Transcript
Lindsey Graham (0:00)
There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad free. Listen with Wondry plus in the Wondery app as a member of Noiser plus at noiser.com or in Apple Podcasts. Or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts@intohristory.com It's April 27, 1860, outside a courthouse in Troy, New York. On the courthouse steps, a quiet black woman wearing a bonnet stands among a furious crowd. Half the people here back slavery. The other half are abolitionists. But the woman, Harriet Tubman, remains calm among the frenzy instead of joining in with the shouting and abuse. She watches the courthouse door patiently. Harriet is waiting for a man named Charles Nall. Born on a plantation in Virginia, Charles escaped slavery two years ago and traveled north. In the past, enslaved men and women who managed to cross into Northern states were considered free. But thanks to the Fugitive slave Act of 1850, now all escapees are considered outlaws for life, and Northern states are obligated to return them to their enslavers. This is what is about to happen to Charles Nall, unless Harriet can stop it. The courthouse doors open and Charles appears. He's handcuffed and limp, held between two stern police officers. Immediately, the crowd surges forward. The police officers strike out with their batons, forcing the crowd back. Then they muscle Charles down the stairs toward a carriage waiting to carry him back to Virginia. But as the officers pass Harriet, she makes her move. In a flash, she launches herself at one of the officers, sending him tumbling down the steps. Following Harriet's lead, the rest of the abolitionists rush in and wrestle the other officer to the ground. Harriet then jumps to her feet and grabs Charles. She pulls him through the abolitionist side of the crowd and they sprint away from the courthouse toward a nearby river. There, a boat is waiting for them with two strong men ready at the oars, Harriet ushers Charles toward the boat, and as he clambers aboard, Harriet glances behind her. The crowd of abolitionists are keeping the police and the pro slavery mob away from the riverbank for now, but she knows they don't have much time. With her foot, she gives the boat a helping push. The two oarsmen begin rowing toward the opposite bank of the river, where Harriet has ensured that another wagon will be waiting there to carry Charles away from the police, away from the mob, and at last to freedom. In the 1860s, America is tumbling toward civil war. At the heart of the deepening divide between the states is the issue of slavery. There is a growing abolitionist movement that seeks to end the cruel institution of slavery, and few among its ranks are more famous in the north or more hated in the south than Harriet Tubman. She's helped dozens of enslaved men and women, but her most important escape was her own, when she first slipped the chains of servitude that had bound her all her life on September 17, 1849. History Daily is sponsored by A Truby. Lately you may have been hearing about a serious but rare heart condition called attr Cardiac Amyloidosis or ATTR cm. Because symptoms can be similar to other heart conditions, it may take time to be diagnosed diagnosed, but learning more about ATTRCM and a treatment called Atrube, also called Acharamatis, could be important for you or a loved one. A Truby is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with ATTRCM to reduce death and hospitalization due to heart issues. In one study, people taking a truby saw an impact on their health related quality of life and 50% fewer hospitalizations due to heart issues than people who didn't take a truby, giving you more chances to do what you love with who you love. Tell your doctor if you're pregnant, plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding and about the medications you take. The most common side effects were mild and included diarrhea and abdominal pain. If you have AttRCM, talk to your cardiologist about a Truby or visit attruby.com, that's attruby.com to learn more.
