{"id":15405,"date":"2020-07-09T11:03:53","date_gmt":"2020-07-09T15:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/webservices\/?page_id=15405"},"modified":"2020-07-09T11:03:53","modified_gmt":"2020-07-09T15:03:53","slug":"sojourner-truth","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/webworkshops\/sojourner-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"Sojourner Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"

About Soujourner Truth<\/strong><\/p>\n

Soujourner Truth was a major figure in the abolitionist and womens’ ri.ghts movement in the 19th century. We continue to study her because of her influence and her clear and concise summaries of the arguments for emancipation of both slaves and of women.<\/p>\n

Sojourner Truth’s Life<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Sojourner Truth born\u00a0Isabella\u00a0“Belle”\u00a0Baumfree c.<\/abbr>\u20091797 \u2013 November 26, 1883 was an American\u00a0abolitionist\u00a0and\u00a0women’s rights\u00a0activist. Truth was born into\u00a0slavery\u00a0in\u00a0Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son in 1828, she became the first\u00a0black woman to win such a case against a white man. She gave herself the name Sojourner Truth in 1843 after she became convinced that God had called her to leave the city and go into the countryside “testifying the hope that was in her”. <\/sup>Her best-known speech was delivered extemporaneously, in 1851, at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in\u00a0Akron, Ohio. The speech became widely known during the Civil War by the title “Ain’t I a Woman?”, a variation of the original speech re-written by someone else using a stereotypical Southern dialect, whereas Sojourner Truth was from New York and grew up speaking\u00a0Dutch\u00a0as her first language. During the\u00a0Civil War, Truth helped recruit black troops for the\u00a0Union Army; after the war, she tried unsuccessfully to secure\u00a0land grants\u00a0from the\u00a0federal government\u00a0for formerly enslaved people (summarised as the promise of “forty acres and a mule”).<\/p>\n

Significance and legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2014, Truth was included in Smithsonian<\/a><\/i> magazine’s list of the “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time”.\u00a0<\/sup>A memorial bust of Truth was unveiled in 2009 in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol Visitor’s Center. She is the first African American to have a statue in the Capitol building.<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Soujourner Truth’s speech “Ain’t I a Woman?<\/b>“<\/strong><\/p>\n

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Ain’t I a Woman?<\/b>” is a speech, delivered extemporaneously, by\u00a0Sojourner Truth, (1797\u20131883), born into slavery in New York State. Some time after gaining her freedom in 1827, she became a well known anti-slavery speaker. Her speech was delivered at the Women’s Convention in\u00a0Akron, Ohio, on May 29, 1851, and did not originally have a title. The speech was briefly reported in two contemporary newspapers, and a transcript of the speech was published in the\u00a0Anti-Slavery Bugle<\/i>\u00a0on June 21, 1851. It received wider publicity in 1863 during the\u00a0American Civil War\u00a0when\u00a0Frances Dana Barker Gage\u00a0published a different version, one which became known as\u00a0Ain’t I a Woman?<\/b><\/i>\u00a0because of its oft-repeated question. This later, better known and more widely available version has been the one referenced by most historians.<\/p>\n

The Speech<\/strong><\/p>\n

And a’n’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! (and she bared her right arm to the shoulder, showing her tremendous muscular power). I have ploughed, and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And a’n’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man\u2014when I could get it\u2014and bear de lash as well! And a’n’t, I a woman? I have borne thirteen chilern, and seen ’em mos’ all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And a’n’t I a woman?<\/p>\n

“Den dey talks ’bout dis ting in de head; what dis dey call it?” (“Intellect,” whispered some one near.) “Dat’s it, honey. What’s dat got to do wid womin’s rights or nigger’s rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yourn holds a quart, wouldn’t ye be mean not to let me have my little half-measure full?” And she pointed her significant finger, and sent a keen glance at the minister who had made the argument. The cheering was long and loud.<\/p>\n

“Den dat little man in black dar, he say women can’t have as much rights as men, ’cause Christ wan’t a woman! Whar did your Christ come from?” Rolling thunder couldn’t have stilled that crowd, as did those deep, wonderful tones, as she stood there with outstretched arms and eyes of fire. Raising her voice still louder, she repeated, “Whar did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothin’ to do wid Him.” Oh, what a rebuke that was to that little man.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About Soujourner Truth Soujourner Truth was a major figure in the abolitionist and womens’ ri.ghts movement in the 19th century. We continue to study her because of her influence and her clear and concise summaries of the arguments for emancipation of both slaves and of women. Sojourner Truth’s Life Sojourner Truth born\u00a0Isabella\u00a0“Belle”\u00a0Baumfree c.\u20091797 \u2013 November […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"yoast_head":"\nSojourner Truth - Web Workshops<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"About Soujourner Truth Soujourner Truth was a major figure in the abolitionist and womens' ri.ghts movement in the 19th century. 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