Harriet Tubman was an American hero. She was born into in Maryland around 1822. She went on to help countless people. Even 200 years later, people still know Tubman’s name and all that she did. And now, three new U.S. coins are telling the story of her life.
Each coin focuses on a different time. The silver dollar shows Tubman as part of the Underground Railroad. That railroad wasn’t about trains. It was a system of people and hiding places. It helped people get from slavery in the southern states to freedom in the north. Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849. Then, she went back to get others. Tubman guided about 70 people to freedom.
One side of the dollar coin shows Tubman. Her palm is out as if offering a hand. The other side shows people crossing a bridge of hands. A star called the Big Dipper is in the sky. It points to the North Star. The North Star always shows the direction of north. Enslaved people could use it to go the right way.
The U.S. Civil War started in 1861. The northern Union and the southern states fought over slavery. Tubman worked as a spy for the Union Army. That time is on a new half dollar coin. One side features Tubman and two boats. On the other, Tubman holds a over the words “Combahee River Raid.” In that raid, Tubman led 150 African American soldiers. They rescued more than 700 enslaved people in South Carolina!
Then, there is a $5 gold coin. It shows Tubman looking to the future. The other side has two hands holding onto another — a sign of Tubman’s aid to others.
The three coins can be spent, but they are really meant to be collected. Because of this, the coins cost more than their values. It costs $50 for a set with all three. The extra money will go to two museums. They are the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, New York.
Ventris Gibson is the director of the U.S. . “Every coin produced by the Mint helps to tell a story or connects us to a special memory,” she said. “We hope this program will honor the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman.”
Updated January 8, 2024, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Ashley Morgan
