Sojourner as a Woman’s Right Activist

In 1850, her memories were published under the title, ‘The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave’. She could not read or write, so she told her stories to her friends Olive Gilbert and William Lloyd Garrison, who wrote them down for her. In the same year, Sojourner began to accompany anti-slavery campaigner George Thompson to educate the people about the horrors of slavery.

Sojourner’s approach was a bit different, as she spoke not only of her experience as a slave, but also about her experience as a black woman in slavery. She did this because she feared the Abolition movement would only secure the rights of black men, and not black women. This was the only chance she had to change the minds of the people. In 1851, she gave her iconic speech “Ain’t I a woman?” at the Ohio Women’s Rights Conference in Akron. It was first published by newspaper owner, Marius Robinson, and was a great hit. The speech was called, “Ain’t I a woman?” because the phrase was repeated four times.

Sojourner’s involvement in the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, Sojourner helped in the recruitment of black men for the Northern Army.

In 1864, she met President Abraham Lincoln and told him about her experiences and beliefs. After the war ended in 1865, she continued her efforts to improve the lives of freed slaves. She championed the idea of providing them with land, so they could become more independent. Sadly, these efforts were in vain, as the idea was never taken up.