Nat Turner

Harriet Tubman

J.D.B. DeBow

SojournerTruth

Born: 1797 Died: 1883

Sojourner Truth

Born into slavery in Hurley, New York in 1797.

Born “Isabella Baumfree”

She was tall - 5 feet 11 inches.

She had 12 siblings, but only knew her younger brother.

After her master died, she was sold along with a flock of sheep.

Love and Marriage?

• Her new master was very happy with his purchase of Bella.

• During this time, Bella fell in love with a slave

from next door. Their love was forbidden, and the young man was severely beaten.

• Her master made her marry and have children with another one of his slaves.

• Bella agreed and had five children.

Hope for Freedom?

• Around 1825, New York issued a law that would free older slaves by the year 1827. As thanks for her hard work, her master said he would free her one year before this time.

• In the year, she cut her hand in the fields, but continued her hard labor.

• On her day of promised freedom, her master said he would keep her another year because he lost work while her hand was injured.

FREEDOM

After she became free in 1827, she renamed herself Sojourner Truth.

Sojourn: a temporary stay

She became an outspoken advocate of blacks’ rights and women’s rights.

Sojourner gave her famous “Ain’t I a Women?” speech at the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention.

“Ain’t I a Woman?” Speech

“recounted by Frances Gage”

Several ministers attended the second day of the Woman’s Rights Convention, and were not shy in voicing their opinion of man’s superiority over women. One claimed “superior intellect”, one spoke of the “manhood of Christ” and still another referred to the “sin of our first mother”.

Suddenly, Sojourner Truth rose from her seat in the corner of the church.

“Ain’t I a Woman?” Speech

Performed by Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsjdLL3MrKk

Sojourner Truth

After her death she received may honors:

- monument to honor her.- US postal stamp- Mars probe Sojourner was named in her honor

Sojourner Truth