Sojourner Truth
Isabelle was born a slave in Ulster County, New York. There are many discrepancies in the year that she was born, but it was commonly believed to be somewhere around 1797. As a baby, she was given the name Isabelle Hardenbergh. Her last name came from her owner, Colonel Hardenbergh. At the age of three, Colonel Hardenbergh died, leaving Isabelle and her parents as the property of his son Charles. They lived in deplorable conditions there, sharing a common living area with twelve other slaves. After Charles' death in 1808, Isabelle and her younger brother were auctioned off. Throughout her years in slavery, Isabelle had many owners, some harsh and some kind. Who they were is inconsequential; what is important to who Isabelle became through her years of bondage. She grew to become a strong woman, both mentally and physically. Through her beatings, she learned determination. Through the loss of her parents, she suffered great heartbreak, but learned to place that aside when it came time to work. Her experiences as a slave helped her to become a strong woman with the combination of wit, wisdom, wild enthusiasm, and flint-like common sense (video). Isabelle has been described as a "woman of remarkable intelligence despi
Isabelle stayed with the Van Wagenen's for some time, and quite quickly forgot all about God. One day, as Isabelle was leaving the house, she met God. She said that she turned right back around and had to sit down. She claimed that she felt as if she were going to burn up, "I could feel it burnin', burnin', burnin' all around me, an' goin' through me; an' I saw I was so wicked..." (Stowe). She prayed for help, and she believed that something came between her and God, something of an umbrella, somebody, "...somebody that stood between me an' God; an' it felt cool, like a shade..." She asked who it was, and she received an answer, "This Is Jesus!" (Stowe). She claims that she felt love as she had never felt it before, love to all creatures, "even de white folks." 6. video recording. The Life of Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman. Illinois: Learning As Isabelle grew closer to God, she began to travel more, "...I must be about my Father's business", she claimed. As "voices" had enlightened her in 1843, she became "an instrument of God" and began a new life as a traveling preacher (Washington XV). Isabelle soon recognized that the name she had been given as a slave was inappropriate for someone starting out a new life as God's pilgrim. She wanted a free woman's name. She asked God for guidance, and chose the name Sojourner, coming from the word sojourn, meaning to travel. Her intent was to "travel up and down the land, showing the people their sins, and being a sign unto them." (Krass, 59). She also chose the last name Truth. She proclaimed her mission would be to "sojourn" the land and speak God's "truth." (Washington XV). Henceforth, Isabelle no longer existed, but was reborn as Sojourner Truth. This did not cure all the hardships in Truth's life. Western states were particularly vicious toward abolitionists, and on one occasion, Sojourner was told that the building that she was to speak in would be burned if she attempted to give her address. "Then I will speak to the ashes," she replied. In another instance, she was mauled so badly in an attack, that she had to walk the rest of her life with a cane. Yet, these such instances did not sway Sojourner Truth. She believed that God would protect her, and that her message "warranted the danger involved in its deliverance" (Washington, XI).
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2431
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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