Sojourners For Truth And Justice

Back in the nineteenth century men and women were not treated equally as they are now. Women did not have as much freedom as the men did and that caused a national movement. Not only were the women segregated from the men, but the discrimination against the African American race was a huge ordeal as well. With both movements combined, it led to a controversial development at that time. Not only were women fighting for equality, they were also fighting for the prejudice to end amongst the different races. The beginning of the Women’s Rights Movement and the Abolitionist Movement was not only a historic development, but it changed the world forever.

The title of this book comes from the inspiring words spoken by Sojourner Truth at the 1851, nine years prior to the Civil War at a Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. In Deborah Grays White, Ar’n’t I a woman her aim was to enrich the knowledge of antebellum black women and culture to show an unwritten side of history of the American black woman. Being an African- American and being a woman, these are the two principle struggles thrown at the black woman during and after slavery in the United States. Efforts were made by White scholars in 1985 to have a focus on the female slave experience. Deborah Gray White explains her view by categorizing the hardships and interactions between the female slave and the environment in which the

Both documents, Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" and "A Black Feminist Statement: The Combahee River Collective", deal with the issues faces by women during each time period. However, they do not only focus on the discrimination of women; they focus on the discrimantion of black women. Sojourner Truth and The Combahee River Collective took the issue that were being dealt with by other women and organzations and brought a bigger issue to the picture. Feminist during these times were focused on helping women, white women, so these particular feminist raised a whole other issue to the table. The biggest difference between these two documents is the time they were each written or spoken. Sojourner spoke in the mid-1800s,

In a time period when women were considered inferior, as were blacks, it was unimaginable the horrors a black woman in the south had to endure during this period. African women were slaves and subject to the many horrors that come along with being in bondage, but because they were also women, they were subject to the cruelties of men who look down on women as inferior simply because of their sex. The sexual exploitation of these females often lead to the women fathering children of their white masters. Black women were also prohibited from defending themselves against any type of abuse, including sexual, at the hands of white men. If a slave attempted to defend herself she was often subjected to further beatings from the master. The black female was forced into sexual relationships for the slave master’s pleasure and profit. By doing this it was the slave owner ways of helping his slave population grow.

The systematic, oppressive dehumanization of black womanhood was not a mere consequence of racism. It was a calculated method of social control, manipulation, and misogyny. With capitalism on the forefront of the American society during the Reconstruction years, and a booming manufacturing economy was on the rise, white supremacy capitalism patriarchy needed a group to be at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, a scapegoat. That scapegoat was black women. Manumitted black women showed that when given the same opportunities to live their lives like humans, they surpassed and excelled in all areas. Their success was a direct challenge to the racist ideologies that darker races were inherently inferior. Racist

According to the stereotypes exposed by Wells, white men understood the rape of a white woman by a black man to be an insult to their manhood [5] , whereas the rape of a black woman by a white man could not be a “punishable crime” because of her status as a “bad woman.” The racial ideology at the root of such thinking allowed white men to define lynching not as terrorism or race and gender control, but as the right action to avenge their manhood. [6] Through her reports, Wells challenged other women as well as men to join the anti-lynching campaign. The Association of Southern Women to Prevent Lynching was a subsequent group of white women that was established in the 1930s as a result of the events documented in A Red Record. Wells is also credited as one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an organization that began a widespread campaign against lynching and mob violence around 1910 and is the oldest civil rights organization in the United States. [7]

courage they were. The women were willing to do anything for them to be heard and make a

The feminist movement sought to gain rights for women. Many feminist during the early nineteenth century fought for the abolition of slavery around the world. The slave narrative became a powerful feminist tool in the nineteenth century. Black and white women are fictionalized and objectified in the slave narrative. White women are idealized as pure, angelic, and chaste while black woman are idealized as exotic and contained an uncontrollable, savage sexuality. Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl, brought the sexual oppression of captive black women into the public and political arena.

Women’s Rights was and still is a major issue throughout the entire world, but more specifically, in the United States of America. Women have been treated unjustly for awhile. From being beaten by their husbands, to not being able to own property if they were married, women have been through it all. Many of these situations started to change because of a group of women that decided to stand up for what they believe in. A few activists that helped improve the rights of women are Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott.

In her book, Southern Horrors: Women and the Politics of Rape and Lynching, Crystal N. Feimster discusses how race, gender and politics shaped the post-civil war south from reconstruction into the 20th century through the use of historical statistics, narratives and recorded court cases. Through the juxtaposition of Rebecca Latimer Felton and Ida B. Wells, born a generation apart as a plantation mistress and the other into racism, Feimster explores the differences in the treatment of and the reactions to a white woman and an African American woman fighting against rape and for women’s rights. The author, discusses how institutionalized racism, patriarchy and mob violence helped and hurt these women on their quest for equal rights.

Since the beginning, the United States` government, racial slavery had conquered various American identities. “Racism sprung early colonial times due the slavery riot incidence misinterpretations, leading full men, women, and children racial slavery of all different ethnic backgrounds” (Hooker 1). African-Americans held a life long work and Caribbean island shipment originating and affective progression to American colonies. “An importation of 4,000,000 Negroes were held in bondage by Southern planters” (Webstine).Advanced time went, and Northern states nurtured a rapid industrial revolution; Factory introduction, machines, and hired workers replaced any agricultural need of existing slaves. Southern states, however, maintained

During the time of slavery, not only were African Americans were treated unfairly, but their women had it worse at times; African American women would be raped would be raped by their owners, or be trafficked around from man to man (Browne-Marshall). The white man was seen as evil, disgusting and cruel, so being a black woman carrying a white man’s child was basically

Many writings published during the early to mid 1900s were written in order to expose the racial segregation of black people and the oppression of women. Even though slavery had been abolished, citizens still treated black people with disdain and with no rights. They would eat in separate areas with other blacks and be forced to use different bathrooms in public. They also had to go to segregated schools. It was a hard time period for the black people, yet the majority of them fought through it and survived the harsh times; however, black citizens were not the only people who had it rough during those days. Women were also heavily oppressed and treated extremely lowly. They were still considered to be under men and a “property”. They did not have the freedom to do whatever they yearned for.

Alluding the response to the question, I am in between about categorizing Incidents as a proto-feminist text because I somehow think she’s just being a normal person. I think everybody would do the same thing if they were given the same situation. In my opinion, she was being fair regarding the situation because imagine yourself a female slave waking up every morning at dawn to start a ceaseless day of works and being call of a master who utilizes you day by day for tasks as well as for his sexual pleasures. Imagine being unable to voice the sentiment and stand up against him. I believe she precisely figures an account that portrays the lives of slave girls and women as it truly was lived. Instead of simply maintaining a strategic distance from the awful grim subtle elements, she utilized Linda Brent to disclose to her story to secure those included, as well as to be the voice for the voiceless like she was who has been under the steady danger of being found and having her opportunity detracted from

The perspective of women in the life and time Fredrick Douglass were that they were treated like property and not as if they were human beings. They were more like sex slaves, cleaners, punching bags and more. There are several female characters deep within his story that are shown and slightly over looked. Slavery, rape and beatings took an emotional and physically toll on the women and fell prey to the coward masters. Therefore, lowering their inner strength and made them weak.