Sojourner Truth
What does Sojourner Truth accomplish in her brief address at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851, and what lessons can we learn here about the effectiveness of her brevity?
Sojourner Truth begins her speech with a very informal tone, almost as if she is having a conversation with someone in her living room. Why do you think she might choose to do it.
What is the context of this speech? In other words, what is happening in America during this time period (1851) that makes Truth’s speech so important? Use your textbook as a source.
Who is the audience for this speech?
Throughout this speech, Sojourner Truth repeats the phrase “Ain’t I a woman?” Why do you think she chooses to repeat this?
At the end of the speech, Truth says, “Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ’cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.” What does she mean by this?