Sojourner Truth by Emily Dutton
Massaponax High School
Fredericksburg, Virginia
In Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" speech,
Truth stated, "That man over there says that women need to be helped into
carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody
ever helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place,
and ain't I a woman? ... I have borne thirteen children and seen
most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief,
none but Jesus heard me … ain't I a woman?"
Sojourner Truth was a leader
who overcame huge obstacles and fought for what was right. She did not
accept her place at birth as a slave and a woman, but instead overcame doubts
and fears in order to heal others. She was
beaten, raped and told she was nothing, yet found the strength in herself to
be proud and outspoken about what she was – an unbreakable woman.
Life
treated the slave girl with cruelty. Born Isabella Baumfree,
she was sold at the age of nine to a second master. Another disappointment
occurred when her first love was severely beaten for attempting to associate
with her. She was then forced to wed a man she did not love and
had to watch many of her thirteen children sold into slavery. She refused
to let these obstacles pound her into the grave.
Isabella Baumfree chose to
change her name to Sojourner Truth after she escaped her master. She
became a devout Christian and addressed large groups of people about her faith. During
the Civil War, Truth spoke on behalf of the Union and the benefits of allowing
black men to fight for their country. After
the Civil War, she continued to preach on the subject of women’s rights
and tolerance. She championed for more land and the opportunities for
the migration of families to the Midwest – a new beginning.
Sojourner
Truth personified what it means to be a strong woman. I have
personally watched my mother descend into madness and had the care of my infant
brother placed upon my young shoulders. I was then placed into foster
care with a wonderful family. Sojourner Truth taught me that I do not
have to be defined by my past, and I alone can shape my future.
