3.3 Sojourner Truth

Notes

Sojourner Truth (c. 1797-1883) was born Isabella Baumfree, enslaved in New York. She gained her freedom in 1827 and became an abolitionist and women's rights speaker who traveled widely.

• She spoke at a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851. A later published version is known as "Ain't I a Woman?" It is an oral speech reported by listeners, so wording varies between accounts.
• She challenged the idea that women were too weak to deserve rights, using her own experience of hard labor as evidence.
• She uses rhetorical questions, repetition and plain, direct language to connect to the audience.
• Her message combined two causes: abolition and women's rights.
• Worked example: by asking a question such as "Ain't I a woman?" after describing the work she has done, she forces listeners to compare their assumptions with her reality.