Another important person involved in fighting slavery and the oppression
of women was Sojourner Truth.
Truth is one of the best-known
African-American activists of the 1800s. Born as an enslaved person in
upstate New York, Sojourner Truth was an eloquent speaker. She spoke about
the need to end slavery and the suppression of women. Her most famous
speech: "Ain't I a woman?"
was given during a women's rights meeting in Ohio. In this speech, Truth
spoke out against mistaken beliefs about women. At the suggestion that
women were fragile and needed to be helped, she pointed out that she was a
woman, and could work harder than most men. Sojourner Truth helped many
people understand that women of African descent suffered because of
bigotry against African Americans and against women.
Tom Turner
Copyright 1997 Regents of the University of Michigan
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