Sojourner Truth by Alyssandra Salinas

Sojourner as a baby.

25826_16 — 2024-05-10 18:03:59 UTC

Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree in 1797 in Ulster County, New York, the daughter of James and Elizabeth Baumfree.

Sojourner as a kid

25826_16 — 2024-05-10 18:12:09 UTC

Sojourner Truth was only nine when she was being bought and sold, this happened four times and they subjected her to harsh physical labor and violent punishment .

sojourner first time being sold.

25826_16 — 2024-05-10 18:19:09 UTC

When Charles Hardenbergh died in 1806, nine-year-old Truth (known as Belle), was sold at an auction with a flock of sheep for $100 (~$2,560.10 in 2024) to John Neely, near Kingston, New York. Until that time, Truth spoke only Dutch, and after learning English, she spoke with a Dutch accent and not a stereotypical dialect.

when she had kids

25826_16 — 2024-05-10 18:27:58 UTC

In her teens, she was united with another enslaved man with whom she had five children, beginning in 1815.

when she got married

25826_16 — 2024-05-13 18:00:21 UTC

She was forced to marry another slave named Thomas and had 13 children, most of which were sold away from her.

when she escaped

25826_16 — 2024-05-13 18:07:16 UTC

In 1827-a year before New York's law freeing enslaved people were to take effect-Truth ran away with her infant Sophia to a nearby abolitionist family, the Van Wageners.

when she had her first speech

25826_16 — 2024-05-13 18:10:50 UTC

Truth delivered the speech on May 29, 1851 at the Woman's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.

where she went after she escaped

25826_16 — 2024-05-13 18:14:06 UTC

In 1857, Truth moved to Harmonia, Michigan, where she had friends and where her daughter Elizabeth lived. She later moved to Battle Creek.

Sojourner Truth death

25826_16 — 2024-05-13 18:17:08 UTC

Sojourner Truth died at her home on November 26, 1883. Records show she was at the age of 86, yet her tombstone states she was 105.

After she died

25826_16 — 2024-05-13 18:23:20 UTC

In 1999, Sojourner, a Mexican limestone statue of Sojourner Truth by sculptor Elizabeth Catlett, was unveiled in Sacramento, California on the corner of K and 13th Street. It was vandalized in 2013, where it was found smashed into pieces