Emily Tubman and Refusing to Take the Path of Least Resistance

                                              A closeup of the engraved script on the Emily Tubman monument
I have mentioned in previous posts that Richard and Emily Tubman owned slaves. The American Colonization Society and the ensuing "colonization movement" was formed in the early 1800s in an effort to return freed slaves to West Africa. After Richard Tubman's death in 1836, Emily Tubman freed all of her 144 slaves. Accounts about why she freed them differ. An Augusta Chronicle article from 1985 hints that Mrs. Tubman freed her slaves after becoming part of the Augusta branch of the colonization movement. A 1989 article from The Augusta Chronicle states that Emily carried out a stipulation of husband Richard's will by freeing their 144 slaves and allowing them to stay in Augusta or go to Liberia" (Sosnin). Whatever the background reason, returning slaves to Africa was against Georgia law, so Emily's action were risky and illegal but taking a stand against slavery was the right thing to do.

Sources:
Simmons, John D. "Emily Tubman was 'Queen of Industry,' Philanthropist." The Augusta Chronicle. 9 Jun 1985, 25. 
Sosnin, Betty. "Georgia, Augusta Supported Slavery." The Augusta Chronicle. 5 Feb 1989, 9C.