Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), was born a slave in Hurley, Ulster County, New York to James and Elizabeth, slaves owned by the wealthy Dutch landowner and patron, Johannes Hardenbergh, Jr. Her narrative, penned by amanuensis Olive Wilson, relates her early trials as she was separated from her parents and subject to numerous beatings and mistreatment by subsequent owners. She was sold from the Hardenbergh family into a second Dutch family who were vexed by her inability to speak English. Known as "Isabella," Sojourner changed hands several times and came of age in the household of John I. Dumont, where she was often burdened with the chores of two people. It has been said that she was strong, tall, and stout, and able to outwork most men. One slaveholder commented that she was "better than a man--for she will do a good family's washing in the night, and be ready in the morning to go into the field, where she will do as much at raking and binding as my best hands" (Washington xv).
By the time she had delivered her fifth child in slavery, Isabella took action: she left the Dumont New Paltz farm and walked to freedom, with her infant child in her arms. She christened herself "Isabella Van Wagenen" for the family who took her in and protected her, and to protect herself from identification by her former owners. She would change her name again following her Christian conversion, and her newly-assumed role of itinerant minister of the Gospel. She became Sojourner Truth, as she announced her mission was to "sojourn" the land and deliver the "truth" of God's word.
As a renowned--and often reviled--stump speaker for the cause of anti-slavery, Sojourner Truth emerged during a period in which social reformation defined the day. The causes of Abolition and Women's Suffrage intertwined with other dominant reform movements that sought to rejuvenate the body and the soul, such as Grahamism and Spiritualism. However, her first obligation was to the cause of freedom, and she became an instrumental spokesperson for the causes of Women's Suffrage and Abolition. Audiences were captivated by Truth's eloquence, and her formidable physical presence that was enhanced by her remarkable height: she stood at over six feet tall. Though her message threatened many pro-slavery whites across the country who frequently harassed her and attempted to intercede on her speaking engagements, Truth was undaunted. When she was informed that someone had threatened to burn down the building where she was scheduled to speak for the evening, Truth responded simply, "Then I will speak to the ashes." Truth braved racism, cruelty, and mistreatment--plus several physical attacks--in her mission to spread the word of God and of abolition; and held fast to her faith that God "would protect her and that her message warranted the danger involved in its deliverance" (Gates). Thirteen years before Emancipation, Truth was firm in the knowledge that freedom could not be attained without struggle, but there would be freedom.
Below is a powerfully performed reading of "Arn't I a Woman" by actress Alfre Woodard:
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