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Sojourner Truth

by Avery, Bailey, and Abby

Hero, Creative, Inspiring, Ingenious, and brave. These words describe Sojourner Truth. She was born with the name Isabella Baumfree and was born in the year 1797 in Rifton, New York. Her father was named James Baumfree who married her mother, Elizebeth Baumfree. She was the second youngest of ten or twelve children. When her owner died in 1806, she was put up for auction.  Sojourner Truth's next few owners treated her badly, until she was purchased when she was 13 years old. She worked for John Dumont for the next seventeen years.  

She married an older slave named Thomas. She later had 5 children, Her first child James died in early childhood. The others were named Diana, Peter, Sophia, and Elizabeth. Three of her children were sold away. She figured out her owner was going to keep her enslaved when it was time for her to retire from slavery. In 1826 she ran away and left her children and husband behind. She ventured to the city and later changed her name to Sojourner Truth in the year of 1843. She stayed with Maria and Issac Van Wagen, they didn't make her do slave work

Isabella wanted to find her son, Peter, who had been sold illegally to a plantation owner in Alabama.  In 1828, she became the first black woman (with the help of her lawyer) to take a white man to court and win.  Isabella started following a man named Elijah Pierson who soon joined with a man who was known as Matthias.  Later on, Pierson was arrested for the murder of Matthias.  Isabella was accused of helping in the murder somehow.  A white couple, the Folgers, also accused her of trying to poison them, even though she didn't even know the couple! For the second time, she had to go to court. She was found innocent  in the Matthias case and decided to file a slander suit against the Folgers and, in 1835, she won.  In the year of 1851 she told the famous "Ain't I a woman" speech in Ohio. She informed all men that think women shouldn't get the same rights and be treated different than men that she wasn't treated like they think a women should be and she was a woman. 

On November 26th, 1883 in Battle Creek, Michigan Sojourner Truth died of failing health. 

Sources used:
The Narrative of Sojourner 
Education & Resources - National Women's History Museum - NWHM
1. Sojourner Truth
sojourner truth
 http://www.notablebiographies.com/St-Tr/Truth-Sojourner.html
"Ain't I a Woman" speech

Page created on 2/4/2017 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 2/4/2017 12:00:00 AM

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