Sojourner

Truth, Sojourner, c.1797-1883, American abolitionist, a freed slave, originally called Isabella, b. Ulster co., N.Y. Convinced that she heard heavenly voices, she left (1843) domestic employment in New York City, adopted the name Sojourner Truth, and traveled throughout the North preaching emancipation and women's rights. A remarkable personality, she spoke with much effectiveness even though she remained illiterate.

orig. Isabella Van Wagener

(born circa 1797, Ulster county, N.Y., U.S.—died Nov. 26, 1883, Battle Creek, Mich.) U.S. evangelist and social reformer. The daughter of slaves, she spent her childhood as an abused chattel of several masters. After being freed in about 1827, she worked as a domestic in New York City (1829–43) and began preaching on street corners with the evangelical missionary Elijah Pierson. Adopting the name Sojourner Truth, she left New York to obey a “call” to travel and preach. Adding abolitionism and women's rights to her religious messages, she traveled in the Midwest, where her magnetism drew large crowds. At the start of the American Civil War she gathered supplies for black volunteer regiments. In 1864 she went to Washington, D.C., where she helped integrate streetcars and was received at the White House by Pres. Abraham Lincoln. After the war she worked for the freedmen's relief organization and encouraged migration to Kansas and Missouri.

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Sojourner may refer to:

• Sojourners Magazine
• Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), an abolitionist and women's rights activist
• Sojourner Truth Organization, an organization named after the abolitionist
• Sojourner (rover), the space exploration rover named after the abolitionist that was a component of the Mars Pathfinder mission
• Sojourner-Douglass College, a private learning institution named after the abolitionist
• Willie Sojourner (1943-2005), a basketball player
• Sojourn, a comic book series
• Sojourner (album) a multi-disc wood-cased boxset released in 2007 by the alt.country band Magnolia Electric Co.
• Sojourner - Under Canadian Tax Law is an individual who is temporarily present in Canada for a period of 183 days or more during one calendar year. This classifies that person as a resident of Canada for the entire year. For this rule to apply the individual must be a resident of another country during the 183 days in question.