By: Jack Sharland, Aidan Furlong, and Mikey Aromando

Sojourner Truth

§ Birthdate: 1797 in Ulster County, NY on the Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh estate

§Real name was Isabella Baumfree

§First sold at age 9 to John Neely

§Isabella had 5 children 4 with her husband Thomas (slave)

§She was inspired to preach while living with the Van Wageners and joined Elijah Pierson’s “Kingdom”

§On June 1, 1843 she changed her name to Sojourner Truth

§In 1844 she joined the Northampton Association of Education and Industry

§Went to live with George Benson and created her memoirs, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave

Biography

§1854- Ohio Woman’s Rights Convention (famous speech- “Ain’t I a Woman?”)

§Sojourner joined a group called progressive friends

§During Civil War she supported union and enlisted blacks

§In 1870 she campaigned for former slaves to be provided with land from the West

§Returned home to Battle Creek, Michigan where she died on Nov. 26, 1883

Biography Continued

§Sought to end slavery and Atlantic Slave Trade

§Resistance began in 15th century but actual movement occurred in 18th and 19th century

§Abolition was influenced by Christian humanitarianism, economic change, and intellectual developments such as the Second Great Awakening and the Industrial Revolution

§Age of Enlightenment- All men are equal

§The American Revolution revitalized the movement

§Liberation of all blacks- 1888

Abolitionist

§Began in early 1800’s

§Believed that women deserved their own political identities

§"that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

§Main argument- women should have right to vote

§Starting in 1910 some states extended voting to women

§On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was finally ratified.

Women’s Rights Activist

§ She used speeches to persuade the crowd of her way of thinking.

§ “Ain’t I a Woman?”

§ Used religion to her advantage preaching in church about her message.

§ Published a biography of her life detailing the horrors she experienced.

§ Worked before and during the civil war to both recruit, and improve conditions for, African-Americans.

§ Met President Lincoln while working under the National Freedman’s Relief Association in Washington D.C.

Specific Contributions

§ Rode in streetcars to promote desegregation.

§ Attempted to secure federal land grants for former slaves for 7 years unfortunately without success.

§ Wrote “The Valiant Soldiers”

§ Supported by many powerful people: Francis Gage, William Lloyd Garrison, Susan B. Anthony.

§ “The Libyan Sibyl”

Specific Contributions

§ “Ain’t I a Woman” is a speech still used to advocate for women’s rights to this day.

§ Her biography detailing the horrors she had experienced is one of the few detailed accounts of a female slave’s life, as education was even harder to come by for colored women than colored men.

§ Even after her death, her books remained an inspiration to all women and colored persons, but most of all to colored women who feel that they are not getting their rights as a free person.

Impact on Society

§ A bust of Sojourner Truth was commissioned by the White House, the driving force being from First Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama.

Impact on society

JOHN LOCKE!!!!!!!!

"The Fight for Women's Suffrage." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. <http://www.history.com/topics/the-fight-for-womens-suffrage>.

"Abolitionist Movement," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000

http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation.

"Abolitionist Movement." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. <http://www.history.com/topics/abolitionist-movement>.

 

"Sojourner Truth Biography." Lakewood Public Library (Lakewood, Ohio). Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/trut-soj.htm>.

 

"Sojourner Truth Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/sojourner-truth-9511284>.

Works Cited