Harriet Tubman's Boston: 1860

The following article is part of a series exploring Harriet Tubman's deep connections to Boston, highlighting several key moments, people, and places that illustrate her long relationship with the city and its community. To learn more, visit Harriet Tubman's Boston.

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Melodeon Hall stood next to the Academy of Music on Washington Street, a little over a block away from the Boston Common.

1863 "Plan of Boston," Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library.

"Woman's Rights Meeting"

Melodeon Hall, 361 Washington Street

While continuing her work on the Underground Railroad, Tubman also became involved in the women's suffrage movement. On Friday, June 1, 1860, she spoke at the "Woman's Rights Meeting" held at the Melodeon. Again concealing her identity in a public gathering, she assumed the name, "Moses," and shared the stage with other reformers including Caroline Dall, Caroline Severance, and William Lloyd Garrison. The Liberator reported:

A colored woman of the name of Moses, who herself a fugitive, has eight times returned to the slave States for the purpose of rescuing others from bondage, and who has met with extraordinary success in her efforts, was then introduced. She told the story of her adventures in a modest but quaint and amusing style, which won much applause.¹

Like many radical abolitionists, Tubman believed in equality for all people and threw her powerful voice and support behind the struggle for women's rights.

Previous Article: December 2, 1859

Next Article: 1862

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Footnotes

1. Liberator, July 6, 1860.