"Ain't I a Woman?" a Biography of Sojourner Truth

I remember the first time I read Sojourner Truth's speech, Ain't I a Woman I don't know that I fully understood the gravity of those words back in the fifth grade. While studying the civil rights movement in my catholic school, the very first time I was exposed to black history.

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman.

That phrase really made me stop and think. It had never occurred to me that black women weren't actually considered to be on the same level as other women.

Born a slave in 1797 and named Isabella Baumfree, Sojourner Truth was one of 13 children and was a slave of Colonel Hardenberg. She spoke was raised speaking Dutch until she was 9 years old and was sold to John Neely and lived near Kingston NY. This owner was excessively cruel and she was sold twice more and in 1810 was sold to John Dumont of New Paltz, New York. While this owner was kind to her, his wife was not. Although she met and fell in love with a slave from a neighboring farm, she was forced into marriage with an older slave who her owner also owned. This was to provide more slaves for her slave master to own. They had five children.

Truth escaped from her slave owner who had reneged on his promise to free her. She left with her infant daughter Sophia, leaving her other children behind. They would eventually become emancipated. A Quaker family took her in and purchased the remainder of her services (until NY emancipation took effect) for $20.00. ) When her 8-year-old son was illegally sold by her former owner, she took the issue to court and won the child back. She became a devout Christian during her stay with the Van Wagenens. She and moved to New York City and worked as a housekeeper where she was acquitted of stealing from and poisoning a former employer who had died. Meanwhile her son Peter took a job on a whaling ship, and when his boat returned, he was not on it.