Preview

The Life of Sojourner Truth

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1981 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Life of Sojourner Truth
The Life of Sojourner Truth I. Early Life
A. Born a slave in 1797
1. Isabella Van Wagner, in upstate New York
2. She married an older slave and started a family.
B. Sojourner Truth the most famous black female orators
1. She lectured throughout Northeast and Midwest on women 's rights, religion and prison reform.
2. "Ain 't I a Women" speech May 29, 1851
II. Moving to start a new life.
A. The Civil War
1. She nursed soldiers, collected food and clothing for black volunteer regiments
2. The second edition of Truths Narrative
B. Sojourner Truth in her 60 's
1. Displayed the energy and determination that was inherent in her character.
2. Saying words of encouragement to black troops stationed in Detroit.
III. Meeting Lincoln October 29, 1864
A. National Freedman 's Relief Association
1. Appointed her to work as a counselor to freed slaves in Virginia.
2. Filed suits to affirm that black people had legal rights.
B. Sojourners journey in the 1870 's
1. Her visit with President Grant and the U.S. Senate in 1870
2. Advocating hanging as punishment for murder.

Heather Hawthorne
History 377
Dr. Schmider
October 1,2003
The Life of Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth wasn 't just a heroine to blacks, slaves, and women. She was also an abolitionist and a champion of women 's rights speaking throughout the country. She acted on her strong feelings about life and the way it should be. But, in my hometown of Battle Creek, Michigan where Sojourner Truth spent her last years, she is known for her powerful speeches that traveled the nation advocating for the fair treatment of freed slaves.
Sojourner Truth was born a slave named Isabella Baumfree in upstate New York. Bell, as she was known, spent her youth as a member of several different households, after she was sold to a new master, and separated from her parents at the age of nine. However, she had already received moral and spiritual education from her mother. These lessons formed


Cited: Patten, Neil A, The Nineteenth Century Black Women as Social Reformer: The New Speeches of Sojourner Truth, Negro History Bulletin, 49:1 (1986, Jan/Mar) Association for the study of African-American Life and History "Sojourner Truth." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols., Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group. 2003. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC "Sojourner Truth." Feminist Writers. St. James Press, 1996. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group. 2003. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC "Sojourner Truth." Historic World Leaders Gale Research, 1994. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group. 2003. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave
    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave

    Sojourner Truth was born a New York slave in 1797 on the plantation of Colonel Hardenbergh. Her real name was Isabelle VanWagener. She was freed by a new New York law which proclaimed that all slaves twenty-eight years of age and over were to be freed. Isabelle, in her later life, thought she received messages from God. That was how she got her new name, Sojourner Truth. She joined the Anti-Slavery Society and became an abolitionist lecturer and a speaker for women's rights both black and white. One speech for which she became well known for, was called "Ain't I a Woman?". Olive Gilbert, a close friend of Sojourner Truth, wrote a biography of her life, "A Narrative of Sojourner Truth: a Northern Slave". The biography…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Analytical Essay On 'The Truth About Sojourner'
    • 1769 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Analytical Essay On 'The Truth About Sojourner'

    She made a difference in many communities and even throughout the country with her successes in court and also in gaining fame for speaking out against slavery, which she had personally endured. She gained respect from Americans, and she was highly rewarded for being so outspoken and truthful. In 1850, Sojourner Truth wrote a book about her life, experiences, and beliefs. It was written with the help of a woman named Olive Gilbert. Since Sojourner could not read or write, Olive Gilbert listened to Sojourner Truth 's story and wrote it all down. Together they created the book titled The Narrative of Sojourner Truth. The book contains moving stories about the struggles of African American slaves, and the tales of her fascinating life ("Sojourner", "Truth" 417). Her book was recognized and she ended up with the opportunity to meet Harriet Beecher Stowe. Truth met Harriet Beecher Stowe in her home in 1853. Harriet Beecher Stowe eventually prefaced Sojourner Truth 's autobiography . She also painted a portrait of Truth in The Atlantic. Stowe has a sculpture that she claims to have made from the inspiration of Sojourner Truth 's tales of her life. The sculpture now stands in the Smithsonian American Art Museum ("Truth" 417). Sojourner Truth met Gerit Smith, who was a close friend of Frederick Douglass. Smith was also a presidential candidate. Truth also met a man named Parker Pillsbury. He was an abolitionist and and minister, and he became a close friend to Sojourner Truth. Although these people are very influential and important in history, the most influential person she ever had the privelage to meet was Abraham Lincoln. In 1864, Sojourner Truth was welcomed to White House. She had attempted to visit the president prior to this date, but she was not allowed in. Finally, she set up a meeting with the president, and was welcomed into a room with about a dozen other men, where she conversed with Abraham Lincoln. The next…

