Sojourner Truth Research Paper

“If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full? (National Park Service- Sojourner Truth)... this small passage was taken from a speech that has been repeated throughout time. The woman who spoke these words was known as Sojourner Truth. Truth’s speeches about the equality between women and men gave not only a powerful message, but it also intensified her fight for women and civil rights. After being released from slavery, she made it her mission to fight for her vision of equality within gender and races. Truth goes on to speak at numerous conventions, helping African Americans rebuild their lives after slavery, and being an activist for change. Although, Sojourner
Baumfree would be sold to numerous slave owners until 1827, when she eventually escaped with her youngest daughter in hand , a year before the abolition of slavery came to New York (Sojourner Truth- Biography). For the next several years, Baumfree becoming a well known activist didn’t happen as quickly. Shortly after her release, Baumfree discovered her son, Peter, was being illegally sold to a man in Alabama and would fight him in court and win. She would be the first african american women to win a court case against a slave owner in the United States. She eventually changes her name to Sojourner Truth. Sojourner, because ‘she would travel up and down the land, showing people their sins’ and Truth because the lord declared her ‘to tell the truth to the people’ (Where did Sojourner Truth get her
The organization unfortunately, disassembled two years later, but she would still pursue being an activist. She would tell a close friend about her life growing up in slavery and would turn it into her autobiography that would be published in that following year (Krass #). Truth, that same year would begin touring , speaking up on slavery and human rights, with a fellow abolitionist, George Thompson. In May of 1851, Truth spoke at a Convention in Ohio, where she spoke her famous ‘Ain’t I A Woman’ speech, and with positive feedback she would continue to tour Ohio for two years.
Truth up kept her good heart and reputation, when the Civil War had taken place. In Michigan, She would try to recruit black troops to help the Union, and also collect food and clothing for the black regiments (Sojourner Truth- History). In 1857, Truth continued to travel and speak on the rights of slaves and women and landed in Washington, DC, where she eventually met, President Lincoln. Her last project would be movement to secure land grants from the federal government for former slaves, but sadly couldn’t be