On a dark, cold night, Harriet Tubman was leading a group of runaway slaves through the Maryland woods when they came across an unexpected river. With no path or boat to cross it, Tubman ordered her followers to wade the river on foot. Despite her groups reservations, Tubman trudged across, leading the way. Harriet Tubman took many risks like this in leading runaway slaves to freedom. As a former slave, Tubman made it her life's work to fight slavery and, through her work on the Underground Railroad, she became an American hero.