(Teacher)
Sojourner Truth stood up for many injustices during her lifetime. Her passion for African-American freedom from slavery, her activism in the women’s rights movement, and her ability to survive and endure the pain of her children being taken from her and sold into slavery, made Sojourner Truth an icon for many African-Americans as well as women during the 1800’s Sojourner Truth contributed to the understanding of feminist thought by standing up for equality in not only the African-American culture, but also through her passion for women’s rights. She stood for the equality of all women, not just African-Americans.
Throughout her life, Sojourner was a survivor and she allowed her passion to guide her. She was born in New York around 1797, she was one of about 12 children from her natural parents James and Elizabeth Baumfree. Her true date of birth was not recorded, which was common for slaves. Her father, James was a slave that was captured and brought to the United States from Guinea. Her mother was the daughter of slaves from Guinea as well, The family was owned in Esopus, New York. Sojourner’s birth name was Isabella Baumfree. She was sold around the age of 9. At that time, she was known as Belle and spoke Dutch, as that was the language her owner, Colonel Charles Hardenbergh. Her new owner, John Neely was cruel to her and was known to beat the small Belle. Over the next couple of years, she was sold twice more, ending up at the home of John Dumont in New York. She learned to speak English at the Dumont property, and grew to have a fondness for a neighboring slave, Robert. They fell in love around 1815 and had a daughter, Diana. In 1817, her owner forced her to be with a slave named Thomas and they produced three children. Peter, Elizabeth, and Sophia.
Truth escaped with Sophia in 1826. Shortly after she left, her son was sold at the age of 5. She took the case to court and was the first black woman to successfully challenge a white man in court in the United States. By then, New York has emancipated the slaves, so she went to work as a housekeeper for a Christian Evangelist. It was during this period that Sojourner converted to Christianity. Then she moved with her son, Peter to work for a man named Prophet Matthias. However, he was a con man and life for Sojourner became even more complicated when she was falsely accused of a crime against members of Matthias’ cult. Sojourner took the people to court and won a slander suit.
On June 1, 1843, she officially changed her name from Isabella Baumfree to Sojourner Truth as part of her dedication to her Methodist religion and her passion for the continued support of the Abolition of Slavery movement. She was part of an abolitionist group that supported women’s rights. The members lived as a self-sufficient community on 500 acres in Northampton, Massachusetts. While living there she met several influential abolitionists such as William Lloyd and Frederick Douglass.
According to information found on the Biography website, “n 1850 her memoirs were published under the title The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave. Truth dictated her recollections to a friend, Olive Gilbert, since she could not read or write, and William Lloyd Garrison wrote the book's preface.” During that same year, she spoke about women’s rights at the first National Women’s Rights Convention located in Worcester, Massachusetts. After that speech, she began touring with George Thompson and spoke about human rights.
During a Women’s Rights Convention that was held near Akron, Ohio, on May 29, 1851, Truth delivered a speech that was amazing, inspiring, and touching. Although there is no official record of the speech, the following is a representation from the Black Past website:
“Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that ‘twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about?” She goes on to say that men help women into carriages and over ditches, and they give up their seats for women. However, because she is black, they do not treat her the same way. Truth also states that she is just as tough as any man and can work just as hard. She then asks them to say she is not a woman. Then she passionately explains that she is the mother of thirteen children and that most of them were taken from her and sold as slaves without her permission and how that made her grieve, but no one cared.
Next, in her speech, she compared the concept of equal rights to holding a cup of liquid and compared that to someone sharing what they had, if they had more and how sharing a little bit was still sharing. She eluded to the fact that if someone with a large amount of something with someone who had little, it would not be a significant problem and that both people will have some or maybe even equal parts. In this way, she was proving her point that all people deserve equal rights, no matter if they are black, white, men, or women.
Sojourner goes on to say that, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they are asking to do it, the men better let them.” ("(1851) Sojourner Truth “Ar'nt I A Woman?” | The Black Past: Remembered And Reclaimed") In this powerful speech, Sojourner Truth attempts to wake up the people in the audience by using comparisons of right and wrong, how to be equal citizens, and treat each other with respect. This was not her only powerful speech, as she toured Ohio and other places giving equally powerful and passionate talks and speeches in an attempt to rally people to support equal rights. She did so long before Martin Luther King and other powerful leaders for change. Her message was that women, no matter what their color, could change the world if they were given the power to do so.
During the civil war, Truth continued to advocate for antislavery, and equal rights for women. As her popularity grew, she allowed herself to speak openly about political issues such as equal rights for all people, not just black men. She also helped recruit black men for the Union Army. She even met with President Lincoln to discuss her experiences which helped the President solidify the Emancipation Proclamation.
She continued to speak about change late in life. According to information found on the Biography website, “Until old age intervened, Truth continued to speak passionately on the subjects of women's rights, universal suffrage and prison reform. She was also an outspoken opponent of capital punishment, testifying before the Michigan state legislature against the practice.” (Biography) Her passion for equal rights for all people came in many forms. She was not only a feminist leader; she was a symbol for change.
Sojourner Truth was an advocate for change right up until her death on November 26th, 1893 in Battle Creek, Michigan. She went from being the child of slaves to a free woman fighting for change and equality for all people. Her mission was to advocate for change and she accomplished more than she hoped to during her 86 years on this planet.
Works Cited
"(1851) Sojourner Truth “Ar'nt I A Woman?” | The Black Past: Remembered And Reclaimed". Blackpast.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 4 May 2016.
Biography.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 5 May 2016.
