Born 1797 in Ulster County, New York
[sibling(s) unknown]
[spouse(s) unknown]
[children unknown]
Died November 26, 1883 in Battle Creek, Michigan
Sojourner Truth was born into slavery on the Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh Estate in Ulster County, New York, with the given name Isabella Baumfree, also spelled Bomefree.
Sojourner Truth did not know how to read or write.
She worked as a housekeeper, and then later she became a traveling speaker and preacher.
Her religious feelings, was most influential to her she had changed her name from Isabella Baumfree to Sojourner Truth, which means Holy Spirit.
One of the setbacks that Isabella had overcome on her path to success was while she was free from slavery, she found out that a member of the Dumont family (who she stayed with) had sold one of her children to slavery, since the son was emancipated under New York Law, Isabella sued in court and won in his return. Another setback that she had overcome was when she settled in New York City and did missionary work for the poor, and was associated with a Christian community headed by a dynamic leader who turned out to be a scoundrel.
A defining moment in Sojourner Truth's life was when Sojourner Truth was accused of being a man because, she was about 6 feet tall, and had a masculine voice. One day at women's rights convention in Silver Lake, Indiana she exposed her breast to the audience and proved that she was not a man. Amother defining moment in he life was the "Ain't I A Woman" speech in 1851 at a Womens Convention in Akron, Ohio. It made a very large impact because, her speech talked about how black women and other women of color struggled for a place in the women's movement during the nineteenth century. She pointed out that even though the experiences of black women may be different from white women, they are still women and should be included in the womens rights movement.
Sojourner Truth possessed a very powerful singing voice, and she sang whenever she spoke to crowds. As a speaker, Sojourner Truth became known for her quick wit and powerful presence. She was never intimidated because, of her powerful speaking ability, independent spirit.
Sojourner Truth was a very significant person, because she was one of the few African American woman who wanted to abolish slavery and to end woman's right sufferage.
Sojourner Truth was not the name her parents gave her. Her original name was Isabella Baumfree. She changed her name to Sojourner Truth once she started becoming more religious.
Since Sojourner grew up as a slave, she had many difficulties and set backs to overcome. When she was only nine years old she was sold to a slave owner named John Neely. While she was owned by Neely he would beat her with bundles of rod and would rape her daily. Truth was sold four different times and each of her owners would do horrible things to her. These are some difficulties that Sojourner had to overcome on her path to success.
The most influential thing in Sojourner's life would have to be religion and being a slave. Religion changed her life and it even made her change her name. Growing up as a slave made her become an abolitionist, which is somebody that supports the abolition of slavery in the U.S. Through slavery Sojourner met her husband Thomas who was also a slave. They had five children that also grew up to be slaves.
Sources
Used by Ashley Diaz:
Used by Taylor Pederson:
Used by Xander Schauffele:
- Krass, Peter. Sojourner Truth. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Print.
- McKissack, Patricia. Sojourner Truth Ain't I a Woman? New York: Scholastic Inc., 1992. Print.
- "Sojourner Truth." About.com: Women's History. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.
- "Sojourner Truth Quotes." Thinkexist.com. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.
- Tolliver, Stephanie. "Sojourner Truth." Women in History. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.
Other:
Personal Memories
On October 18,
ashley diaz
wrote:
On October 30,
Taylor Pederson
wrote:
On October 30,
Xander Schauffele
wrote:
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