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Sojourner Truth Research Paper

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Sojourner Truth Research Paper
Sojourner Truth once declared, at the Women’s Rights Convention in 1851, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again” (“Sojourner Truth” Encyclopedia). This statement brought a wave of protest from the men in the crowd and left most women with renewed hope for receiving equal rights. Sojourner Truth was a woman’s rights activist and African American abolitionist, on top of being a freed slave. Sojourner Truth had the “worst of both worlds” being that she was African American, and also a woman. She spoke at a countless amount of conventions, largely inspired by Lucrietta Mott. Rather than using weapons, Truth would use her incredible talent of speech to get her points across. Truth was an extremely opinionated woman who would not give up on an issue until she thought the result was satisfactory. Without Sojourner Truth’s hard work and dedication to the issues that she cared about, America would not be shaped today how it is (“Sojourner Truth” Encyclopedia).
1. Her Early Life
Sojourner Truth, with a birth name of Isabella Baumfree, was born on an unknown date of 1787 in Swartekill, New York. Born into slavery to James and Elizabeth Baumfree, the family of at least fifteen was owned by the Hardenbergh in Esopus, New York. Sojourner Truth was sold for the first time at age nine to a violent man, getting separated from the rest of her family. In 1815, Sojourner Truth fell in love with a slave on a neighboring farm and had a child, but their love was forbidden and the two never saw each other again. Truth was then forced to marry another slave and they had three children together (“Sojourner Truth” 2013). Sojourner Truth faced many hardships at such a young age that contributed to her lifelong stance against slavery.
2. Her Road to Fame In 1799, New York successfully negotiated the abolition of slaves. Sojourner Truth’s master went back on


Cited: CLIFT, ELEANOR. " 'And Ain 't I A Woman?." Newsweek 142.18 (2003): 58. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Butler, Mary. “The Words of Truth.” SojournerTruth. Sojourner Truth, 1997. Web. 15 February 2013. Mentzer, Brooke. "Sojourner Truth." Writing 26.6 (2004): 24-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. "Sojourner Truth". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013 Sanders, Viv. "African American Women And The Struggle For Racial Equality." History Review 58 (2007): 22-27. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. "Sojourner Truth." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Feb 13 2013, 12:49 Women in History. Sojourner Truth biography. Last Updated: 2/13/2013. Lakewood Public Library. Date accessed 2/13/2013 .
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