Sojourner Truth

Sojourner was born in 1797 in Swartekill New York.She was one of 13 children. She was born right into slavery. Her mother and father were both slaves of a man called Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh. He then died, and the ownership of the family went to son Charles Hardenbergh. He died as well. Sojourney was then sold at an auction. When she was about 10 years old she was included in a flock of sheep for about or $100 to John Neely, near Kingston, New York. Until she was sold, she only spoke Dutch. She was then sold and resold many times throughout her slave life. She then fell in love with a man named Robert, another black slave. Robert's owner forbid the relationship because if they were to have kids, he would not have ownership of them. Robert was beaten by his owner, and Sojourney never saw him again. She was then forced to marry and have children with a man named Thomas. During her lifetime she had five children; one of them with Robert, and the others with Thomas. In 1799, the state of New York began to emancipate slavery. It took many years for this process to be complete, but it did in 1827. Her slave owner at the time promised Sojourney to release her, "if she would do well and be faithful." Sojourney had a hand injury and her owner changed his mind because he claimed that she was less productive because of the injury. She was very upset by this. She continued working until she felt she did her work by spinning 100 pounds of wool for him. Late in 1826, she escaped to freedom with her youngest daughter, Sophia. She had to leave her other children behind because they were not legally freed in the emancipation order until they had been servants into their twenties. Sojourney said later," I did not run off, for I thought that wicked, but I walked off, believing that to be all right."She then moved to the home of Isaac and Maria Van Wagener, who took her and her baby in. They lived there until the emancipation act was restored in New York. She had help by the people that, who so kindly, took her in to get her son back legally. She heard that he was being abused by his new owner. She went on with her life with her two children, trying to do many things. In 1870, she tried to secure land grants from the federal government to former slaves, a project she pursued for seven years without success. While in Washington, D.C., she had a meeting with President Ulysses S. Grant in the White House. In 1872, she returned back home and tried to vote in the presidential election, but they forbid it. Those are just a couple of things she did, the list is far too extensive to mention them all. To this day she is a woman who is very inspiring and even at times when Blacks and women were not treated fairly, she still managed to make a difference in the world.