    • 1769 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How Did Harriet Tubman Contribute To Freedom
    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Did Harriet Tubman Contribute To Freedom

    Harriet Tubman served her life toward slavery and as a honorable women in history. She was born in Dorchester, Maryland in 1820. Harriet’s mother was Harriet Green and her father was Ben Ross. Harriet took many chances throughout history to help slaves escape as a symbol of bravery.…

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Compare and Contrast Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth
    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Compare and Contrast Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth

    Back to when the America came to Africa to capture many people over there and enslaved them to serve the high class of the America. That was started everything from the segregation to abolitionists. After about 400 years of slavery and bondage, it was time for descendants of African slaves can reconcile America’s bloody history of human bondage. Many African Americans was standing up and fighting back and Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth were known as the first out of so many brave people. Both Douglass and Sojourner just like many other African Americans were born into slavery and experienced many horrible treatments from their masters until they can escape themselves. D.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    SOAPSTone Analysis Ain T I A Woman
    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages

    SOAPSTone Analysis Ain T I A Woman

    Sojourner Truth One can assume that she is tough, fearless, and uneducated. She has worked hard, had a difficult life, and supports women gaining more rights. She was also a slave at one point in her life. She wanted the same rights as men. She was an African American it was even harder but she wanted to gain the rights that all the women deserve.…

    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Sojourner Truth A 'N' T I A Woman Summary
    • 2066 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Sojourner Truth A 'N' T I A Woman Summary

    Similarly racism and classism were, and still are, justified with these ideas. It argues that peoples who were poor, marginalized or otherwise subjugated either legally or socially, were in fact lesser than those who were wealthy, and otherwise privileged. It argues that their privilege arose from them being better suited to fitting in and thriving within the society, and that those at the bottom of society are there because they are not suited to be at the top. This was a way of using science to justify prejudices that were already in place so as to appease the consciousness of those societies. These ideas enforced, segregation and marginalization of “lesser” members of society.…

    • 2066 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ain T I A Wom An Analysis Of Speech By Sojourner Truth
    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ain T I A Wom An Analysis Of Speech By Sojourner Truth

    Sojourner spoke these words, "I could work and eat as much as a man-when I can get it and bare the lash as well", those words in her speech proves that she feels that if she can do that same things as a man or others then she should be looked down upon. Sojourner feels that just because she is a woman she is unable to do certain things or even the simple fact that because she is a woman of color she isn't capable of what woman do. She feels the work she does isn't just the same but what she accomplishes could be even better. Sojourner basically wants people to realize what she does. Sojourner felt that men should let woman do what they are capable of doing and to stop looking down upon them. Sojourner quoted in her speech, "If the first woman of 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 is asking to do it, then men better let them." Sojourner was obliged to people to ear her speech and she wanted to make sure that the people knew and understood what she was…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Harriet Tubman A Hero Essay
    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Harriet Tubman A Hero Essay

    Even though some people think she is not a hero for breaking the law, but she led abolitionism, conducted the Underground Railroad, and helped in the Civil War by being a nurse, scout, and spy. Harriet escaped slavery and became an abolitionist. She also helped 300 slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Overall Harriet is a hero for many reasons and she helped slaves escape a…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare And Contrast 12 Years A Slave And Sojourner Truth
    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Compare And Contrast 12 Years A Slave And Sojourner Truth

