Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman suffered greatly for the first 20 years of her life as her owners would often beat her. One went so far as to throw a weight at her head. Because of that injury, Tubman had bouts with narcolepsy for her whole life. When the plantation she worked on was to be sold, she decided to escape to the north. On her journey, Harriet Tubman encountered many who were willing to help. This "Underground Railroad" helped slaves escape to freedom. Harriet Tubman became one of the most famous "conductors" of the underground railroad. She helped hundreds of slaves escape their captors. So well known was she, that a bounty of $40,000 was placed on her head. It was a large sum of money at the time. However, she was never caught. Harriet Tubman eventually settled in upstate New York and died there in 1913.
