Press Release

March 16, 2010
CARDIN, MIKULSKI APPLAUD SENATE PASSAGE OF RESOLUTION HONORING HARRIET TUBMAN



WASHINGTON

U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and
Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today praised unanimous Senate passage of a resolution honoring the life, heroism and service of Harriet Ross Tubman, the most famous “conductor” of the anti-slavery resistance network known as the Underground Railroad.
 



 


Harriet Tubman was born in

Dorchester County
,
Maryland
, where she spent nearly 30 years as a slave.
  She escaped slavery in 1849, but returned for more than 10 years to

Dorchester

and Caroline counties where she led hundreds of African Americans to freedom.
 Known as “Moses” by African-American and white abolitionists, she reportedly never lost a “passenger” on the Underground Railroad.



 


“Harriet Tubman was a true American patriot, and today’s Senate Resolution is another way for our nation to express its appreciation of her courage and leadership in the struggle for liberty and freedom,” said
Senator Cardin.
  “For her, those concepts were very real — she lived them and dedicated herself to making sure that hundreds of others also experienced what it meant to be free.”



 


“Harriet Tubman was a courageous fighter who delivered 300 slaves to freedom on her Underground Railroad and was tireless in her commitment to fight for those who could not fight themselves.  I am proud the Senate has come together to pass this resolution honoring her memory,”
Senator Mikulski said.  “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.  Harriet Tubman knew that, and so do I.   Her legacy continues to inspire me and I am proud to fight every day for the freedom and equality she dedicated her life to.”




 


In 2009,
Senators Cardin and
Mikulski joined
Senators Charles Schumer and
Kirsten E. Gillibrand (both D-NY) in introducing
The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Act. The legislation would establish two parks, one in


Maryland
and one in
New York
. The
National
Historical
Park
in
Maryland
will trace Tubman’s early life on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where she was born and later escaped from slavery to become one of the leaders on the Underground Railroad.
  The

National
Historical
Park
in
New York
will be located in
Auburn
and will focus on her later years where she was active in the suffrage movement and in providing for the welfare of aged African Americans.
 

X