Historians estimate that Truth (born Isabella Baumfree) was likely born around 1797 in the town of Swartekill, in Ulster County, New York. However, Truth's date of birth was not recorded, a… See more

The Baumfree family was owned by Colonel Hardenbergh, and lived at the colonel's estate in Esopus, New York, 95 miles north of New York City. The area had once been under Dutch control, and both the Baumfrees and th… See more

The state of New York, which had begun to negotiate the abolition of slavery in 1799, emancipated all enslaved people on July 4, 1827. The shift did … See more

Truth’s memoirs were published under the title The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slavein 1850. Truth dictated her recollections to a friend, Olive Gilbert, since she could not read or write. Garrison wrote the book's preface. See more

Truth is remembered as one of the foremost leaders of the abolition movement and an early advocate of women's rights. Abolition w… See more

Around 1815, Truth fell in love with an enslaved person named Robert from a neighboring farm. The two had a daughter, Diana. Robert's owner forbade the relationship, since Diana a… See more

On June 1, 1843, Isabella Baumfree changed her name to Sojourner Truth and devoted her life to Methodi… See more

In May 1851, Truth delivered an improvised speech at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron that would come to be known as "Ain'… See more

Truth put her growing reputation as an abolitionist to work during the Civil War, helping to recruit Black troops for the Union Army. She encourag… See more