TOEFL Experts Reading Practice 27
In April 2016, the United States Treasury Department announced that Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) would replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. This made her the first woman in over 100 years, and the first African American ever, to appear on paper currency issued by the United States. This move was controversial, but Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew steadfastly supported the change, making it clear that he felt Tubman’s life and accomplishments deserved to be celebrated. Indeed, while Tubman was a well-known anti-slavery activist, few people outside of the academic world are aware of the extent of her efforts and suffering to help bring about the abolition of slavery. Perhaps this lack of modern-day awareness is best exemplified by the shortage of common knowledge about her efforts as a scout and spy supporting the Combahee River Raid during the American Civil War.
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in southeastern Maryland. Like most slave children, she was subject to violent punishment by her owners—even if no wrongdoing had been committed. She suffered a severe head injury at age 12 when a metal object was thrown by an owner at a slave he was attempting to punish. The object struck Tubman instead. She suffered greatly for the rest of her life as a result of this injury, with frequent severe headaches, vertigo1, seizures, and extreme drowsiness.
Tubman escaped enslavement in 1849, fleeing to Philadelphia about 150 miles to the north, where slavery was banned. Her freedom secured, she quickly made it her life’s mission to support the abolitionist movement in any way she could. She started by returning to Maryland to free her own family. Later, she continued this work, helping relatives, friends, and eventually any slave she could to flee to the North. After passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, assisting slaves who were attempting to escape custody became a serious criminal offense throughout the United States. This made Tubman’s difficult work even more perilous. However, she continued it successfully—now, she would have to help escaped slaves flee all the way to Canada, all the while risking being arrested herself.
In the late 1850s, she became more deeply involved with radical abolition efforts, helping John Brown plan his failed attack on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1859. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Tubman immediately joined the Union army, as she felt that Union victory would almost certainly end slavery. At first, she worked as a cook and field nurse, but later became involved in scouting and intelligence gathering. In January 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, a wartime measure that freed slaves from bondage. Despite this, many African Americans remained in captivity in the South, as the slave owners there continued to rebel against Lincoln and the North. Because of her widespread reputation for anti-slavery work, Tubman was able to learn critical information from slaves still in bondage in exchange for helping them to freedom. The success of the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina in June 1863 is largely due to her effectiveness in gaining knowledge about the location of Confederate defensive positions. Tubman was able to help the Union gunboats avoid ambushes as they navigated the river, simultaneously guiding the ships to locations along the riverbank where runaway slaves awaited rescue. In total, over 700 slaves were rescued by the boats, and the military objective was achieved: numerous plantations owned by prominent secessionists were raided and destroyed, with the newly rescued slaves assisting the Union soldiers.
After the war ended in 1865, slavery had been completely abolished in the United States. Tubman retired to her property in upstate New York and tended to her family and personal affairs for several decades. Later in life, she would continue her humanitarian work in different arenas. She became involved with the women’s suffrage movement, fighting for women’s right to vote, and she worked with the African Methodist church to provide assistance to elderly, poverty-stricken African Americans.
vertigo1: unsteadiness, dizziness, and/or a perception of spinning, often brought on by changing the position of one’s head
In April 2016, the United States Treasury Department announced that Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) would replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. This made her the first woman in over 100 years, and the first African American ever, to appear on paper currency issued by the United States. This move was controversial, but Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew steadfastly supported the change, making it clear that he felt Tubman’s life and accomplishments deserved to be celebrated. Indeed, while Tubman was a well-known anti-slavery activist, few people outside of the academic world are aware of the extent of her efforts and suffering to help bring about the abolition of slavery. Perhaps this lack of modern-day awareness is best exemplified by the shortage of common knowledge about her efforts as a scout and spy supporting the Combahee River Raid during the American Civil War.
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in southeastern Maryland. Like most slave children, she was subject to violent punishment by her owners—even if no wrongdoing had been committed. She suffered a severe head injury at age 12 when a metal object was thrown by an owner at a slave he was attempting to punish. The object struck Tubman instead. She suffered greatly for the rest of her life as a result of this injury, with frequent severe headaches, vertigo1, seizures, and extreme drowsiness.
Tubman escaped enslavement in 1849, fleeing to Philadelphia about 150 miles to the north, where slavery was banned. Her freedom secured, she quickly made it her life’s mission to support the abolitionist movement in any way she could. She started by returning to Maryland to free her own family. Later, she continued this work, helping relatives, friends, and eventually any slave she could to flee to the North. After passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, assisting slaves who were attempting to escape custody became a serious criminal offense throughout the United States. This made Tubman’s difficult work even more perilous. However, she continued it successfully—now, she would have to help escaped slaves flee all the way to Canada, all the while risking being arrested herself.
In the late 1850s, she became more deeply involved with radical abolition efforts, helping John Brown plan his failed attack on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1859. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Tubman immediately joined the Union army, as she felt that Union victory would almost certainly end slavery. At first, she worked as a cook and field nurse, but later became involved in scouting and intelligence gathering. In January 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, a wartime measure that freed slaves from bondage. Despite this, many African Americans remained in captivity in the South, as the slave owners there continued to rebel against Lincoln and the North. Because of her widespread reputation for anti-slavery work, Tubman was able to learn critical information from slaves still in bondage in exchange for helping them to freedom. The success of the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina in June 1863 is largely due to her effectiveness in gaining knowledge about the location of Confederate defensive positions. Tubman was able to help the Union gunboats avoid ambushes as they navigated the river, simultaneously guiding the ships to locations along the riverbank where runaway slaves awaited rescue. In total, over 700 slaves were rescued by the boats, and the military objective was achieved: numerous plantations owned by prominent secessionists were raided and destroyed, with the newly rescued slaves assisting the Union soldiers.
After the war ended in 1865, slavery had been completely abolished in the United States. Tubman retired to her property in upstate New York and tended to her family and personal affairs for several decades. Later in life, she would continue her humanitarian work in different arenas. She became involved with the women’s suffrage movement, fighting for women’s right to vote, and she worked with the African Methodist church to provide assistance to elderly, poverty-stricken African Americans.
vertigo1: unsteadiness, dizziness, and/or a perception of spinning, often brought on by changing the position of one’s head
→(P2) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in southeastern Maryland. Like most slave children, she was subject to violent punishment by her owners—even if no wrongdoing had been committed. She suffered a severe head injury at age 12 when a metal object was thrown by an owner at a slave he was attempting to punish. The object struck Tubman instead. She suffered greatly for the rest of her life as a result of this injury, with frequent severe headaches, vertigo1, seizures, and extreme drowsiness.
→(P2) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in southeastern Maryland. Like most slave children, she was subject to violent punishment by her owners—even if no wrongdoing had been committed. She suffered a severe head injury at age 12 when a metal object was thrown by an owner at a slave he was attempting to punish. The object struck Tubman instead. She suffered greatly for the rest of her life as a result of this injury, with frequent severe headaches, vertigo1, seizures, and extreme drowsiness.
→(P2) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in southeastern Maryland. Like most slave children, she was subject to violent punishment by her owners—even if no wrongdoing had been committed. She suffered a severe head injury at age 12 when a metal object was thrown by an owner at a slave he was attempting to punish. The object struck Tubman instead. She suffered greatly for the rest of her life as a result of this injury, with frequent severe headaches, vertigo1, seizures, and extreme drowsiness.
- The decision to celebrate Harriet Tubman by putting her on the United States $20 bill honors her not only for her well-known efforts to free slaves but also for her less well-known efforts in the Union army to end slavery.