Sojourner Truth
New York began moving toward abolition in 1799, with the final emancipation set for July 4, 1827. Dumont, aware of this impending change, promised Isabella her freedom on July 4, 1826, “if she would do well and be faithful.” When the date arrived, Dumont reneged on his promise, claiming that an injury had reduced her productivity. Despite this, Isabella stayed on to spin 100 pounds of wool, fulfilling her own sense of duty. She then escaped, taking her infant daughter, Sophia, but leaving her other children, as the New York emancipation order required that enslaved people serve as bound laborers into their twenties before being freed. She later explained her departure, stating, “I did not run off, for I thought that wicked, but I walked off, believing that to be all right.”
After fleeing, Isabella found refuge with Isaac and Maria Van Wagener, who paid Dumont $20 to settle her remaining service term. A year later, New York emancipated all enslaved individuals, but Dumont had already illegally sold Isabella’s five-year-old son, Peter, into slavery in Alabama. With the Van Wageners' support, Isabella took her case to court, and after several months of litigation, she became the first Black woman to win a legal case against a white man, successfully recovering her son. During her time with the Van Wageners, she became a devout Christian. In 1829, Isabella moved to New York City with her son, Peter, to work as a housekeeper for Elijah Pierson, a Christian evangelist. She later worked for “Prophet” Robert Matthews, but following Pierson’s sudden death, Isabella and Matthews were accused of theft and poisoning. They were acquitted, and Matthews eventually moved west, leaving Isabella in New York, where she continued working as a domestic servant.
 |
Sojourner Truth, albumen silver print, circa 1870 from the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. |
In 1843, believing she was following divine guidance, Isabella adopted the name “Sojourner Truth,” explaining to her friends, “The Spirit calls me, and I must go.” She became a Methodist and dedicated herself to a life of preaching and activism, embodying her new name. In 1844, Sojourner joined the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, an abolitionist community in Massachusetts that also advocated for women’s rights and religious tolerance. During her time in Northampton, she met influential activists, including Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and David Ruggles. When the association dissolved, she took a housekeeping position with George Benson, William Lloyd Garrison’s brother-in-law.
Sojourner began integrating women’s rights into her abolitionist speaking engagements in 1849. That same year, she dictated her memoirs to her friend Olive Gilbert, and in 1850, William Lloyd Garrison published her book, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave. Sales from her book, combined with earnings from her speeches, allowed her to buy a home in Northampton. In 1850, she became a featured speaker at the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her most famous speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” was delivered in 1851 at a women’s rights convention in Ohio.
In the 1850s, Sojourner spoke before countless audiences. The Ohio Anti-Slavery Bugle endorsed her efforts, helping her secure additional speaking opportunities across the state. She also attended a suffragist "mob convention" at the Broadway Tabernacle in New York City. In 1853, she met Harriet Beecher Stowe, who later profiled her for the Atlantic Monthly and penned a new introduction to The Narrative of Sojourner Truth. In 1856, she traveled to Michigan, where she addressed the Friends of Human Progress in Battle Creek. In 1858, during a speech, an attendee interrupted her, questioning her gender; in response, Sojourner opened her blouse to reveal her breasts, putting the accusation to rest. Around this time, she relocated to Michigan and joined a religious commune associated with the Friends. Later, she became involved with the Millerites, a Methodist movement that evolved into the Seventh-day Adventists.
During the Civil War, Sojourner Truth recruited Black troops for the Union Army and organized donations of food and clothing for Black regiments. On October 29, 1864, she met President Abraham Lincoln at the White House. In Washington, she challenged the segregation of streetcars by riding to and from her work at Freedman’s Hospital, defying discriminatory practices.
On February 4, 1865, Harper’s Weekly described her impact at Freedman’s Village:
“…But Freedman’s Village has another and quite as powerful teacher in that well-known lecturess—Sojourner Truth. We found the veteran laborer for the slave in one of the little cottages, her hands in the flour…But Sojourner replied with energy that this was only a ‘large Government poorhouse.’ She wanted ‘her folks to be learning habits of economy, to be earning something, to become real Yankees.’ we bought one of Sojourner’s pictures…Some horse-cars labeled ‘Colored persons not admitted’ collect fares from far less sensible ones than honest, earnest, and God-worshiping Sojourner Truth.”
 |
Cabinet Photo of President Abraham Lincoln showing Sojourner Truth the Bible presented by colored people of Baltimore, Executive Mansion, Washington, D.C., Oct. 29, 1864 which is part of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. |
Following the war, Sojourner settled in Battle Creek, Michigan, and resumed her speaking engagements throughout the East Coast. In 1870, she began advocating for former slaves’ right to federal land grants, lobbying for this cause for seven years and even meeting with President Ulysses S. Grant, though she was ultimately unsuccessful. In 1872, she attempted to vote in the presidential election in Battle Creek, but she was turned away.
