Introduce Grade 2 students to Harriet Tubman, one of North America's most courageous and influential leaders.
This easy-to-read passage teaches young learners about bravery, helping others, and standing up for what is right. Perfect for social studies, reading comprehension, and Black History Month, this printable worksheet helps students learn about an inspiring historical figure.
Harriet Tubman — Reading Comprehension Practice
0 / 6
Read the biography, then try the questions. Every answer is in the text above them, so if you are not sure, go back and look rather than guessing. Some of these words are hard — that is what the explanations are for.
Harriet Tubman
Abolitionist, Freedom Fighter & ‘Moses of Her People’
Born: c. 1822 — Dorchester County, Maryland
Harriet Tubman is one of the most courageous figures in American history. Born into slavery, she escaped to freedom and then risked her life many times to lead others to freedom through the Underground Railroad.
Harriet was born in Maryland as a slave. She suffered greatly, including a severe head injury that caused lifelong headaches and sudden sleeping spells. But her spirit could not be broken.
In 1849, Harriet escaped alone, following the North Star through dangerous woods and swamps to reach Pennsylvania, a free state. But freedom for herself was not enough — she returned South at least 13 times.
She guided roughly 70 enslaved people to freedom along the secret network of safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. She was called ‘Moses’ because she led her people out of bondage, and she never lost a single person on her journeys.
During the Civil War, she served as a spy and military leader for the Union Army. After the war, she continued fighting for women’s voting rights. She died at approximately 91 years old.
Question 1
What lifelong effects did Harriet’s head injury cause?
Headaches and sudden sleeping spells — for the rest of her life. Hold that next to the thirteen journeys back: she did all of it while unwell.
Question 2
What did Harriet follow to reach Pennsylvania in 1849?
The North Star. The last option is the trap: the Underground Railroad was not a railway and not a thing you could follow — it was a network of safe houses, which the next paragraph explains.
Question 3
Roughly how many enslaved people did Harriet guide to freedom?
About 70, over at least 13 journeys — and the passage adds the detail that matters most: she never lost a single person.
Question 4
Why was Harriet called ‘Moses’?
Because she led her people out of bondage. It is a comparison to the Moses of the Bible, who led his people out of slavery — a nickname that is really an argument about what she did.
Question 5 — select all that apply
Select every thing the passage says Harriet Tubman did, then press Check.
Escaped alone, went back at least 13 times, and spied for the Union Army. She also campaigned for women’s voting rights after the war — the passage never has her stopping.
Question 6 — put them in order
Click these in the order the passage tells them.
The injury, the escape in 1849, the journeys back, then the Civil War. Each step is harder than the one before it, which is the point the passage is making.
Think about it — from the worksheet
How did Harriet Tubman escape from slavery, and what did she do after gaining her freedom?
What was the Underground Railroad? Describe how it worked based on the text.
Why was Harriet Tubman called ‘Moses’? Do you think the nickname fits her? Explain your answer.