Sojourner Truth

Overview

(Source: 2nd Grade Bio Cards)

SOJOURNER TRUTH was originally named Isabella Baumfree. She was a slave for the first 30 years of her life. Isabella wanted to become a traveling preacher, so she changed her name to Sojourner (traveler) Truth. She became a powerful speaker even though she never learned to read or write. She spoke out against slavery, and after the Civil War, helped newly freed slaves to find homes. During her life time, Sojourner spoke before Congress, met with President Lincoln, and spoke at a women’s rights convention in 1851. Fredrick Douglas described her as a mix of “wit and wisdom.” She was one of the most famous African American women of the 19th Century.