HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 92-4767, by Representatives J. Kohl, Wineberry, Franklin, Prentice, Locke, Anderson, Pruitt, Wang, Fraser, Ebersole, Valle, Miller, G. Cole, Scott, Belcher, Wood and Paris

    WHEREAS, The Legislature has made it a tradition to recognize people of great courage and conviction; and

    WHEREAS, The life of fugitive slave Harriet Tubman was marked by countless acts of courage and self-sacrifice fighting for an end to slavery; and

    WHEREAS, As a slave, Harriet Tubman struck a course for freedom herself in 1849, leaving the South for Philadelphia where she began working as a free citizen in a local hotel; and

    WHEREAS, Despite great risk to herself, she crossed into the South some nineteen times to lead other slaves to freedom; and

    WHEREAS, Harriet Tubman worked closely with antislavery stalwarts associated with the Underground Railroad, particularly the Quaker Thomas Garrett of Wilmington, Delaware and the Black Leader William Still of Philadelphia, who later wrote that in ". . . courage, shrewdness and disinterested exertions to rescue her fellowmen . . . she was without her equal"; and

    WHEREAS, Her daring exploits caused the rewards for her capture to reach $40,000; and

    WHEREAS, During the Civil War, Harriet Tubman served as a spy and scout for the Union Army, often crossing behind Confederate Lines to secure military intelligence; and

    WHEREAS, She also served as a nurse during the war, bringing aid and comfort to the sick and wounded; and

    WHEREAS, After returning home from the war Harriet Tubman continued to serve others with little thought of self, caring for her aging parents and other helpless older people, forming the Harriet Tubman Home for Indigent Aged Negroes, which continued several years after her death; and

    WHEREAS, Herself illiterate and without a day of schooling, she promoted the establishment of freedmen's schools in the South; and

    WHEREAS, She also spoke up for the rights of women and participated in the suffrage effort; and

    WHEREAS, Despite her heroic efforts on behalf of the Union Army, she was denied compensation for her wartime efforts, because compensation was not required under any recognized law; and

    WHEREAS, Her faith in herself led her to resubmit a petition requesting $1,800 for "three years' service as nurse and cook in hospitals, and as commander of eight to nine men as scouts during the Civil War"; and

    WHEREAS, Congress finally enacted a bill in her favor, granting her twenty dollars a month for life for her services; and

    WHEREAS, The great Frederick Douglass wrote to her, "Excepting John Brown of sacred memory - I know of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than you have"; and

    WHEREAS, Throughout history women of courage have frequently been overlooked and their contributions and sacrifice have gone unrecognized;

    NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives join others nation-wide in recognizing the anniversary of her death, Tuesday, March 10, as Harriet Tubman Day and to honor Harriet Tubman for her great courage and fearless efforts on behalf of freedom.

                   I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of

                   Resolution 4767 adopted by the House of Representatives

                                        March 9,1992.

                               ________________________________

                                 Alan Thompson, Chief Clerk