Points of View

Clinton uses an omniscient, third person point of view in Harriet Tubman: Road to Freedom. This voice is typical of historical biographies and allows Clinton to place Tubman within the context of the time period in which she lived. While the focus of the work is on Tubman, Clinton also uses this voice to trace several other individuals and their relationships to Tubman. For example, Clinton discusses other historical figures such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, including their backgrounds and how their lives intersected with Tubman's.

The third person point of view also gives the work an authoritative and knowledgeable voice, which provides a great deal of interpretation for the reader. Clinton does discuss some speculative points and offers that, because of the lack of knowledge, some aspects of Tubman's life will probably remain unknown. She usually makes clear when she is offering speculation based...