And Aint I a Woman!?

Sojourner Truth was remarkable person, a slave for nearly thirty long grueling years (Ashley). While in slavery most of the children Sojourner had were sold into slavery before her very eyes. Like being a slave to someone else wasn't enough she was tortured by watching he own seed being sold to the same type of people that had tormented her for almost thirty years. When she finally got to run North for freedom she faced an absolutely horrible decision of being forced to leave several of her own children behind because they were not old enough to be free under the Emancipation (Ashley). No one can really imagine the pain and heartbreak she felt in having to make a choice like that. Once she was in the North and a free person she began to attend womans right meetings under her now known name of Sojourner Truth. She was one of the first people to not only gfight for women's right, something though very little of. But also one of the first people to fight for black woman's rights, something that was almost unheard of at the time. Many people felt that these blacks should be happy they are free and no longer slaves they are asking for to much wanting their women to have rights that not even white women had yet. Sojourner bravely spoke on topics not many other women would have the courage to. In her Aint I a Woman speech she brings up the topic of her own mistreatment according to other women because of her color " That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?" (Truth). This quote brings up her point of equality. She is speaking about a man who had the podium before her and was talking about how women need to be treated specially because they are so delicate and can be hurt easily. Sojourner bravely brings to attention the hypocrisy of the mans speech. Saying she is a woman and has never been helped like the man has said women should be. yet she is stronger for it, she boldly claims she could stand her own against any man because of the years of hardships she faced as a slave. The next subject she brings up is the mans treatment of women as of having lesser intellect than man does " Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?" (Truth). In this paragraph Sojourner didn't quite come out and say that women were just as smart as men are, but she said that if men are so much smarter than it would be cruel for them to not give aid to anyone who has a lesser intellect whether or not they were a man or women whether or not they were black or white.

Truth, Sojourner. "And Ain't I a Woman." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2009. 370. Print.

"Sojourners Years in New York." Sojourner Truth.org Home Page. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .