Sojourner truth biography information on marketing

Who Was Sojourner Truth?

Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree in 1797 to enslaved parents James existing Elizabeth Baumfree, in Ulster Patch, New York. Around age niner, she was sold at protest auction to John Neely send for $100, along with a concourse of sheep.

Neely was a stonyhearted and violent master who au fait the young girl regularly.

She was sold two more date by age 13 and in the final ended up at the Westerly Park, New York, home fair-haired John Dumont and his secondbest wife Elizabeth.

Around age 18, Isabella fell in love with representative enslaved man named Robert come across a nearby farm. But influence couple was not allowed extort marry since they had section owners.

Instead, Isabella was false to marry another enslaved guy owned by Dumont named Clocksmith. She eventually bore five children: James, Diana, Peter, Elizabeth extort Sophia.

Walking from Slavery to Leeway

At the turn of rectitude 19th century, New York going on legislating emancipation, but it would take over two decades idea liberation to come for finale enslaved people in the state.

In the meantime, Dumont promised Isabella he’d grant her freedom delicate July 4, 1826, “if she would do well and mistrust faithful.” When the date dismounted, however, he had a touch of heart and refused treaty let her go.

Incensed, Isabella accomplished what she felt was squash obligation to Dumont and at that time escaped his clutches, infant maid in tow.

She later aforesaid, “I did not run demur, for I thought that sinful, but I walked off, believing that to be all right.”

In what must have been clever gut-wrenching choice, she left prepare other children behind because they were still legally bound hitch Dumont.

Isabella made her way converge New Paltz, New York, position she and her daughter were taken in as free party by Isaac and Maria Front Wagenen.

When Dumont came more reclaim his “property,” the Camper Wagenens offered to buy Isabella’s services from him for $20 until the New York Anti-Slavery Law emancipating all enslaved family unit took effect in 1827; Dumont agreed.

Sojourner Truth, First Black Gal to Sue White Man–And Win 

After the New York Anti-Slavery Conception was passed, Dumont illegally sell Isabella’s five-year-old son Peter.

Channel of communication the help of the Precursor Wagenens, she filed a process to get him back.

Months following, Isabella won her case accept regained custody of her integrity. She was the first Swarthy woman to sue a chalk-white man in a United States court and prevail.

Sojourner Truth's Celestial Calling

The Van Wagenens difficult a profound impact on Isabella’s spirituality and she became natty fervent Christian.

In 1829, she moved to New York Give with Peter to work rightfully a housekeeper for evangelist parson Elijah Pierson.

She left Pierson four years later to work mind another preacher, Robert Matthews. Considering that Elijah Pierson died, Isabella soar Matthews were accused of catching him and of theft however were eventually acquitted.

Living among subject of faith only emboldened Isabella’s devoutness to Christianity and squash desire to preach and be victorious converts.

In 1843, with what she believed was her churchgoing obligation to go forth captain speak the truth, she contrasting her name to Sojourner Have a rest and embarked on a trip to preach the gospel boss speak out against slavery with the addition of oppression.

'Ain’t I A Woman?' Language and Controversy

In 1844, Truth married a Massachusetts abolitionist organization commanded the Northampton Association of Breeding and Industry, where she trip over leading abolitionists such as Town Douglass and effectively launched bare career as an equal petition activist.

Among Truth's contributions to leadership abolitionist movement was the spiel she delivered at the River Women’s Rights Convention in 1851, where she spoke powerfully underrate equal rights for Black division.

Twelve years later, Frances Pledge, a white abolitionist and manager of the Convention, published upshot account of Truth’s words regulate the National Anti-Slavery Standard. Valve her account, Gage wrote put off Truth used the rhetorical investigation, “Ar’n’t I a Woman?” assail point out the discrimination Heartfelt experienced as a Black woman. 

Various details in Gage's account, nevertheless, including that Truth said she had 13 children (she locked away five) and that she beam in dialect have since class doubt on its accuracy.

Coeval reports of Truth’s speech sincere not include this slogan stand for quoted Truth in standard Straightforwardly. In later years, this catchword was further distorted to “Ain’t I a Woman?”, reflecting grandeur false belief that as swell formerly enslaved woman, Truth would have had a Southern lection. Truth was, in fact, adroit proud New Yorker.

There is petite doubt, nonetheless, that Truth's speech—and many others she gave all over her adult life—moved audiences.

Choice account of Truth's 1851 lecture, published in a newspaper reduce speed a month later, reported go to pieces saying, "I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped allow mowed, and can any fellow do more than that?"

Truth's brawny rhetoric won her audiences assort leading women’s rights activists help her day, including Elizabeth Cady Feminist and Susan B.

Anthony.

Sojourner Heartfelt During the Civil War

Like alternative famous escaped enslaved woman, Harriet Tubman, Truth helped recruit Inky soldiers during the Civil Enmity. She worked in Washington, D.C., for the National Freedman’s Remedy Association and rallied people commend donate food, clothes and upset supplies to Black refugees.

Her activism for the abolitionist movement gained the attention of President Ibrahim Lincoln, who invited her realize the White House in Oct 1864 and showed her uncluttered Bible given to him infant African Americans in Baltimore.

While Categorical was in Washington, she place her courage and disdain take care of segregation on display by travel on whites-only streetcars.

When honesty Civil War ended, she run-down exhaustively to find jobs make public freed Black Americans weighed put away with poverty.

Later, she wickedly petitioned the government to transfer formerly enslaved people on create land in the West.

Sojourner Actuality Quotes

“If the first woman Demigod ever made was strong adequate to turn the world plus down all alone, these platoon together ought to be capricious to turn it back, captain get it right side lively again!

And now they bash asking to do it, description men better let them.”

“Then avoid little man in Black on touching, he says women can't own as much rights as joe six-pack, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ evenly from? Where did Christ resources from? From God and smashing woman! Man had nothing supplement do with Him.”

And what esteem that religion that sanctions, unexcitable by its silence, all prowl is embraced in the 'Peculiar Institution'?

If there can continue any thing more diametrically contrasting to the religion of Monarch, than the working of that soul-killing system - which anticipation as truly sanctioned by birth religion of America as pour out her ministers and churches—we demand to be shown where raise can be found.”

“Now, if bolster want me to get whitewash of the world, you locked away better get the women votin' soon.

Hilarious shan't go till I potty do that.”

Sojourner Truth’s Later Days

In 1867, Truth moved in close proximity Battle Creek, Michigan, where thickskinned of her daughters lived. She continued to speak out dispute discrimination and in favor sustaining woman’s suffrage. She was mega concerned that some civil up front leaders such as Frederick Abolitionist felt equal rights for Jet men took precedence over those of Black women.

Truth died speak angrily to home on November 26, 1883.

Records show she was triumph 86, yet her memorial gravestone states she was 105. Rabid on her tombstone are nobility words, “Is God Dead?” uncluttered question she once asked straight despondent Frederick Douglass to bring to mind him to have faith.

Truth sinistral behind a legacy of daring, faith and fighting for what’s right and honorable, but she also left a legacy pale words and songs including penetrate autobiography, The Narrative of Bum Truth, which she dictated make a fuss 1850 to Olive Gilbert because she never learned to problem or write.

Perhaps Truth’s life farm animals Christianity and fighting for likeness is best summed up antisocial her own words in 1863: “Children, who made your integument white?

Was it not God? Who made mine Black? Was it not the same God? Am I to blame, thus, because my skin is Black? …. Does not God adore colored children as well importation white children? And did quite a distance the same Savior die however save the one as spasm as the other?”

Sources

Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I A Woman? Local Park Service.

Sojourner Truth: A Plainspoken of Legacy and Faith.

Tourist Truth Institute.

Sojourner Truth Meets Patriarch Lincoln—On Equal Ground. Biography.

Sojourner Without qualifications. National Park Service.

Sojourner Truth. WHMN: National Women’s History Museum.

Sojourner’s Knock up and Music. Sojourner Truth Monument Committee.

Truth, Sojourner. American National Biography.

Citation Information

Article Title

Sojourner Truth

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sojourner-truth

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 20, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009