Slavery Biographies | Sojourner Truth Biography

Born c. 1797
Ulster County, New York
Died 1883
Battle Creek, Michigan

Abolitionist, women's rights advocate, preacher

Sojourner Truth was born a slave. After gaining her freedom, she began a quest to end slavery and to assist former slaves. Truth was an early civil rights advocate—she fought the segregation policy of Washington, D.C., streetcars shortly after the end of the Civil War (1861-65). She was also a noted speaker who lectured frequently on the ills of racism and sexism, and the injustice of denying women the right to vote. A deeply religious woman, Truth rose to prominence at a time when African Americans and women were expected to live in the shadows of society.