Remembering Harriet Tubman

Floor Speech

REMEMBERING HARRIET TUBMAN -- (Senate - July 15, 2009)

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise today in support of S. 227, the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Act. This legislation, which will create the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park as a part of the National Park System, will preserve one of Upstate New York's most important historic sites.

Harriet Tubman entered American life as a runaway slave from Maryland
who made history by leading hundreds of slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Although her courageous actions before and during the Civil War are well known to many Americans, Tubman's dedication to bettering the lives of former slaves after the war has been largely unrecognized in American History. In 1857, Tubman moved from Canada to Auburn, NY, where her close friend and U.S. Senator, William Seward, bravely broke the law by selling her a modest, two-story brick house. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Harriet Tubman returned to Auburn where she continued her humanitarian efforts by aiding aged African Americans and eventually opening a group home in 1908. Before her death 5 years later, the house provided refuge for 12 to 15 people. Harriet Tubman was also an active suffragist during the later years of her life. Her close proximity to Seneca Falls kept the city of Auburn a focal point in the women's rights movement. Harriet Tubman died in 1913 and is buried in the Fort Hill Cemetery overlooking the city of Auburn.

Whether it is the American Revolution, the War of 1812, or the women's rights movement, Upstate New York has been home to many of our Nation's most historic figures. Harriet Tubman's legacy is an important part of Upstate New York's history. The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Act will establish the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park to preserve many significant sites relating to her life in Auburn, such as the Tubman Home, the Tubman Home for the Aged, the Thompson Memorial AME Zion Church, and her gravesite in the Fort Hill Cemetery.

I am committed to preserving Upstate New York's historic treasures so that future generations can learn the lessons of the past by visiting the homes of the people who changed American history. Preserving Tubman's home, gravesite, and other buildings where she lived her life are essential to protecting her legacy. Harriet Tubman's impressive life story is an example of how one should fight against injustice and work to alleviate the suffering of those around them. Her courageous spirit and compassion towards others still makes her a role model nearly 100 years after her death. I am proud that Harriet Tubman made Upstate New York her home, and I will continue to support the preservation of New York's numerous historic sites.

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