Making a Difference Introduction

For my project, I chose to pick Sojourner Truth. When I was looking for a person to choose for this project I was having some trouble. I didn’t want to pick someone really obvious, because that would not be very interesting. I wanted to find someone who was relatively unknown, but at the same time did indeed make a great difference in the world. When searching for people, I came across the name Sojourner Truth. I started looking it up because I thought that it was a really odd and interesting name. When I started researching her though, I realized that she really did do a lot more than I was expecting. I decided to pick her because she was a black woman living in the nineteenth century, a time period where both blacks and women were looked down upon. This leads to my thesis, which is that Sojourner Truth made a difference in the world through the obstacles that she had to overcome in her life and her work as an abolitionist and a women’s rights activist. My thesis basically states that Sojourner Truth made such a big difference because she worked as an abolitionist and a women’s rights activist, but also because she had to overcome the obstacles of escaping slavery and living in a society where both blacks and women were viewed as inferior. Overall, I think my research into Sojourner Truth has made me realize that there are many people in history who make a difference that can go unnoticed.

Essay

Throughout the course of history, there have been a great number of individuals who have made a difference. Many of these people are very well known and famous, while others remain below the public radar. One person who I believe does not receive enough credit is Sojourner Truth, a black woman who lived during the nineteenth century. I think that Sojourner Truth made a difference in the world through the obstacles that she had to overcome in her life and her work as an abolitionist and a women’s rights activist.

Sojourner Truth was born under the name Isabella Baumfree sometime during the year 1797, the exact date remains unknown (Butler, 3). She was born into slavery in the town of Esopus, New York. She was frequently traded between owners, and Truth later recalled many of them to be “cruel and harsh” (Krass 10). In 1815, Truth met a slave on a neighboring farm named Robert. She fell in love with Robert, but Robert’s owner forbade the relationship. She was instead forced to marry an older slave, with whom she had five children: Diana, Thomas, Peter, Elizabeth, and Sophia (Krass 15). Truth finally gained her freedom from slavery in 1826 when she was emancipated by the state of New York (Roop 22). However, she was only able to take her youngest daughter Sophia with her. This is because the New York emancipation laws stated that her other children had to remain in slavery until their twenties (Roop 23). After escaping, she found her way to the home of Isaac and Maria Van Wagener, who took her and her infant son in (Roop 23). While she was staying at the Van Wagener’s, Truth was said to have had “a life changing religious experience” (Yee 9). After this, she became a devout Christian (Yee 9).

On June 1, 1843, Truth changed her name to Sojourner Truth, Sojourner meaning “one who stays briefly” (Connor 4). She then decided to leave to preach about abolition, telling her friends, “The Spirit calls me, and I must go” (Connor 4). The next year, in 1844, she joined the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, located in Massachusetts. The organization supported women’s rights, religious tolerance, and abolitionism. (Butler 34). While a member, she met other well known abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and David Ruggles (Butler 34). She began trekking all across the country giving speeches. Even though she was a woman and black, she gained a reputation for her moving speeches and she soon gained a large following. Truth was often threatened at her rallies. It is noted that on one occasion “she stood before armed bullies and sang a hymn to them. Awed by her courage and her commanding presence, they sheepishly retreated” (Butler 50). Truth’s best known speech was delivered in 1851 at the Ohio Women’s Rights convention. It became known as “Ain’t I a Woman?” (Samra 14). The speech was short, but it was energetic and challenged the fact that men were superior to women (Samra 14). During the Civil War, she helped recruit black troops for the Union Army as well as care for homeless former slaves in Washington D.C. (Connor 5). In 1870, Truth tried to secure land grants from the government to former slaves, but this project ended in failure after she had been pursuing it for seven years (Roop 58). Truth continuing to travel and give speeches until her death on November 26, 1883 at her home in Battle Creek Michigan (Roop 70).

Sojourner Truth is an individual who made a difference in the world for many reasons. One is due to the obstacles she had to overcome to get to where she was at the end of her life. She was a slave and a woman. Even when she was freed, she was still looked down upon by many people at the time because women were considered inferior and unequal to men. She also could not read or write, but that did not stop her from becoming a fantastic public speaker. Truth was not intimidated by anyone, and even though it seemed like her circumstances would make it impossible to succeed in life, she overcame them. Truth also made a difference because of her relentless drive to fight for what she believed in. Women’s rights and abolitionism were controversial subjects in Truth’s day, but she spoke out against the status quo because she knew that it was wrong for her to just sit back and let it happen. She knew that she had to do something. Every time she stood up to speak, she knew that there was a threat of someone trying to harm her, but she did it anyway because she knew it was right. Even in her old age she continued to fight for women’s rights and abolitionism. Weeks before her death she was asked by a reporter kept her going. She responded with, “I think of the great things” (Roop 69). Sojourner Truth made a difference in the world because she fought for what was right even though it was difficult and dangerous.

There are many people in the world who have made a difference in one way or another. Many of them are celebrated heroes; many of them go completely unnoticed by the public. One person who I believe goes relatively unnoticed is Sojourner Truth, a black women’s rights activist and abolitionist during the nineteenth century. I hope more people learn about Sojourner Truth and recognize that she truly is a person who made a difference.

Works Cited

Works Cited

Butler, Mary G. Sojourner Truth: From Slave to Activist for Freedom. New York: PowerPlus Books, 2003.

Connor, Kimberly Rae. "Sojourner Truth: Slave, Prophet, Legend." African American Review 30.n2 (Summer 1996): 294(4). Academic OneFile. Gale. Westborough Public Library. 10 May 2009
.

Krass, Peter. Sojourner Truth: Antislavery Activist. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2005.

Roop, Connie. Sojourner Truth. New York: Scholastic, 2002.

Samra, Matthew K. "Shadow and substance: the two narratives of Sojourner Truth." The Midwest Quarterly 38.n2 (Wntr 1997): 158(14). Academic OneFile. Gale. Westborough Public Library. 10 May 2009
.

Yee, Shirley J. "Sojourner Truth: A Life, a Symbol." Journal of Women's History 10.n1 (Spring 1998): 174(9). Academic OneFile. Gale. Westborough Public Library. 10 May 2009
.

10 May 2009.

10 May 2009.

10 May 2009.

10 May 2009.

10 May 2009.