Truth, Sojourner (1797–1883)

During the mid-19th century, Sojourner Truth was recognized as a leader in the abolitionist and women's rights movements. Other than the contents of her autobiography, titled Narrative of Sojourner Truth, and reports of others, there is limited information pertaining to her life.

Born into slavery during 1797 in Ulster County, New York, Isabella (who later adopted the name Sojourner Truth) experienced the harsh realities of the slave system.

Separated as a child from her parents, James and Betsey Baumfree, Isabella was sold to a series of plantation owners who took advantage of her unusual strength and height. Prior to her first sale, Isabella was the property of Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh. During her 40-year period as a slave, she learned to speak Dutch, yet never learned to read or write. She married a slave named Thomas while living on the John Dumont plantation in New York. Because slaves could not be married by means of a traditional Christian ceremony, they were married by jumping the broom, which represented the slave wedding ceremony. Isabella and Thomas had five children: Diana (b. 1815), Peter (b. 1821), Elizabeth (b. 1825), Sophia (b. 1826), and a fifth child who may have died in infancy.

“I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance.”—Sojourner Truth (1797–1883)

Source: Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

A movement in New York to abolish slavery led to the New York legislature's passing a law in 1817, abolishing the system for some of the slaves. As part of the emancipation order, only those slaves who were born prior to 1799 would be freed. In 1826, Isabella gained her freedom and took her son Peter with her to New York City, leaving behind her daughters and husband. Her other children were left behind because they were not legally freed in the emancipation order until they had served as bound servants until their 20s. On July 4, 1827, all slaves born after 1799 were also emancipated.

Despite New York's anti-slavery law, her son Peter was sold into slavery to a plantation owner in Alabama. Because this was an illegal sale, Isabella filed a lawsuit in 1827 in order to win him back with the help of some Quakers. As a result of this unprecedented action, Isabella was successful in winning her court case and became recognized as the first African American woman to win a court case against a white man. After winning her case, Isabella converted to Christianity.

While living in New York City, Isabella did domestic work. She attended religious services in both the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and a white Methodist church. In addition, she delivered religious messages at camp meetings. In 1843, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth—a name that she believed God had given her—and committed her life to become an itinerant preacher promoting the truth and campaigning against social injustices.

Years following her court case and religious conversion, Truth moved her family to Northampton, Massachusetts, and later to Ohio. Even though slavery remained legal in many states, Sojourner began speaking out against the system's practice during her many travels. A trademark of her travels was the strength and deepness of her voice, which caused people to listen to her. Not only was she an abolitionist, but she also advocated for women's receiving the same rights as men. Furthermore, she spoke against other national social movements, such as prison reform and the termination of capital punishment.

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