Sojourner Truth

Ain't I a Woman?

An Analysis of speech by Sojourner Truth

Laurelle Stephens

Com.2204, Semester 2

Dr. Showell

April 9, 2007

Being a Woman is powerful. Being an African-American woman is even more powerful Ain't I a Woman is a speech by Sojourner Truth. This speech is very in lighting to many women of color. For women of color to be noticed is something Sojourner thought was important. Women's and Negros rights is something positive and that should be looked upon and that's how Sojourner saw it.

To give a brief history about the person who wrote the speech I was assigned. Isabella Baumfree was born in 1797, in Ulster County, New York. Isabella was one out of thirteen children of Elizabeth and James Baumfree. Isabella was sold to slavery at first at the age of nine and many times again after that. Most people know Isabella as Sojourner Truth which she changed on June 1, 1843. Sojourner was not only an abolitionist but a writer also who wanted to be heard and wanted things to be right in this society. Later in 1854, Sojourner gave her famous speech Ain't I a Woman at the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio in the year 1851. Later after that Sojourner had joined a couple of groups that believed in abolition, non-violence and women's rights. Sojourner has been honored in many ways. There is a memorial stone in the Stone History Tower in Movement Park, in downtown Battle Creek, which was received in 1935. Also Sojourner is in the National Woman's Hall of fame in Seneca Falls, New York. This is just to name a few.

To be equally compared to others is the point that Sojourner wanted to make in the speech Aint I a Woman? Sojourner spoke these words, "I could work and eat as much as a man-when I can get it and bare the lash as well", those words in her speech proves that she feels that if she can do that same things as a man or others then she should be looked down upon. Sojourner feels that just because she is a woman she is unable to do certain things or even the simple fact that because she is a woman of color she isn't capable of what woman do. She feels the work she does isn't just the same but what she accomplishes could be even better. Sojourner basically wants people to realize what she does.