Sojourner Truth
Abolitionist/Suffragist
(1797 - 1883)
Born a
slave in a Dutch
settlement in
Ulster County,
New York,
Sojourner Truth
rose above the
abuse and
bondage of
slavery and
became an active
abolitionist and
supporter of
women's rights.
Sojourner Truth
was born
Isabella
Baumfree in 1797
in upstate New
York, one of the
thirteen
children born to
slave parents.
She spent her
childhood as
mistreated
property of many
masters. She
grew up speaking
only Dutch until
she was around
eleven years old
and she was sold
from her family.
Because of the
cruelty of her
new masters, she
learned English
quickly, but
spoke with a
Dutch accent her
entire life.
Isabella was
sold several
times and
suffered much at
the hands of
severe owners,
but she had a
deep Christian
faith that was
passed down to
her from her
mother, that saw
her through
these many
trials.
Her last
master, John
Dumont, gave her
as a mate to
another slave
named Thomas.
Together they
had five
children between
the years of
1810 and 1827.
Mr. Dumont had
promised
Isabella
freedom, but he
reneged on his
promise. This
sent Isabella
fleeing from the
farm, finding
refuge with
Isaac Van
Wagener, who set
her free just
before New York
State abolished
slavery in 1827.
With the help of
Quaker friends,
Isabella went to
court seeking
the return of
her small son
who had been
sold illegally
into slavery in
the South.
Isabella
eventually
settled in New
York City with
her youngest
children,
supporting
herself by
working as a
domestic servant
for several
religious
communes.
As a
child, Isabella
had "visions"
and heard voices
that she felt
were from God.
While in New
York City she
attached her
self to a group
led by an ardent
religious
missionary,
Elijah Pierson.
She began to
work with this
group preaching
in the streets
and eventually
joined his
Retrenchment
Society and
eventually his
household. In
1843, Isabella
had a spiritual
revelation that
would forever
change her life.
It is after this
vision that she
changed her name
from Isabella
Baumfree to
Sojourner Truth
and obeying what
she felt was a
supernatural
call to travel
up and down the
land, she set
off walking from
Long Island
through
Connecticut
singing and
preaching the
plan of
salvation in
churches and on
village streets
calling people
to recognize
God's goodness
and the
brotherhood of
man.
Sojourner ended
up in
Northampton,
Maine, and
joined the
"Northampton
Association for
Education and
Industry", an
ideological
community where
she met and
worked with
abolitionists
such as
Frederick
Douglas, William
Lloyd Garrison,
and Olive
Gilbert. In 1850
she traveled
throughout the
Midwest speaking
on abolition and
people came in
droves to see
her. She
supported
herself by
selling copies
of her book The
Narrative of
Sojourner Truth,
which was penned
from her
dictation to
Olive Gilbert.
In the
early 1850s
Sojourner met
Lucretia Mott
and other women
leaders and was
encouraged to
appear before
suffrage
gatherings. She
did this with
great success
and continued
doing so the
rest of her
life.
After
the Civil War
ended, Sojourner
worked was
ceaseless in her
work to aid the
newly-freed
southern slaves.
Truth continued
preaching and
lecturing until
sickness forced
her to retire.
She died in
November of 1883
in Battle Creek
Michigan, where
she had made her
home.
This article
may be
re-published
as long as
the
following
resource box
is included:
This article
is an
excerpt from
the book
"History's
Women - The
Unsung
Heroines" by
Patricia
Chadwick.
For more
information
on this book
visit
www.historyswomen.com
. Patti is
also the
creator of
Parents &
Teens -
www.ParentsandTeens.com
- an online
magazine
geared to
help parents
connect with
their teens. |
