Harriet Tubman, the great African American abolitionist who rescued hundreds of slaves and led them to freedom was born into slavery as Araminta Harriet Ross. She escaped slavery and made it her life's mission to help other enslaved blacks escape their miserable fate and lead a life of dignity. She had a very hard childhood as she was born to parents who were bonded slaves. As a small girl she was made to do backbreaking chores and hard work, and also physically assaulted and beaten up. Once she was hit on her head so hard that she suffered from seizures, narcoleptic attacks and severe headaches all through her life. But, she was never disillusioned by the numerous problems in her life and found her calling in helping people escape slavery. She also worked as a cook, nurse and a spy for the Union Army during the American Civil War and became the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war when she led several hundreds of slaves in the Combahee River Raid. She played an active role in the women's suffrage movement in New York and spent her later years tending to her family and other people in need.