14 African Americans Who Changed America

14 African Americans Who Changed America

Sojourner Truth

Truth (1797 – November 26, 1883) was the self-given name, from 1843 onward, of Isabella Baumfree, an abolitionist and women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, in Ulster County, NY, but fled to freedom with her infant daughter in 1826. After going to court to recover her son, she became the first black woman to win such a case against a white man. Her best-known speech on gender inequalities, "Ain't I a Woman?", was delivered in 1851 in Akron, Ohio. During the Civil War, Truth helped recruit black troops for the Union Army.

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