On January 4, 1876, she dictated a letter to her grandson, William Still, in which she reflected on her journey and challenges:
"A Pilgrim of God, Sojourner Truth believed herself to have been chosen to free her people from slavery. Her speeches, delivered in a bass voice which raised doubt in the minds of some concerning her sex, were so powerful, eloquent, and persuasive that she ranked only behind Frederick Douglass as the most effective anti-slavery orator. She had escaped from bondage as Isabella, and renamed herself to symbolize her wanderings and her message. Frequent efforts were made to silence her; she was stoned and beaten. Sojourner Truth continued on her mission with dignity. She knew all the major abolitionists, and was invited by Lincoln to the White House."
As she neared the end of her life, she faced financial hardships. In a letter published in the Harper’s Weekly Personal column on March 11, 1882, Sojourner Truth clarified her circumstances, writing:
“Sojourner Truth writes to us from Battle Creek, Michigan, in reference to recent published paragraphs of her having a fine home, and her having made a will, etc. She says she has made no will, owns no farm, but has a small house encumbered by a mortgage, and has no income but what she derives from the narrative of her life and sale of her photograph, which she hopes, and we hope, her friends will buy to help her along in this one-hundred-and-seventh year of her stay on earth.”
Sojourner Truth passed away on November 26, 1883, at her home in Battle Creek, Michigan.
 |
THE WOMAN'S JOURNAL, Boston, Aug. 5, 1876 Rare women's suffrage paper founded in 1870, edited by Mary Livermore, Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe. Published: "...to the interests of Woman, to her educational, industrial, legal & political Equality, & especially to her right of Suffrage". Among the articles are one on Sojourner Truth, which reflects upon her recent death; "Woman's Part in the American Future" "Woman Suffrage In N.E. Village" "Concerning Women" "The Miseries of Being Famous" "No Test For Suffrage" "Woman Suffrage In Colorado" "A Political Suffrage Party" "Suffrage in the Woman's Congress" |
Woman's Journal Article begins: Sojourner Truth, whose death has recently been announced and is now contradicted, is one of the most remarkable women of the age.She has been a slave in New York State, but emancipated fifty years ago. She has rare natural gifts; a clear intellect; a fine moral intuition and spirited insight, with much common sense. She could never read, and often said, that all the great trouble in the world came from those who could read, and not from those who could not, and that she was glad she never knew how to read.
She took a deep and personal interest in the anti-slavery movement. Her speeches came with direct and terrible force, moving friend and foe alike. She was quick to see the weak point of the enemy, and also to hit. And when her side needed strengthening she knew just when and where to help.
Sojourner Truth Biography
Appletons Encyclopedia 1887
 |
Original carte de visite of Sojourner Truth, three-quarter length portrait, standing, wearing spectacles, shawl, and peaked cap, right hand resting on cane. |
 |
| Daguerreotype of Frederick Douglass Circa: 1847-52 by Samuel J. Miller (1822-1888) |
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), the only alumni association comprised of former NBA, ABA, Harlem Globetrotter and WNBA players, is commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 150th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment – in conjunction with the University Honors Program at Loyola University New Orleans and ELEVATE, an academic, athletic and mentoring program for inner-city teens – by issuing a one-of-a-kind limited edition print of Martin Luther King's “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” signed by Dr. King and more than 50 former NBA players. This unique, historic, limited edition print is the perfect collectible for any history and/or sports fanatic. The 1000 special edition “Path to Freedom” prints are SOLD OUT The Congressional Evolution of the United States of America For students and teachers of U.S. history, this video features Stanley and Christopher Klos presenting America's Four United Republics Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Filmed in December 2015, this video is an informal recording by an audience member capturing a presentation attended by approximately 200 students, professors, and guests. To explore the full curriculum, [download it here]. Sept. 5, 1774 to July 1, 1776
Commander-in-Chief United Colonies & States of America George Washington: June 15, 1775 - December 23, 1783 July 2, 1776 to February 28, 1781
Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled March 1, 1781 to March 3, 1789
Articles of Confederation Congress United States in Congress Assembled (USCA) Sessions
Presidents of the United States of America Capitals of the United Colonies and States of America
 Secure a unique primary source exhibit and a professional speaker for your next event by reaching out to Historic.us today. Serving a wide range of clients—including Fortune 500 companies, associations, nonprofits, colleges, universities, national conventions, and PR and advertising agencies—we are a premier national exhibitor of primary sources. Our engaging and educational historic displays are crafted to captivate and inform your audience, creating a memorable experience. Join our roster of satisfied clients and see how Historic.us can elevate your event. Contact us to explore options tailored to your audience and objectives! Hosted by The New Orleans Jazz Museum and The Louisiana Historical Center Historic.us A Non-profit Corporation Primary Source Exhibits Exhibit Inquiries 202-239-1774 | Office Dr. Naomi and Stanley Yavneh Klos, Principals Naomi@Historic.us Stan@Historic.us Website: www.Historic.us Edited: Open AI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model] - https://chatgpt.com
|
