Sojourner Truth By Nell Irvin

The facts in her life was what made her speech so inspirable. Sojourner Truth was the name she was famous for because she spoke about only what she believed in. She wanted to get her points across very clearly and the only way to do that was to be completely honest.

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” 1852 speech by Frederick Douglass is a passionate speech that cuts across the difficulty of black slaves particularly in the pre-Civil War America. Seemingly, the speech is rationale, elaborates, and incorporates emotional touch. On the other hand, the “Ar’n't I a Woman?” speech by Sojourner Truth is remarkable in its ability to incorporate historical precedents and sense of humor. Importance, is that in the speech Truth makes use of the biblical accounts such as the birth of Jesus through the Virgin Mary as a strategy to show how superior women are in scriptures but diminished in real society. Therefore, the essay seeks to display the similarities and differences between the two speeches as well as

Sojourner Truth, one of the elite black females in women history is atypical of her slaves because her name alone is still being discuss in today’s society. By changing in her name to Sojourner Truth, her name alone is atypical from

Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. "Sojourner Truth." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. 775-76. Print.

Sojourner Truth was an extremely strong and courageous woman. She proceeded through many hardships and Truth even escaped the bondage from slavery. After that she spoke out for women’s rights and was even the first African American woman to take a white man to court and win. Throughout her eighty six years of life Sojourner Truth she stumbled through numerous hardships, escaped slavery, and spoke out on women’s rights.

Sojourner Truth was a woman filled with power through her connection with God. Truth was solely impacted by the events of experiencing a slave auction, and winning a trial in which she sued the master of her son

During the late 1840s, Sojourner acquired a reputation as a powerful speaker. Oliver Gilbert was a friend of the Benson’s and they reached out to him to help write Truth’s Narrative. He started making Truth’s narrative at Northampton and had it published by William Lloyd Garrison. A man by the name of Yerrinton printed Truth’s narrative. Truth was supported through donations and the sale of The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, originally published in Boston in 1850. Strangely, Truth sold her 128-page book for 25¢ per copy. Truth travelled for years at a time and surprisingly she was able to take care of herself, while only producing 25¢ for every book she sold.

" I feel safe in the midst of my enemies, for the truth is all powerful and will prevail." Said Sojourner Truth during one of her battles for freed slave rights. Truth was born as a slave in which after 30 years she escaped. After she dedicated her life to helping freed slaves get their rights along with women's rights. Sojourner Truth is a hero to not only women, but to everyone because she changed America for women and color people by being brave, determined, and Godly.

Sojourner Truth played a vital role in inspiring people to stand up against slavery and injustice. She stood up for herself and every African-American. She had the courage to stand up and leave her slave owner. She stood up for herself and her son in court when he was sold illegally to a slave owner in a different state. She had the moxy to become a public figure and talk about injustice against women and African-American slaves. In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, no one had ever heard of a woman slave taking a stand to control her and her family’s life. Sojourner Truth was before her time.

And how came Jesus into the world? Through God who created him and woman who bore him. Man, where is your part? But the women are coming up blessed be God and a few of the men are coming up with them. But man is in a tight place, the poor slave is on him, woman is coming on him, and he is surely between-a hawk and a buzzard.”( 7) Not only did she give speeches but also during the civil war she also, “...put her reputation to work during the Civil War, helping to recruit black troops for the Union Army.”(4) She later again moved on, this time she got to meet the president and talk to him about her beliefs/experiences. In the end Truth died accomplishing so much. Truth is a catalyst for change based on the quote” Truth is remembered as one of the foremost leaders of the abolition movement and an early advocate of women’s rights. Although she began her career as an abolitionist, the reform, property rights and universal suffrage. Abolition was one of the few causes that Truth was able to realized during her lifetime. Her fear that abolitionism would falter before achieving equality for women proved prophetic. The constitutional Amendment barring suffrage discrimination based on sec was not ratified until 1920, nearly for decades after Sojourner Truth’s death.”(4) Truth was an amazing women who will and is always a catalyst for change no matter what someone says about her,

Nell Painter, author of Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol writes about Sojourner Truth’s life and how she was used as a symbol for various movements. Painter shows how religion was a major point in Truth’s ministry about how slaves and women should be treated fairly and equal to men. In Painter’s book, she writes about how Truth gained fame from the Akron women’s rights conference because of her giving her speech, “"Dat man over dar say dat woman needs to be helped into

Sojourner Truth was born on 1797 in New York and was named Isabella Bomfree. She was “the youngest of two Dutch speaking slaves” Isabella was sold many times during her slavery. She ended being property of a slave owner named John Dumont were she was forced to learn and speak the English language. John Dumont was a violent master. Later on Sojourner had five kids, four girls and a boy. Her children were from “another Dumont’s slaves, older man named Thomas” . John Dumont promised in 1829 to free Sojourner Truth from slavery, but broke the promise because of an injury Truth had sustained. She then ran away from the

Sojourner Truth once declared, at the Women’s Rights Convention in 1851, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again” (“Sojourner Truth” Encyclopedia). This statement brought a wave of protest from the men in the crowd and left most women with renewed hope for receiving equal rights. Sojourner Truth was a woman’s rights activist and African American abolitionist, on top of being a freed slave. Sojourner Truth had the “worst of both worlds” being that she was African American, and also a woman. She spoke at a countless amount of conventions, largely inspired by Lucrietta Mott. Rather than using weapons, Truth

Sojourner Truth uses many devices in her speech. Some of these devices are rhetorical question ,ethos and logos. Sojourner uses these devices to discuss the struggle for women's equality in a male dominant society. Truth’s experiences as a black woman in America suitably provided her with the understanding and motivation to speak on women’s rights. She also states questionable facts to make a strong argument.

In the Corner Miss Ella dedicates her time and energy to running the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center. She is able to make connections with children of all ages, ranging as old as high school. The children who come are able to participate in productive after school activities, rather than spending their time on the Corner. Ultimately, Miss Ella feels that by providing opportunities at the recreation center, she is able to keep kids from being involved in the Corner, for as long as possible. While her efforts are genuine and work to some extent, the center itself is not merely enough to keep the wild-hearted boys of the C.M.B. crew off the streets. The children of the Corner lack motivation to go to school, finding gallivanting on the streets and stirring up trouble to be much more enticing. If a preventative program was implemented that focused on both prevention and the promotion of positive behaviors, such as completing high school, the potential benefits to society could include a few less criminals on the streets or tangled up in the justice system.