Sojourner Truth was a revered abolitionist, women’s rights activist, and advocate for universal suffrage. As a well-known figure in American History, it might come as a surprise that there is much about her that the history books have got wrong, as much misinformation exists about one of her most famous speeches, which changed her public image forever.
Isabella Baumfree
Truth was born as Isabella Baumfree in 1797 to enslaved parents in Ulster County, New York. Their enslaver, Charles Hardenbergh, sold Isabella when she was nine years old to John Neely, who repeatedly brutalized her. By the time she turned 13, she had been sold twice more, finally settling in the home of John Dumont. At 18, she married an enslaved man named Thomas, with whom she had five children. Throughout her life, she would spend more than four years without her children.
Emancipation in New York
In 1799, New York began the emancipation process, but it would take another two decades before all enslaved people were legally freed in 1927. However, in 1926, Isabella ran away from her enslaver after he refused to let her go in July 1926 as promised. She could only take her infant daughter, Sophia, with her. Unfortunately, her son, Peter, was illegally sold to an enslaver from Alabama after the New York anti-slavery laws had been passed.
Finding Safety
Once free, Isabella found safety in the home of the Van Wagenens family, who she had known since she was a child, and they helped her buy her freedom. Upon hearing of her son’s enslavement in Alabama, Isabella sought out the help of sympathetic lawyers and filed a lawsuit to bring her son home. She won the lawsuit, and Peter returned to her after two years of separation. She was the first Black woman to successfully win a lawsuit against a White enslaver.
A Free Woman
As a free woman now living in New York City, Isabella worked as a housekeeper for a preacher named Elijah Pierson and got involved with the Methodist church. After experiencing a spiritual awakening, she began learning more about the abolitionist movement and took to preaching to crowds about women’s rights, the evils of slavery, and the bible.
Spiritual Awakening
At age 45, Isabella experienced a second spiritual awakening, which led her to change her name to Sojourner Truth. She believed that God wanted her to travel and preach her beliefs. She used her magnetic presence to convince people to end slavery and support causes such as women’s rights and universal suffrage.
The Northampton Association of Education and Industry
In 1844, Truth joined the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, an abolitionist organization, where she met leaders such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Truth dictated her autobiography to a friend as she could not read or write. She used the proceeds to pay the mortgage of a house she had bought for $300.
“Ar’nt I a Woman?”
In 1851, she delivered a speech in Akron, Ohio, at a women’s rights convention, which became known as her “Ar’nt I a Woman?” speech. The speech was transcribed by Marius Robinson and published in the Salem “Anti-Slavery Bugle” a few weeks later. However, in 1863 (some 12 years later), it was reconstructed by Frances Dana Gage (a fellow abolitionist) and published again in New York’s “Independent”. Gage’s version was reworked to make Truth sound more southern and vastly differs from the original speech. It is in this speech that “Ar’nt I a woman?” appears – words that Truth never even spoke. This inaccurate account of the speech has been further distorted to “Ain’t I a Woman?”.
Unyielding Faith
With an unyielding faith that God would protect her, Trust continued to preach and was often subjected to violence from pro-slavery groups. Once the Civil War started in April 1861, she joined the Union Army, encouraging Black men to join in the fight against Slavery. During this time, she worked for the National Freedman’s Relief Association in Washington, D.C., and her activism gained the attention of President Abraham Lincoln. He invited her to meet with him at the White House.
An Icon
Sojourner Truth was an activist through and through. She fought segregation by ignoring whites-only signs on public transportation and attempting to petition the government to allow formerly enslaved people to settle on government land in the West. By 1867, she moved to Battle Creek, Michigan, and continued to fight for Black rights. She died in November 1883 at the age of 86.
Sources
Compare the Two Speeches
Life Story: Sojourner Truth (ca. 1797-1883)
Sojourner Truth
Her Words
Her History
