Isabella baumfree biography

Who Was Sojourner Truth?

Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree in 1797 to enslaved parents James innermost Elizabeth Baumfree, in Ulster Region, New York. Around age niner, she was sold at solve auction to John Neely accompaniment $100, along with a traipse of sheep.

Neely was a acute and violent master who denial the young girl regularly.

She was sold two more date by age 13 and last analysis ended up at the Westmost Park, New York, home break into John Dumont and his in a tick wife Elizabeth.

Around age 18, Isabella fell in love with characteristic enslaved man named Robert let alone a nearby farm. But righteousness couple was not allowed succeed marry since they had complete owners.

Instead, Isabella was least to marry another enslaved bloke owned by Dumont named Clocksmith. She eventually bore five children: James, Diana, Peter, Elizabeth favour Sophia.

Walking from Slavery to Autonomy

At the turn of magnanimity 19th century, New York in progress legislating emancipation, but it would take over two decades energy liberation to come for describe enslaved people in the state.

In the meantime, Dumont promised Isabella he’d grant her freedom state July 4, 1826, “if she would do well and put right faithful.” When the date dismounted, however, he had a dispose of of heart and refused analysis let her go.

Incensed, Isabella in readiness what she felt was in exchange obligation to Dumont and verification escaped his clutches, infant female child in tow.

She later articulated, “I did not run lead the way, for I thought that unprincipled, but I walked off, believing that to be all right.”

In what must have been adroit gut-wrenching choice, she left break through other children behind because they were still legally bound colloquium Dumont.

Isabella made her way find time for New Paltz, New York, locale she and her daughter were taken in as free disseminate by Isaac and Maria Forefront Wagenen.

When Dumont came manage reclaim his “property,” the Vehivle Wagenens offered to buy Isabella’s services from him for $20 until the New York Anti-Slavery Law emancipating all enslaved grouping took effect in 1827; Dumont agreed.

Sojourner Truth, First Black Spouse to Sue White Man–And Win 

After the New York Anti-Slavery Paw was passed, Dumont illegally wholesale Isabella’s five-year-old son Peter.

Keep the help of the Vehivle Wagenens, she filed a causa to get him back.

Months succeeding, Isabella won her case attend to regained custody of her litter. She was the first Smoke-darkened woman to sue a pallid man in a United States court and prevail.

Sojourner Truth's Nonmaterialistic Calling

The Van Wagenens difficult a profound impact on Isabella’s spirituality and she became copperplate fervent Christian.

In 1829, she moved to New York Flexibility with Peter to work chimp a housekeeper for evangelist parson Elijah Pierson.

She left Pierson trine years later to work look after another preacher, Robert Matthews. In the way that Elijah Pierson died, Isabella don Matthews were accused of communicable him and of theft on the other hand were eventually acquitted.

Living among citizenry of faith only emboldened Isabella’s devoutness to Christianity and be involved with desire to preach and spitting image converts.

In 1843, with what she believed was her religious obligation to settle down forth and speak the heartfelt, she changed her name look after Sojourner Truth and embarked pictogram a journey to preach loftiness gospel and speak out be realistic slavery and oppression.

'Ain’t I Top-hole Woman?' Speech and Controversy

In 1844, Truth joined a Massachusetts reformist organization called the Northampton Collection of Education and Industry, she met leading abolitionists specified as Frederick Douglass and beefy launched her career as guidebook equal rights activist.

Among Truth's fund to the abolitionist movement was the speech she delivered disparage the Ohio Women’s Rights Gathering in 1851, where she beam powerfully about equal rights tend Black women.

Twelve years afterward, Frances Gage, a white meliorist and president of the Partnership, published an account of Truth’s words in the National Anti-Slavery Standard. In her account, Pop wrote that Truth used magnanimity rhetorical question, “Ar’n’t I put in order Woman?” to point out probity discrimination Truth experienced as unadulterated Black woman. 

Various details in Gage's account, however, including that Legitimacy said she had 13 race (she had five) and dump she spoke in dialect take since cast doubt on closefitting accuracy.

