliverance filled Harriet with joy, thanksgiving and confidence that Jesus was truly her faithful guide and friend. Although Harriet was illiterate she had a good grasp of the Bible. We presume that she heard Scripture read out and quoted in sermons.

Which president had 600 slaves?

Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. President and author of the Declaration of Independence, enslaved over 600 Black men, women, and children during his lifetime, the most of any U.S. president, working them at his Monticello estate and even in the White House. Despite his ideals of liberty, Jefferson's life was deeply intertwined with slavery, holding people at Monticello and other properties, with around 400 enslaved at Monticello at any given time. 

Who actually stopped slavery?

Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed enslaved people in areas in rebellion against the United States. He had reinvented his "war to save the Union" as "a war to end slavery." Following that theme, this painting was sold in Philadelphia in 1864 to raise money for wounded troops.

Who was the girl who escaped slavery?

Harriet Tubman, who grew up in slavery in Dorchester County, lived, worked, and worshipped in places near the visitor center. It's from this area that she first escaped slavery, and where she returned about 13 times over a decade, risking her life time and again to lead some 70 friends and family members to freedom.

Was Mary Prince born into slavery?

The life of Mary Prince, born into slavery in Bermuda in 1788, was fairly typical. Across the West Indies, enslaved women were over-worked, flogged and abused on a regular basis. However, Mary refused to be beaten into submission.

Who was the African queen who sold slaves?

Nzinga also established a lucrative slave trade with the Dutch, who purchased as many as 13,000 slaves per year from Nzinga's kingdom. She continued to occasionally send peace overtures to the Portuguese, even suggesting a military alliance with them, but only if they supported her return to Ndongo.

Which first lady fought to end slavery?

Mary Todd Lincoln was a strong supporter of abolition as first lady, even though she came from Kentucky family that had enslaved servants and had relatives serving in the Confederate army.

Who was the first woman led raid to free slaves?

On June 2, 1863, Harriet Tubman, under the command of Union Colonel James Montgomery, became the first woman to lead a major military operation in the United States when she and 150 African American Union soldiers rescued more than 700 slaves in the Combahee Ferry Raid during the Civil War.

Who was the first person to ever escape slavery?

“Harriet Tubman,” The Sun (New York, NY), June 7, 1896, p. 5. Harriet Tubman escaped slavery on Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1849. She then returned there multiple times over the next decade, risking her life to bring others to freedom as a renowned conductor of the Underground Railroad.

How many slaves did Harriet Tubman save in her life?

Fact: According to Tubman's own words, and extensive documentation on her rescue missions, we know that she rescued about 70 people—family and friends—during approximately 13 trips to Maryland.

Who all heard the voice of God?

Through succeeding generations, many people did indeed hear the voice of God. He spoke to Cain (Genesis 4:6), to Noah (Genesis 6:13 and following), to Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3; 17:1–2), to Jacob (Genesis 28:13–15), and many times to Moses throughout Exodus.

What race was enslaved for 400 years?

People of African descent were forcibly enslaved for approximately 400 years in the Americas, beginning with the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the English colonies in 1619, marking the start of centuries of brutal chattel slavery that profoundly shaped the United States and its people.
 

Did white people end slavery?

Everyone practised slavery at that time, from the Africans themselves through the Middle East and Asians. White people did it too but it was white people who ended it and otherwise there would still be global slavery.

Why did slaves not know their age?

Slave owners often restricted their slaves' knowledge of the smallest, most inconspicuous information, such as an enslaved person's age, birth parents, or even family origin. White slaveholders did not want their slaves to know anything about or understand their personal identity.

What happened to Harriet at the age of 13?

Born into slavery on Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1822, Tubman was named Araminta by her enslaved parents, Ben and Harriet (Rit) Ross. Nearly killed at the age of 13 by a blow to her head, "Minty" recovered and grew strong and determined to be free.

What was the golden age of slavery?

The Atlantic slave trade peaked in the late 18th century when the largest number of people were captured and enslaved on raiding expeditions into the interior of West Africa.