Sojourner Truth

Personal Background:
• I was born in 1797
• I was born on the Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh estate in Swartekill, in Ulster County. It was a Dutch settlement in upstate New York.
• I had no education because I was born right into slavery.
• I am a former slave that escaped slavery and became an African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist.
• I went through a life-changing religious experience that inspired be to become a traveling preacher.
• I died on November 26, 1883, in Battle Creek, Michigan

Issues:
• I am an abolitionist fighting for black freedom.
• I spoke about abolition, women's rights, prison reform, and preached to the Michigan Legislature against capital punishment. Not everyone welcomed my preaching and lectures.

Solutions:
• I tried to secure land grants from the federal government to former slaves, but it ended up without success.
• I preached about my beliefs and even though not everyone acknowledged the issues, I had many friends and support from many influential people at the time.
Relationship to Others:
• I would feel most comfortable with Frederick Douglass because he believes in women’s right and abolition.
• I would feel least comfortable with Sylvester Graham seeing that he had no concern about women’s rights.
• Influential people like Amy Post, Parker Pillsbury, Frances Gage, Wendell Phillips, William Lloyd Garrison, Laura Smith Haviland, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony supported my work.

Trusiewicz