Tubman's Visionary Quest

Harriet Tubman suffered a violent head injury as a child, which caused her to frequently slip into sleep-like states that produced vivid dreamlike hallucinations. Tubman interpreted these as messages from God and devoted her life to freeing Southern slaves through the Underground Railroad. She carried a gun with her and used opium to keep small children quiet while smuggling them. If a runaway slave threatened to go back to the plantation, she would threaten to shoot them dead.