Sojourner Truth

My name is Sojourner Truth, and I was born as Isabella Baumfree in 1797 on the Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh estate, a Dutch settlement, in upstate New York. I was then sold to John Neely, along with a herd of sheep, for $100. Neely's wife and family only spoke English and I received frequent beatings due to miscommunications. It was during this time that I began to find refuge in religion by beginning the habit of praying aloud when I was scared or hurt. In 1810 I was sold off again to John Dumont of New Paltz, New York. Dumont had promised me my freedom, but when he denied it I escaped and arrived at the home of Isaac and Maria Van Wagener. During my time with the Van Wageners, I had a life changing religious experience and became inspired to preach. I also devotedly attended the local Methodist church and, in 1829, I left Ulster County with a white evangelical teacher named Miss Gear. I settled in New York and joined the Northampton Association of Education and Industry in Massachusetts. This group was founded by abolitionists to promote cooperative and productive labor. They were strongly anti-slavery, religiously tolerant, women's rights supporters, and pacifist in principles. In 1843, I took the name Sojourner Truth, meaning a traveling preacher.(. In 1854, at the Ohio Woman's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, I delivered my speech with the legendary phrase, "Ain't I a Woman?. Later I became involved in the Spiritualism religious movement through a group called the Progressive Friends. This group stood for abolition, women's rights, non-violence, and communicating with spirits. During the Civil War I spoke for enlisting black troops for the cause and freeing slaves. In 1807 I also campaigned for the federal government to provide former saves with land in the new west. I then spent a year in Kansas helping refugees and speaking in white and black churches trying to gain support for the "Exodusters" as they tried to build new lives for themselves.