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Sojourner Truth: A Resource Guide

African-American activist and abolitionist, Sojourner Truth, was born into slavery but escaped to freedom in 1826. This guide provides access to Library of Congress digitized materials, links to external websites, and a selected print bibliography.

Introduction

Sojourner Truth was a charismatic speaker, an itinerant preacher, who traveled around New England spreading the gospel of Jesus, abolition, and women's rights. In 1850, Truth dictated what would become her autobiography, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, to Olive Gilbert, who assisted in its publication. In 1851, she began a lecture tour that included a women's rights conference in Akron, Ohio, where she delivered her famous Ain't I a Woman?" speech. In it, she challenged prevailing notions of racial and gender inferiority and inequality.

This guide compiles links to digital materials related to Sojourner Truth such as documents, books, and images that are available from the Library of Congress. In addition, it provides links to recommended external websites focusing on Sojourner Truth and a bibliography containing selected works for both general and younger readers.