    Sojourner Truth was a six-foot tall slave turned feminist and antislavery activist. As a woman and an emancipated slave Truth experienced an ordeal like no other. She never learned to read or write but could give powerful speeches that brought attention to those who were listening. Truth worked in many civil rights fronts, she fought for the struggles women had with escaping from the south, she even become known as the representative for a brand of female…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Jennifer Lopez
    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Jennifer Lopez

    Sojourner Truth did everything on her own as a man would do on there own. For example in paragraph two of the article…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sojourner Truth, Qiu Jin, Bahithat Al-Badiya Analysis
    • 394 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sojourner Truth, Qiu Jin, Bahithat Al-Badiya Analysis

    After reading the three excerpts from Sojourner Truth, Qiu Jin, and Bahithat al-Badiya, I can see that one thing they have in common is that the three women ended their documents by encourage their fellow women to not accept their fates and stand up against the unfair treatments that were thrown towards them. All three of them have different ways of describing the challenges they have to face as a woman in their society, but at the same time, what they all want is freedom, equality, to be able to follow their passions. They want to be treated with respect by the men, not some kind of lower class animals. They all deserved to live a happy life in a society that will provide them with different opportunities. They want a better future, not only…

    • 394 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Black Women and the Abolition of Slavery
    • 1600 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Black Women and the Abolition of Slavery

    Anti-slavery women such as Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman were only the most famous of the abolitionists. Before either of these heroines came on the scene and before anti-slavery was an organized movement, black women in local Northern communities had quietly turned to activism through their church work, literary societies, and benevolent organizations. These women found time for political activism in between managing households, raising children, and working.…

    • 1600 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Who Is Sojourner Truth?
    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Who Is Sojourner Truth?

    Slavery started in the early 17th century when hundreds and thousands of boats travelled the Trans-Atlantic Slave Route to forcefully imprison and work masses of Africans. Records are incomplete however it is estimated at 10 million and untold numbers of enslaved people died without even reaching the Americas. Some at the hands of the African traders who took them from their homes in ‘slave raids’ or died in the cramped inhumane conditions on the boats (Source 1). This was just the start of the reason why Sojourner Truth became an activist for Women and Slave rights. Sojourner Truth, then known as Isabella Baumfree was born into Slavery in Ulster County, New York.…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Biography Of Sojourner Truth
    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Biography Of Sojourner Truth

    Isabella Baumfree or now known as Sojourner Truth was born into slavery around 1797 in Ulster County, New York. Her parents were James and Betsey. All were property of Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh. Like other slaves, she experienced the sorrow of being sold and was cruelly beaten and mistreated. As a child she spoke only little Dutch and never learned to read or write. In 1826 she walked to freedom carrying her infant child Sophia with her. She stayed in New York City until 1843. She traveled the land as a preacher, telling the truth and working against injustice. She traveled around the east and Midwest preaching for human rights. This ex-slave was a powerful woman in several national social movements, speaking forcefully for the abolition…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    sojourner truth
    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages

    sojourner truth

    Truth, Sojourner (1797-1883) was born a slave in Hurley, New York City; Sojourner Truth was originally called Isabella Van Wagner. She gained her freedom in 1827, after most of her thirteen children had been sold. She took the name "Sojourner Truth" in 1843 after having a vision. In 1836, Truth became the first Black to win a slander action against whites. Born Isabella Baumfree circa 1797, Sojourner Truth was one of as many as 12 children born to James and Elizabeth Baumfree in the town of Swartekill, in Ulster County, New York. Truth's date of birth was not recorded, as was typical of children born into slavery. Historians estimate that she was likely born around 1787. Her father, James Baumfree, was a slave captured in modern-day Ghana; Elizabeth Baumfree, also known as Mau-Mau Bet, was the daughter of slaves from Guinea. The Baumfree family was owned by Colonel Hardenbergh, and lived at the colonel's estate in Esopus, New York, 95 miles north of New York City. The area had once been under Dutch control, and both the Baumfrees and the Hardenbaughs spoke Dutch in their daily lives.1…

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics