Truth, Sojourner, c.1797–1883,
American abolitionist, a freed slave, originally called Isabella, b. Ulster
co., N.Y. Convinced that she heard heavenly voices, she left (1843) domestic
employment in New York City, adopted the name Sojourner Truth, and traveled
throughout the North preaching emancipation and women's rights. A remarkable
personality, she spoke with much effectiveness even though she remained
illiterate. Like Harriet Tubman
and Frederick
Douglass, she is regarded as a radical intellectual and
influential activist.
See O. Gilbert, Narrative of Sojourner Truth (1878, repr. 1968); A. H. Fauset
(1938, repr. 1971); H. E. Pauli (1962); E. B. Claflin (1987); C. Mabee and
S. Mabee Newhouse (1993); N. Painter (1996); M. Washington,
Sojourner Truth's America (2009); K. Smiet,
Sojourner Truth and Intersectionality (2021).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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