Introduction
Slavery started a long time ago around the 1600’s, where the British were kidnapping Africans and making them their slaves. It had gotten worse over time and many people were severely hurt and had terrible living conditions. Luckily though, there were many abolitionists that tried to stop slavery, including Fredrick Douglass and Robert Purvis. One abolitionist, in particular, is Isabella Baumfree, or as most people call her, Sojourner Truth. Sojourner Truth is an important U.S. historical figure because of her life, dedication to the abolitionist movement, and well-respected remembrance today.
Sojourner Truth was born around 1797, in the state of New York. When she was about nine, she was sold for the first time to a farmer named John Neely. She was subjected to very harsh punishments and difficult labor. When she was in her teens, she was married to an older man named Thomas (Debra Michals). She had four children with him and one other child with a man named John Dumont who raped her (Sojourner Truth). When she was about twenty-nine, she escaped with one of her daughters to freedom. She will work hard to become a great abolitionist and provide hope for other slaves.
Sojourner Truth fought for the abolition of slavery. In her thirties, she started helping people escape to freedom, a lot like Harriet Tubman. Another thing she did like Harriet Tubman, was urging men to accompany the Union cause and helping black troops by organizing their supplies. When doing this, she got an invitation from the White House and there she sought influence against segregation. Truth then started giving speeches about her life as a slave and the horrors of it. While giving these speeches, she ended up meeting William Lloyd Garrison and Fredrick Douglass, two very important abolitionists. After that, she joined a group called the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, which supported women’s rights and pacifism. So far in her life, she had already made many different contributions towards abolishing slavery.
Sojourner Truth was a very inspiring person and influenced many different people. She gave many speeches, including one famous speech called “Ain’t I a Woman?” The speech talked about how women, black or white, should be treated equally to men. In addition, every one of her speeches talks about how immoral slavery was. Because of those reasons, Truth’s speeches moved and helped people understand that slavery is terrible. For all of her great work, she was one of the first black women to be accepted into the Women’s Hall of Fame.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Sojourner Truth was a great influence on many people. She moved a lot of people with her amazing speeches and stories. Without all of her hard work and dedication to abolish slavery, we wouldn’t have been the same today. Sojourner Truth is well remembered, as a valuable U.S. historical figure because of her life and dedication to the abolitionist movement.
