WATCH: Octavia Spencer and Crissle West Depict ‘Drunk History’ Of Harriet Tubman’s Union Spying

By Sameer Rao Sep 25, 2015

You might not expect a comedic retelling of Harriet Tubman’s work to be appropriate or even all that funny.

But as they’ve accomplished many times before, the folks behind Comedy Central’s "Drunk History" managed to do just that. This segment of the series, in which comedians get extremely intoxicated before telling stories of lesser-known but pivotal moments in American history, features comedian and writer Crissle West (well-known as a co-host of the entertainment podcast The Read) getting appropriately sloshed before telling the story of abolitionist and Underground Railroad mission leader Harriet Tubman’s role in the Civil War. Specifically, West addressed Tubman’s involvement in South Carolina’s Port Royal, working with fugitive slaves (who, at that point in the war, hadn’t yet been proclaimed "emancipated") and standing up to President Lincoln while helping to form a Union Army regiment with those looking for freedom. The video also portrays the Combahee River Raid, in which Tubman gathered intelligence and led an assault on Southern plantations. 

In this retelling, Tubman is portrayed by Oscar nominee Octavia Spencer ("The Help," "Fruitvale Station"), and while the general story is largely verified by historical records, we don’t think that Tubman ever said "burn this s**t to the ground." But what if she did though?

Check out the hilarious video above. 

(H/t Okayplayer