A statue of Harriet Tubman at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Maryland.(Craig James)

When it comes to American history, especially around the 1850s, two women stand out as lightning rods for dramatic change in society.

Harriet Beecher Stowe's best-selling anti-slavery novel had a profound effect on how White people saw African Americans that some say helped lead to the Civil War.

Harriet Tubman rescued dozens of black people from slavery through the “Underground Railroad” and never stopped fighting for the rights of African Americans and women.

History professor Dr. Richard Bell from the University of Maryland joins Idaho Matters to talk more about these two amazing women.