Philip P. Conty
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Kaplan University
Prof. Christopher Powers
Historical Significance and Leadership of Sojourner Truth. Since the early twentieth Century, Sojourner Truth has been rated by a number of studies as among the prominent African Americans who have contributed to the rich history of the United States. Indeed, volumes of scholarly journals (Caroll, 1985; Redding, 1971) on America’s history have been adorned by her civil image and feminist character in the campaign against violation of women’s rights and slavery. Throughout her advocacy life, Truth will be remembered for having played a key role in raising funds for Black Union soldiers. Majority of feminist / black North Americans recognize her. Although her words are full of inspiration, her deeds have been overlooked in modern studies. Nonetheless, her name conveys a deeper sense of meaning despite being forgotten by a good number of her contemporaries’ (Sterling, 1984). While the reputation of historic icons from the Negro population have not survived the nineteenth century (particularly those associated with illiteracy and poverty), the memory of Sojourner’s deeds still endures. In view of her illiteracy, it is encouraging to acknowledge that her works as recorded by other people constitute her fame and power. Solidly engrossed to the evangelical life of northern antebellum in the United States, Sojourner, she remains an emblem of a phenomenon frequently associated with history in the twentieth century: popularity (Sterling, 1984).This paper examines her contribution to the United States. Between 1840 and 1850, Truth had commenced to forge a reputation at women’s rights and anti-slavery meetings. By the late 1850s, her achievements had been merited in the narrative of Sojourner Truth (Brawdy, 1991). In essence, she forms the foundation of truth as described severally in
References: Caroll Smith (1985). Beauty, the Beast and the Militant Woman. A Case Study on Sex Roles and Social Stress in Jacksonian America, 109-128. Dorothy Sterling (1984). We Are Your Sisters: Black Women in the Nineteenth Century. Norton, New York Henry Smith (1950). Virgin Land: The American West as a Symbol and Myth. Harvard: Harvard University Press. Leo Brawdy (1991). The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and its History. Oxford University Press. Saunders Redding (1971). Sojourner Truth., in Edward T. James, Notable American Women, 3: 491-492. William l. Edwards (1986). Sisters of the Spirit: Three Black Women’s Autobiographies of the Nineteenth Century. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.