Life In Past

SOJOUNER TRUTH

Sojourner Truth was born under the name Isabella Van Wagener. This was not even her last name but her masters last name because slaves went by their master’s last name. She had at least five children with another slave that her master married her to named Thomas. For a while she lived in slavery until a day in 1826 when Isaac Van Wagener set her free. In irony less then a year later slavery was banned in New York. Right after slavery had been made illegal she went to court and recovered her smallest son who had been sold away. In 1829 she went to New York City and supported herself with domestic employment.

While in New York City she met Elijah Pierson, a religious missionary. She joined his retrenchment society and eventually his household.

In 1843 she left New York City and changed her name to Sojourner Truth, which she used from then on. Obeying a voice she said she heard from god travel up and down the land she went to churches all over the place and got people to accept the Bible and God. In 1850 she wrote a book which she named “The Narrative of Sojourner Truth”.

One other thing that Sojourner Truth was famous for was her “Ain’t I A Women” speech in 1851 at the Women’s Rights Convention. No formal record of it exists, but Frances Gage who was the president of the convention, recounted Truth’s words. She said that the words Ain’t I A Women were very strong and uplifting. Also they have become common words women use today to show their rights.

In the 1850s she settled in Battle Creek, Michigan. While here she gathered supplies for black volunteer regiments and in 1864 went to Washington D.C., where she helped integrate street cars and was received at the White House by Abraham Lincoln. For the rest of her life she helped fight for freedom of slaves all around the U.S. then in 1875 she returned to Battle Creek, where she stayed until her death.