I’m not sure what kids should be taught about Tubman. Generally, I don’t think hero stories have much to say on society or history. Tubman makes for a good exception, as her story teaches the lesson that African-Americans and women were not merely passive objects of history but people who made their own decisions. It also teaches us that there are things that even the supposedly powerless can do. Even so, how much of her actual biography belongs in a social studies text?
What are they actually taught about MvM?
I’m not sure what kids should be taught about Tubman. Generally, I don’t think hero stories have much to say on society or history. Tubman makes for a good exception, as her story teaches the lesson that African-Americans and women were not merely passive objects of history but people who made their own decisions. It also teaches us that there are things that even the supposedly powerless can do. Even so, how much of her actual biography belongs in a social studies text?