>>> BEFORE WE LET YOU GO TONTD,
TODAY IS JUNETEENTH,
INDEPENDENCE DAY.
FOR SOME NOT IN THE KNOW IT'S
KNOWN AS FREEDOM DAY.
A UNIQUELY AMERICAN HOLIDAY THAT
KMEM RATES THE JUNE 19th, 1865
ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SLAVERY WOULD
BE ABOLISHED IN THE U.S. STATE
OF TEXAS, AND CELEBRATES THE
EMANCIPATION OF ENSLAVED
AFRICAN-AMERICANS THROUGH THE
CONFEDERACY.
JUNE 19th IS A SPECIAL DAY OF
OBSERVANCE IN 45 STATES.
ONE OF THE LEADERS OF ABOLITION
MOVEMENT AND FORMER SLAVE
HARRIET TUBMAN MADE 13 MISSIONS
TO RESCUE APPROXIMATELY 70
SLAVES, FAMILY AND FRIENDS FROM
BONDAGE, PULLING TOGETHER A
GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO WERE
FIERCELY PASSIONATE ABOUT ENDING
SLAVERY.
WITH THEIR HELP, TUBMAN USING A
NETWORK OF SAFE HOUSE OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS THE UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD BECAME KNOWN AS THE
MOST HE IS OF HER PEOPLE WHO
NEVER LOST A PASSENGER ON THEIR
WAY TO FREEDOM.
BUT FEW KNOW TUBMAN'S HISTORY
HERE IN NEW YORK.
SPECIFICALLY, AUBURN, A PLACE
JUST 4.5 HOURS NORTHWEST OF
MANHATTAN THAT EVENTUALLY BECAME
HER HOME.
IT'S THE TOWN WHERE SHE LIVED
OUT LATER YEARS, CONTINUED TO
HELP OTHERS AND BECAME AN ACTIVE
MEMBER OF THE ZION CHURCH AND
THE LOCATION THAT WOULD BECOME
HER FINAL RESTORING PLACE.
BUT HER LEGACY CONTINUES LONG
AFTER HER PASSING.
WHEN SHE PASSED IN 1913 SHE LEFT
THE PROPERTY TO THE CHURCH SHE
LOVED, THE TUB MANY HOUSE WAS
TLARD A LANDMARK IN 1974 WITH
THE AME ZION CHURCH SHOURLDING
THE BULK OF THE MAINTENANCE.
THEN IN 2014, PRESIDENT BARACK
OBAMA SIN SIGNED A MEASURE
MAKING THE HOME AND THE TUBMAN
HOMESTEAD PART OF THE NATIONAL
PARK SERVICE.
>> THIS IS THE ONLY AREA IN THE
NATION -- A LOT OF PLACES CLAIM
HARRIET TUBMAN.
HER NAME IS POPULAR NOW.
BUT THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE
HARRIET TUBMAN LIVED WORKED AND
DIED.
ALL OF HER ART FACTS ARE HERE IN
THIS AREA IN CONJUNCTION WITH
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY WE ARE
TRYING TO RESTORE FOR A LARGER
MUSEUM.
WE WILL BE RIGHT HERE IN AUBURN,
NEW YORK, MAKING SURE THAT THE
LEGACY AND THE LAND ON WHICH SHE
SERVED AND WORKED AND DIED WILL
BE PRESERVED FOREVER.
IT WAS NEW YORK THAT GAVE
SOLACE, COMFORT, RESOURCES,
MONEY AND PHYSICAL HELP.
THE JOHN BROWN WAS A MEDICAL
CENTER ON THIS SAME PROPERTY
THAT HARRIET TUBMAN STARTED SO
THAT PERSONS COULD RECEIVE THE
KIND OF MEDICAL TREATMENT THAT
THEY HAD BEEN DENIED THE TIMES
THAT THEY WERE IN SLAVERY OR THE
MALADIES AND ILLNESSES THAT THEY
MAY HAVE THE CONTRACTED COMING
THE GREAT DISTANCE BY FOOT, MOST
OF THE TIME, THAT THEY HAD TO
MAKE IN ORDER TO GET TO NEW
YORK.
NEW YORK WAS THE LAST BASTION OF
REST FOR THEM BEFORE MAKING THAT
FINAL PUSH INTO CANADA.
>> 1859, THE PROPERTY WE ARE ON
RIGHT NOW WAS ACQUIRED BY
TUBMAN.
NOT ONLY TO LIVE OUT HER FINAL
DAYS BUT TO BUILD A PLACE WHERE
PERSONS WHO WERE AT RETIREMENT,
BEFORE SOCIAL SECURITY COULD
FIND A PLACE WHERE THEY COULD
PEND THEIR FINAL DAYS.
THIS IS SACRED GROUND.
>> YES.
>> THIS IS HOLY GROUND.
>> WE ARE TRYING TO RESTORE NOW
THE OLD BRICK HOUSE THAT YOU SEE
UP HERE.
THAT'S IN THE PROCESS NOW OF
RESTORATION.
GOVERNOR CUOMO HAS PROMISED
FUNDS FROM THE STATE AND THE
LEGISLATURE HAS BEEN VERY
COOPERATIVE IN ASSISTING US SO
THAT WE COULD RESTORE THE HOME
AND THE BARN, HER BARN.
THEY CAN EXPECT SOME PICTURES
AND ART I FACTS OF HISTORY THAT
THEY HAD NOT SEEN.
THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SEE SOME OF
THE ACTUAL FURNITURE, THE ACTUAL
BIBLE OF HARRIET TUBMAN.
THEY HAVE ALL OF THESE SMALL
MEMENTOS OF HER LIFE IN
SNIPPETS.
WE ARE IN THE PROCESS HOWEVER OF
PROPOSING A MUCH LARGER WELCOME
CENTER WHEN WE HAVE THE
NECESSARY FUNDING TO MAKE IT
HAPPEN.
>> SHE GOT UP EARLY.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> BEFORE THE BREAK OF DAY.
WHEN I HEARD ABOUT HARRIET
TUBMAN, SHE WAS A BAD SISTER.
OH, YES, SHE WAS.
BECAUSE HARRIET TUBMAN HAD A WAY
IN WHICH SHE WOULD LEAVE ON
SATURDAY NIGHT.
BECAUSE IF SHE LEFT ON SATURDAY
NIGHT NEWSPAPERS WOULD NOT
REPORT RUN AWAYS UNTIL MONDAY
MORNING.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> THIS PROCESS, COME TO THIS
PLACE, BEING ON THE GROUND,
LOOKING AT AT ARTIFACTS HAVE
GIVE AND REED SENSE OF
CONNECTION WITH THIS PERSON WHO
WE THINK OF BEING LARGER THAN
LIFE.
BUT HARRIET TUBMAN WAS ONLY
4'11".
SO MAJORITY LUTHER KING JUNIOR
NOT GREAT OF STATURE PHYSICALLY
BUT GREAT OF PROMINENCE AND
156
00:05:08,875
GREAT OF CHARACTER.
