SOJOURNER TRUTH
1797–1883
Born into slavery, human rights activist Sojourner Truth became one of the most influential African American women of the 19th century. Famed for her heartfelt and impromptu speeches, she actively campaigned for many causes, including prison reform, property rights for all, and universal suffrage.
Isabella (Belle) Baumfree was born into slavery in 1797 in Swartekill, a Dutch settlement in New York State. Aged 13, she was sold to her fourth owner, Henry Dumont, in 1810, who allowed her to marry a slave known as Thomas, and they had five children.
In 1826, Dumont reneged on a promise to grant Belle her freedom, and although it meant leaving her family behind, she fled with her baby daughter Sophia, and was granted emancipation in 1827. While in the care of an abolitionist family, the Van Wageners, Belle learned that Dumont had illegally sold her 5-year-old son Peter. With the family’s help, she took legal action to recover Peter, and she won back custody of him in 1828.
Belle moved to New York City, where, after claiming to have heard divine voices, she renamed herself Sojourner Truth on June 1, 1843. She left her job as a housekeeper, and over the coming years, she spoke to hundreds of audiences across the country, campaigning for the abolition of slavery and for women’s rights. During the US Civil War (1861–1865), Truth helped to support African American troops and sought to improve conditions for freed slaves. She continued speaking and campaigning well into old age.
“And ain’t I a woman! Look at me! Look at my arm.”
Sojourner Truth, 1851
Truth funded the Underground Railroad, the secret network of trails through the northern states to Canada that escaped slaves were guided, using money she earned from her lectures and book sales.
MILESTONES
child slave
Passes, as a slave, between three owners over four years, from the ages of 9–13.
saves her son
Escaping from slavery, 1826, wins custody of her son, Peter, two years later, after he was illegally sold.
demands equality
Delivers “Ain’t I a woman” speech on racial inequality to the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio, 1851.
Civil war leaders
Meets US president Abraham Lincoln while working to help African American troops, 1864.
enduring activism
Meets US president Ulysses S. Grant to secure land grants from government for former slaves, 1870.