Harriet knew that when she turned twenty-seven years old, she was free. Harriet's mother, Phyllis, was the slave of Alexander Nelson. In his will, Nelson manumitted Phyllis at the age of thirty-five and all of her daughters at age twenty-seven. Phyllis died on the way to Liberia, but Harriet still wanted her chance at freedom. In 1857, however, Harriet was over twenty-seven years old and still had...