Former slave Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" speech was given at an Ohio Women's Convention in 1851. The powerful performance is still used today as a call for equal treatment of women.
Class Discussion Questions:
1) Create a poster advertising the 1851 Akron Women's Convention.
Read the Script:
[Mary] Men and women are equal. Oh, what, that's not news to you? Well, back in the 1800s, that would have been a very controversial statement. Back then, most Americans assumed that there was a natural order in society which said that women should be meek and obedient to the men in their life. And because of this, women were denied education and career opportunities, voting and property rights, and equal wages. And of course, they were not supposed to have political opinions or speak publicly.
Well, some unruly Buckeyes had some other ideas. In fact, some of the first women to fight these unfair beliefs were Ohioans. Activists like Oberlin's Lucy Stone, Ashtabula's Betsey Mix Cowles, and Marietta's Frances Dana Gage were some of the earliest women to publicly demand rights. Interestingly, many of these early female activists were also involved in the anti-slavery movement which was an even bigger issue at the time.
But after a big convention for women's rights was held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848, Ohio women decided to do something similar here holding Ohio Women's Conventions in Salem and Akron in 1850 and 1851. The 1851 Akron convention was very successful and brought more men and women into the movement. But this convention might not even be remembered were it not for one woman and her powerful words. In fact, it's a speech so moving that it's still widely read today over 160 years later.
Sojourner Truth was a former slave from New York. She escaped slavery in 1826 then fought in the courts to avoid having her son sold into slavery in the South. At the convention at which many of the speakers were white women, she touched upon the double burden of being a woman and being black.
[Sojourner] That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lift over ditches, and to have the best places everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place. Ain't I a woman? Look at me, look at my arm. I've plowed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me. And, ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man when I could get it. And bear a lash as well. And, ain't I a woman? I have borne 13 children and seen most all sold off into slavery. And when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me. And, ain't I a woman?
[Mary] Sojourner's full speech was transcribed by Marius Robinson and published in his newspaper, the Anti-Slavery Bugle.
Along with the transcription, Robinson wrote, "It is impossible to transfer it to paper or convey any adequate idea of the effect it produced upon the audience. Those only can appreciate it who saw her powerful form, her whole-souled, earnest gesture, and listened to her strong and truthful tones."
Truth's raw honest words stand the test of time. Today, it's known as the Ain't I A Woman speech and it's been recited by famous writers like Maya Angelou and Alice Walker along with famous actresses and politicians. And it still inspires us to call out hypocrisy and draw upon our struggles to make us stronger.
Instuctional Links
Primary Document: Project Gutenberg, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Olive Gilbert and Sojourner Truth | ebook of Truth’s audiobiography. Available online & in different ebook formats
Encyclopedia Article: World Book Student, Sojourner Truth | May need password
Instructional Unit: Sojourner Truth Memorial, Sojourner Truth, Mini-Unit | PDF of lesson plans for famous abolitionists with resources & handouts
Lesson Plan: National Math & Science Institute, Characterization and Nonfiction: Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman.” | Includes resources for teaching unit including text of “Ain’t I a Woman” speech.