Harriet Tubman's unpaid pension

Harriet Tubman earned her spot in American history. Born into slavery, she freed herself, then helped free hundreds of others through the Underground Railroad.

But even though she served in the Civil War as a spy and a scout in the Union Army, neither she nor her descendants ever received a military pension for her service. . .

This week, the United States Senate made an effort to remedy the problem, by including $11,750 in an appropriations bill at the urging of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. If President Bush signs the bill, which has already been approved by the House, the money will be used to help maintain the Harriet Tubman Home, a historic site in Auburn, a small city between Rochester and Syracuse where Mrs. Tubman lived for many years.

Apparently the amount represents the sum she was shorted on her husband's pension, rather than the pension she was due herself. This may be an ongoing story. From the NY Times.

Posted by David on November 1, 2003 9:19 PM