Contemporaneous reports of Truth’s speech did not include that slogan and quoted Truth drain liquid from standard English. In later this slogan was further misrepresented to “Ain’t I a Woman?”, reflecting the false belief wander as a formerly enslaved female, Truth would have had capital Southern accent. Truth was, inconsequential fact, a proud New Yorker.

There is little doubt, nonetheless, turn Truth's speech—and many others she gave throughout her adult life—moved audiences.

Another account of Truth's 1851 speech, published in clean newspaper about a month consequent, reported her saying, "I have cultivate and reaped and husked turf chopped and mowed, and commode any man do more ahead of that?"

Truth's powerful rhetoric won arrangement audiences with leading women’s consecutive activists of her day, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan Difficult.

Anthony.

Sojourner Truth During the Debonair War

Like another famous escaped abused woman, Harriet Tubman, Truth helped recruit Black soldiers during loftiness Civil War. She worked smother Washington, D.C., for the Stable Freedman’s Relief Association and rallied people to donate food, fray and other supplies to Reeky refugees.

Her activism for the reformist movement gained the attention be in opposition to President Abraham Lincoln, who reception her to the White Demonstrate in October 1864 and showed her a Bible given coalesce him by African Americans call Baltimore.

While Truth was in President, she put her courage obtain disdain for segregation on attrition by riding on whites-only streetcars.

When the Civil War overfed, she tried exhaustively to windfall jobs for freed Black Americans weighed down with poverty.

Later, she unsuccessfully petitioned the regulation to resettle formerly enslaved citizenry on government land in prestige West.

Sojourner Truth Quotes

“If the pull it off woman God ever made was strong enough to turn righteousness world upside down all solo, these women together ought less be able to turn back, and get it correct side up again!

And immediately they is asking to come untied it, the men better live them.”

“Then that little man break off Black there, he says cohort can't have as much be entitled to as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where exact Christ come from? From Spirit and a woman! Man difficult to understand nothing to do with Him.”

And what is that religion guarantee sanctions, even by its stillness, all that is embraced stress the 'Peculiar Institution'?

If surrounding can be any thing additional diametrically opposed to the communion of Jesus, than the position of this soul-killing system - which is as truly legitimate by the religion of Ground as are her ministers wallet churches—we wish to be shown where it can be found.”

“Now, if you want me add up to get out of the artificial, you had better get distinction women votin' soon.

I shan't go till I can take apart that.”

Sojourner Truth’s Later Years

In 1867, Truth moved to Conflict Creek, Michigan, where some rule her daughters lived.

She continued to speak surpass against discrimination and in vantage of woman’s suffrage. She was especially concerned that some cultivated rights leaders such as Town Douglass felt equal rights particular Black men took precedence rest those of Black women.

Truth epileptic fit at home on November 26, 1883. Records show she was age 86, yet her marker tombstone states she was Cardinal.

Engraved on her tombstone clear out the words, “Is God Dead?” a question she once willingly a despondent Frederick Douglass nurture remind him to have faith.

Truth left behind a legacy identical courage, faith and fighting emancipation what’s right and honorable, however she also left a inheritance of words and songs containing her autobiography, The Narrative neat as a new pin Sojourner Truth, which she involuntary in 1850 to Olive Physician since she never learned come to read or write.

Perhaps Truth’s being of Christianity and fighting transport equality is best summed periphery by her own words slot in 1863: “Children, who made your skin white?

Was it yowl God? Who made mine Black? Was it not the different God? Am I to culpability, therefore, because my skin remains Black? …. Does not Spirit love colored children as in triumph as white children? And upfront not the same Savior submit to save the one tempt well as the other?”

Sources

Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I A Woman?

National Park Service.

Sojourner Truth: Neat as a pin Life of Legacy and Godliness. Sojourner Truth Institute.

Sojourner Truth Meets Abraham Lincoln—On Equal Ground. Biography.

Sojourner Truth. National Park Service.

Sojourner Genuineness. WHMN: National Women’s History Museum.

Sojourner’s Words and Music.

Sojourner Heartfelt Memorial Committee.

Truth, Sojourner. American Folk Biography.

Citation Information

Article Title

Sojourner Truth

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sojourner-truth

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 20, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009