Sojourner Truth

Personal Background:

• I was born in 1979 in Ulster County, New York.





• I do not have an education as I was born right into the slave trade and began working on an estate owned by Dutch Settlers at a very young age. I was auctioned off when my owner died to a new owner with whom I stayed with for 17 years before I became a free women in 1827.





• I was the first black women who took a white man to court in 1828 and won the rights to my son, Peter who was being sold as a slave. I was also the first african american to win a slander suit against a white man and was awarded $125.





• I was a supporter of women's emancipation and lectured on women's rights and black freedom. In 1854, I gave one of my most famous speeches at the Woman's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.





• The National Freedman's Relief Association appointed me to work as a counselor to freed slaves in Virginia. I returned to Washington within five months where I began working in a hospital. During this time I filed a suit to affirm that black people had the same legal rights as white people to ride on public transport. My court case was won





• I also began lecturing for the temperance movement





• Died- November 26, 1883, at the age of 86 in Battle Creek, Michigan

Issues:

• I am involved with and preech about Womens Rights and Black Freedom




• I am an abolitionist and am fighting for women's rights and black freedom.




• I believe in non-violence and communicating with spirits.




• During the civil war I spoke on the Union's behalf for the listing of black troops and eventually my grandson was enlisted




• I spoke at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention where I delievered my infamous speech "Ain't I a Women". At this speech, an audience member accused me of being a man and to prove him wrong I opened my shirt.
  


• I spoke at the Equal Rights convention in New York.
• I attempted to persuade the government to give land in the "new west" to freed slaves.


• My inspiration for all that I do is based on religion and what I believe is right for everyone to live together in peace and harmony.


• I was an advocate for the Spiritual Religious movement taking place.

Solutions:

• I am in favor of an Utopian Community and Individual moral reform.
• I wrote a book titled The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave after I learned how to read and write by myself once I became free that I encouraged many to read. It was all my ideas to an ideal community.
• I changed my religion once I was free and I was enlightened


• I had to fight for rights in three different court cases, one being for my son.


• I had to fight to become free and I even ran away from my owner one year before I was legally allowed to do so.


• I was constantly under estimated and unappreciated because not only was I a women, but an African American as well.


• I turned to religion for faith and encouraged everyone else to do so.

Relationship to Others:

• I am in favor of the temperance movement


• I fought my whole life for the abolition of slavery. I also am in favor of the abolition of capital punishment.


• My two main goals and most famous speeches were based on Black Freedoms, as well as Women's Rights.


• I am in favor of prison reform and an utopian community where everyone, white or black, men and women, can live together in an ideal society.

Maize