Saw “Harriet” this weekend. Although I knew about her, most pictures I had seen were of her as an older woman. This movie brought her to life as a young vibrant woman determined to free as many people as she could. It gave a glimpse of what life was like during slavery, and made me appreciate all the more Tubman’s courage and ingenuity in not only escaping the first time, but what it must have taken to return to Maryland repeatedly to free others. It was made clear what dire consequences awaited her if she were caught and I was on the edge of my seat every time she led yet another group to safety. The movie also touches on her later life as a Union spy during the a Civil War, a Union army raid she led during that war, and her later work in the women’s suffrage movement.
The movie did take some dramatic license with the facts. There were composite characters and some scenes that never actually happened. There was also some heavy-handed directorial choices - at one point she literally rides off into the sunset on a white horse. But all in all it was a good movie that I can highly recommend.
If you’re interested in Harriet Tubman, take a day trip and check out the Harriet Tubman and Underground Railroad National Historical Park (run by NPS) near the Blackwater Refuge outside Cambridge, and also the privately run Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge. I’ve been to both and learned a lot about this remarkable woman.
