The Life of Sojourner Truth: An Abolitionist Sojourner Truth, whose original name was Isabella Baumfree, was born in Upstate New York in around 1797. In that day, the birthdays of children born into slavery were not kept track of, so the exact date of Isabella’s birth is not known. She grew up in a slave family with 11 siblings. In 1843, Isabella Baumfree changed her name to Sojourner Truth. In 1846, Sojourner became an abolitionist and a civil and woman’s rights activist. She was a slave and had been mistreated. Truth had been married twice and bore one child with her first husband and three with her second. Her first marriage was not permitted by her owner and the couple was forced to never see each other again. Sojourner was forced to marry her second husband by her abusive owner. The state of New York emancipated all slaves on July 4, 1827. One of her sons should have been freed because of the emancipation, but was stolen and sold into slavery in Alabama. After this, Sojourner took this to court, and won the case against her son’s new owner. She herself should have been freed, but when her owner would …show more content…
She influenced many people with her speaking. Even though she could not read or write, her friend, Olive Gilbert, was there to write her thoughts on paper for her so that she could publish her work. Sojourner’s speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” was known all through the country. She had very strong quotes in her message. Some being these: “That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain 't I a woman?”
“Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain 't I a