Sojourner Truth – Life, Faith, and Fight for Justice

Early Life: Birth & Enslavement

• Born Isabella Bomfrey in Ulster County, New York, late 18^{th} century (c. 1797).
• New York’s gradual abolition law announced in 1799.
  • Law did not free existing enslaved people immediately.
  • Required a period of indentured servitude until the enslaved person’s mid-twenties, t_{indenture} \approx 25\text{ years}.
• Consequences of gradual emancipation:
  • Enslavers continued to buy, sell, and lease people until their indenture expired.
  • Family separations commonplace; Bomfrey was repeatedly sold away from parents and siblings.
  • Enslavers often forbade new relationships so they could control both labor and reproduction.

Marriage, Children & Family Threats

• Eventually married an enslaved man, Thomas.
• They had 3 children: Peter, Sophia (sometimes spelled Sofia), and one other (name not given in transcript).
• Desire to keep family intact constantly undermined by sales, leases, and the slow timetable of abolition.

Broken Promise & Escape ( 1826 )

• Enslaver John Dumont promised to free Isabella by 1826.
• When the promise was broken, she fled with infant daughter Sophia.
• Other children left behind in bondage.

Legal Battle for Peter ( 1828 )

• Peter (age 5) was illegally sold to an enslaver in Alabama—violated New York law.
• Isabella approached the grand jury in Kingston, NY:
  • No money, no legal training, no formal power.
  • Faced ridicule & scorn from white jurors.
• Actions taken:
  • Raised funds in Black and abolitionist communities.
  • Strategized with sympathetic lawyers.
  • Sustained by her Christian faith.
• Outcome: After several months, the court ordered Peter’s return—reunited with his mother in 1828.
• Significance:
  • One of the earliest successful lawsuits by a Black woman against a white man in U.S. courts.
  • Demonstrated self-advocacy despite structural barriers.

Reunion With Remaining Children ( 1830 )

• Isabella waited an additional 2 years before seeing her other children.
• Showed ongoing trauma of gradual emancipation even after initial legal victory.

Religious Awakening & Community Life

• Settled in Kingston, NY; joined an antislavery Methodist congregation.
• Practiced extemporaneous prayer—spoke aloud to God.
• Mystical turning point: Heard a divine voice instructing her to "leave Kingston" and spread God’s message.
  • Interpreted as spiritual calling to preach against oppression.

Birth of “Sojourner Truth” ( 1843 )

• Adopted new name: Sojourner Truth.
  • "Sojourner" = itinerant traveler; "Truth" = divine message.
• Initiated a legendary speaking tour viewed as a mission from God.
• Oratory style:
  • Wove together Biblical references, personal testimony of slavery, and appeals for universal human rights.
  • Addressed intersecting oppressions of race and gender—precursor to modern intersectionality.

Speaking in Hostile Territory

• Traveled through the North & Border States, often the only Black woman present.
• Faith in protection: “Have I not faith enough to go out and quell that mob?”
• Famous tent incident:
  • White mob threatened to burn down venue.
  • Truth felt as though she had “three hearts”—metaphor for extraordinary courage.
  • Calmed crowd with song & prayer, converting rage into quiet.

Civil War Contributions ( 1861–1865 )

• Worked with the Union Army:
  • Recruited Black soldiers.
  • Organized clothing, food, and medical supplies for Black regiments.
• Recognition:
  • Invited to the White House—met President Abraham Lincoln.
  • Urged federal provision of land grants to newly freed people (precursor to “40 acres and a mule” debates).

Later Years & Legacy

• Continued lecturing into her 80s.
• Remained a prominent figure in:
  • Abolition.
  • Women’s suffrage.
  • Post-emancipation civil rights.
• Died in 1883.
• Famous maxim: “I feel safe even in the midst of my enemies, for the Truth is powerful and will prevail.”

Key Themes & Ethical / Philosophical Implications

• Self-agency under oppression: Laws and culture denied her autonomy, yet she redefined herself legally (custody suit), spiritually (name change), and politically (public orator).
• Intersection of faith & activism: Religious experience was not escapist but mobilized radical social critique.
• Motherhood & human rights: Custody battle foregrounded enslaved women’s fight to own their children—an often-ignored dimension of slavery.
• Legal precedent: Early example of Black women leveraging courts despite systemic racism.
• Speech as resistance: Non-violent oratory, song, and prayer used to defuse violence—ethical alternative to armed self-defense.

Connections to Broader History

• Reflects limitations of gradual emancipation laws in Northern states; underscores that freedom was piecemeal and contested.
• Parallels to Harriet Tubman (also a spiritually motivated Black woman fighting bondage).
• Early contributor to the women’s rights movement—participated in same reform circles as Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass, and Susan B. Anthony.
• Advocacy for post-war land redistribution prefigures Reconstruction debates and modern reparations discourse.

Chronological Timeline (All dates in \text{CE})

• 1799 – NY legislature passes gradual emancipation bill.
• c.\,1797 – Isabella Bomfrey born.
• 1826 – Escapes Dumont with daughter Sophia.
• 1828 – Wins custody of Peter.
• 1830 – Reunites with remaining children.
• 1843 – Takes name Sojourner Truth; begins national travels.
• 1861–1865 – Civil War service with Union Army.
• 1864 – Meeting with President Lincoln (exact transcript date not specified; often cited as Oct\ 29\,1864).
• 1883 – Death.

Quick-Reference Facts & Numbers

• Children: 3 (Peter, Sophia, unnamed).
• Custody lawsuit: first known case of a Black woman winning a U.S. court case against a white man.
• Speaking career span: 1843–1883 \Rightarrow nearly 40 years.
• Age at death: 1883 - 1797 \approx 86\text{ years} (exact birth year uncertain).

Memorable Quotations

• “Have I not faith enough to go out and quell that mob?”
• “I felt as if I had three hearts and that they were so large, my body could hardly hold them.”
• “I feel safe even in the midst of my enemies, for the truth is powerful and will prevail.”