Ninth Graders Study Harriet Tubman and Design Versions of $20 Bill

While studying Harriet Tubman and her work on the Underground Railroad, Steven Baumann’s ninth grade U.S History class discussed U.S. government plans to feature her on the $20 bill. Students designed their own versions of the bill with moments and messages they thought best represented her efforts. The students used images from the movie Harriet and created their own designs with historical images as well. Most were impressed with her work as a leader of a military raid during the Civil War that freed nearly 700 enslaved African Americans in South Carolina (the images with the guns), while others were impressed with the fortitude she showed in running away for her own freedom and returning to help others escape slavery.