Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and political activist who was born into slavery in 1820. She escaped slavery in 1849 and subsequently made 13 missions to rescue over 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists known as the Underground Railroad. She later helped recruit men for John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry and served as a nurse, scout, and spy for the Union Army during the Civil War. Here are 59 riddles about Harriet Tubman’s life and accomplishments, along with their answers.
Riddles about Harriet Tubman’s early life
1. I was born Araminta Ross around 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland. What is my birth name?
Answer: Araminta Ross
2. My mom’s name was Harriet Green and she had 11 children. I was her _____ child.
Answer: fifth
3. My dad’s name was Ben Ross and he was owned by Anthony Thompson, which meant I was born into ________.
Answer: slavery
4. My mom worked as a _______, while my dad was a skilled woodsman.
Answer: cook
5. I started working when I was only 5 or 6 years old, watching over a _______ for a planter.
Answer: baby
6. When I was a teenager, I suffered a terrible head injury from an overseer who threw a _______ at me.
Answer: weight
7. The head injury caused me to have sleeping spells or _______ for the rest of my life.
Answer: narcolepsy
8. Around 1844, I married a free black man named _______ from a different plantation.
Answer: John Tubman
9. I changed my first name to _______ around the time I got married.
Answer: Harriet
Riddles about Harriet Tubman’s escapes and the Underground Railroad
10. In 1849, worried I’d be sold away from my family, I decided to _______.
Answer: escape slavery
11. I escaped slavery in the fall of 1849 with two of my brothers, Ben and Henry, though they decided to _______.
Answer: turn back
12. I traveled nearly 90 miles alone to reach Pennsylvania and freedom. What was the symbolic name I gave to freedom?
Answer: the Promised Land
13. Though a free woman, I returned many times to Maryland to lead other slaves to freedom via the _______.
Answer: Underground Railroad
14. I rescued around how many people from slavery over the course of 11 trips to Maryland?
Answer: 70
15. I usually led slaves to freedom in the North during the winter when the _______ were frozen.
Answer: rivers
16. To avoid detection, I often dressed as a _______, complete with bonnet and basket.
Answer: old woman
17. I used songs like “Wade in the Water” to signal to runaways when it was safe to _______.
Answer: come out
18. I threatened to _______ any runaway who wanted to turn back to slavery.
Answer: shoot them
19. This famous Underground Railroad stop provided food and shelter to me and freedom seekers.
Answer: the home of Thomas Garrett
20. For my brave efforts, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison nicknamed me the _______.
Answer: Moses of her people
Riddles about Harriet Tubman’s activism and civil war service
21. Before the Civil War, I was involved with the radical abolitionist _______, supporting his raid on Harpers Ferry.
Answer: John Brown
22. During the Civil War, I worked for the Union Army as a _______, using my covert skills to gather intelligence.
Answer: scout and spy
23. I became the first woman in American history to plan and lead a _______ for the Union Army.
Answer: military expedition
24. The Combahee River Raid I led in South Carolina freed how many slaves?
Answer: more than 700
25. I served as a _______ to black soldiers during the Civil War, tending to the injured and sick.
Answer: nurse
26. I was known as the “Black Moses” for my work leading slaves to freedom just like _______ in the Bible.
Answer: Moses
27. I worked as a _______ and laundress to earn money to support my rescue missions.
Answer: cook
28. I used coded songs like “Go Down Moses” to let slaves know I was in the area to help them _______.
Answer: escape
29. Though I stood only 5 feet tall, I was said to have the strength of someone _______.
Answer: twice my size
Riddles about Harriet Tubman’s later life
30. After the Civil War, I returned to my home in Auburn, New York where I had bought a _______ from William Seward.
Answer: home and farmland
31. I established the _______ to provide a home for aged and indigent black people.
Answer: Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged
32. I got remarried to a Civil War veteran named _______ after John Tubman died.
Answer: Nelson Davis
33. Even in my later years, I was actively involved in _______ like women’s suffrage.
Answer: political causes
34. I died of pneumonia in 1913 at around _______ years old.
Answer: 90
35. I was buried with military honors at _______ in Auburn, New York.
Answer: Fort Hill Cemetery
36. A posthumous bust was placed in the _______ in Washington DC in honor of my life and activism.
Answer: National Statuary Hall
37. A _____ passenger ferry was named after me in 2021 in New York City.
Answer: Staten Island
38. A biopic film called _______ chronicling my early life came out in 2022.
Answer: Harriet
39. Today, my legacy lives on through the _______ National Historical Park in New York and Maryland.
Answer: Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad
Riddles about facts and details from Harriet Tubman’s life
40. I stood how many feet tall?
Answer: 5 feet
41. How much was the bounty for my capture if I were found in Maryland?
Answer: $40,000
42. What hand injury did I suffer that plagued me for the rest of my life?
Answer: A head injury
43. What disease was I suffering from that caused sleeping spells?
Answer: Narcolepsy
44. How many times did I return to Maryland to help free slaves after my own escape?
Answer: Approximately 13 times
45. About how many people did I rescue from slavery through the Underground Railroad?
Answer: Around 70 people
46. During the Civil War, I worked as a scout, spy, nurse, and _______ for the Union Army.
Answer: cook
47. I led the successful Combahee River Raid in South Carolina, freeing how many slaves?
Answer: More than 700
48. Who did I work closely with during John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry?
Answer: John Brown
49. What year did I die?
Answer: 1913
50. Where is my home in Auburn, New York that I opened as a home for the elderly?
Answer: The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged
More challenging riddles about Harriet Tubman
51. I changed my birth name from Araminta Ross to Harriet around the time I married a free black man with what first name?
Answer: John
52. I supported which abolitionist’s raid on Harpers Ferry before the Civil War started?
Answer: John Brown
53. I rescued my parents, Ben and Rit Ross, from slavery in 1857, escorting them all the way to this city in Canada.
Answer: St. Catharines
54. William Still helped record my rescue missions in his book The Underground Railroad. What was his job?
Answer: He was a Philadelphia abolitionist, conductor on the Underground Railroad, and author.
55. Which famous abolitionist and former slave nicknamed me the “Moses of her people”?
Answer: William Lloyd Garrison
56. I guided fugitives to freedom in the North with help from Thomas Garrett and these two Quaker brothers.
Answer: The Rowlandson brothers
57. Which anti-slavery senator and Secretary of State sold me the property near Auburn, New York where I settled down after the Civil War?
Answer: William H. Seward
58. I rescued my three brothers from a life of slavery over several trips. What were their names?
Answer: Ben, Henry, and Robert.
59. What was the name of the first biography published about me in 1869 that brought me widespread fame?
Answer: Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman
Conclusion
Harriet Tubman lived an incredible life dedicated to freeing slaves and fighting for emancipation. Her story continues to inspire people today. I hope these 59 riddles and their answers helped shed light on her amazing journey from slave to Underground Railroad conductor to activist and Union spy. Let me know if you have any other riddles about this historical icon that you’d like me to answer!
