1. Sojourner Truth (Isabelle Baumfree)
By: Reid Petty and Isabelle Cecere

2. Biography Born Isabella Baumfree in Ulster County, New York (1797)
Harshly abused under several masters
Isabella married an older slave named Thomas and bore 5 children
Escaped slavery with her youngest daughter Sophia (freed by New York emancipation order)
Wins law suit to recover son Peter who was illegally sold into slavery in Alabama
At age 46, adopts the name Sojourner Truth

3. Biography (Continued)
Joins the utopian Northampton Association in Mass., where she meets anti-slavery reformers
Narrative of Sojourner Truth published in 1850
Attends women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio, where she delivers the famous "Ain't I a Woman" speech
Travels all of 1870 speaking against alcohol, slavery, and preaching women’s rights
First woman to vote in a Michigan state election
Dies at Battle Creek, Michigan on November 26th, 1883

5. Feminist Movement First wave of Feminism
18th through early 20th centuries
Created to work towards social, political, monetary, and artistic equality between men and women
Feminism works to bring down society’s patriarchy (men over women) and reach complete equality

6. Feminist Movement (Continued)
Multiple variations of feminism:
Liberal
political and legal reform without altering the structure of society
Radical
total uprooting and reconstruction of society
Social
connects oppression of women to exploitation, oppression, and labor
Marxist
overcoming class oppression overcomes gender oppression

7. Important Events in Feminist Movement
First wave of feminism concerned with right to vote
Representation of the People Act of 1918
Granted women over the age of 30 who owned houses the right to vote
In 1928 this was extended to all women over 21
Nineteenth Amendment granted all women the right to vote
Sojourner Truth greatly affected the change in rights for women

8. Abolitionist Movement In America
Movement to end slavery
First movement in America by German Quakers
The Society of Relief of Free Negros Unlawfully Held in Bondage
Abolitionists succeed in getting slavery completely banded in all states North of Ohio River
Importation of slaves into the United States was officially banned on January 1, 1808

9. Abolitionist Movement In America (Continued)
Vermont became the first jurisdiction in North America to prohibit slavery
Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in 1783, that a black man was free under the state’s constitution
1835 alone abolitionists mailed over a million pieces of anti-slavery literature to the South
Many Abolitionists supported the underground railroad
Growing conflict leads to civil war

10. Contributions of Sojourner Truth
Traveled and spoke out for the rights of slaves and women
“Ain’t I a Woman” Speech (for women’s rights)
Helped to reveal how cruel slavery could be (Friends of Human Progress Association meeting)
Employed by the National Freedman's Relief Association to improve conditions for African-Americans

11. Contributions of Sojourner Truth
Active helping blacks escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad in Michigan
Helped recruit black troops for the Union Army
Met Abraham Lincoln to challenge the discrimination that segregated street cars by race
After Civil War – Freedman’s Bureau (helps blacks adjust to and protect their new freedoms)

12. Effects of Contributions
African American conditions were improved
Awareness of the cruelty of slavery was raised
Blacks that were not emancipated were able to escape to freedom
Blacks given right and convinced to join Union army
Blacks rights were maintained after emancipation
Women rose to equality with men

13. Bibliography
Truth, Sojourner. "Ain't I a Woman." Women's Rights Convention. Akron, Ohio, Speech.
Gilbert, Olive. The Narrative of Sojourner Truth. Boston: Print.
"Sojourners Years in Battle Creek." Sojourner Truth.org Home Page. Web. 29 Mar <
"Black History Month: The Crusade of Sojourner Truth [Mackinac Center]." Mackinac Center: Advancing Liberty and Prosperity. Web. 29 Mar <
"Sojourner Truth Speeches Menu." Sojourner Truth.org Home Page. Web. 29 Mar <
"Sojourner Truth Biography." Lakewood Public Library (Lakewood, Ohio). Web. 29 Mar <
"This Far by Faith . Sojourner Truth | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 29 Mar <