A ROAD TRIPS: DISCOVER THE STORY OF FREEDOM s far back as the “New World” and Civil War, many have pursued freedom. From the site of Frederick Douglass’ escape at Baltimore’s President Street Station to hidden locales of the Underground Railroad, discover the state’s significant role in America’s struggle for equality. Trace the story of freedom on historic byways across scenic Maryland landscapes. HARRIET TUBMAN’S MARYLAND Among the state’s most courageous native-born citizens, and an accomplished activist, Harriet Tubman led the abolitionist movement, stood among the suffragists, continually fought for human rights and was most famously a lead conductor on the Underground Railroad. Born enslaved in Dorchester County in the early 1820s, Tubman emerged from a brutal childhood marred by adversity and a traumatic head injury that would afflict her for the rest of her life to become one of America’s most significant and revered historical figures. In her late 20s, Tubman escaped to the North and almost immediately began making return visits to Maryland, risking her own liberty and assisting enslaved family members and friends in pursuit of their freedom. Tubman came to be known as the “Moses of her people” for leading so many others to freedom. Tubman’s life story is celebrated at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center and State Park in Church Creek and can be further explored on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. This self-guided driving tour winds for more than 125 miles along the Eastern Shore, highlighting three dozen points of interest throughout Harriet Tubman’s life. Regarded as one of America’s most prominent and influential orators, abolitionists, statesmen and chroniclers of the slavery experience (his autobiography is considered the definitive narrative on the subject), Frederick Douglass was born on a farm between Hillsboro and Cordova, Maryland, in Talbot County on the Eastern Shore. The child of a white slave master father and an enslaved African-American mother, Douglass was a self-educated, voracious reader and writer at an early age and credited his studies as a “pathway from slavery to freedom.” Douglass’ path can be traced on the Frederick Douglass Driving Tour, which includes stops at the Banneker-Douglass Museum, located near the State House in Annapolis. Named for Douglass and free African-American almanac author Benjamin Banneker, and located in the former Mount Moriah African-American Methodist Episcopal Church, the museum is considered the state’s premier collection of African-American history and culture. WALKING WITH FREDERICK DOUGLASS PHOTOS: VISIT DORCHESTER; VISIT BALTIMORE DOWNLOAD THE BLIPPAR APP FOR ROAD TRIP VIDEO EXPERIENCE Meet Harriet Tubman and Follow in Her Footsteps Trace Harriet Tubman’s life and learn about her courageous acts with a drive along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway. 26 ✥ VISITMARYLAND.ORG | 1-877-333-4455
Maryland Official Visitors Guide 2019 Maryland Official Visitors Guide: Page 26
