Ain't I A Woman?

by Sojourner Truth

'I am a woman's rights. I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that? I am as strong as any man that is now'

A former slave and one of the most powerful orators of her time, Sojourner Truth fought for the equal rights of black women throughout her life. This selection of her impassioned speeches is accompanied by the words of other inspiring African-American female campaigners from the nineteenth century.

One of twenty new books in the bestselling Penguin Great Ideas series. This new selection showcases a diverse list of thinkers who have helped shape our world today, from anarchists to stoics, feminists to prophets, satirists to Zen Buddhists.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Classics, Politics, History, Essays, African American

106 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1851

About the author

Sojourner Truth (1797–November 26, 1883) was the self-given name, from 1843, of Isabella Baumfree, an American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York. Her best-known speech, "Ain't I a Woman?," was delivered in 1851 at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.

Reviews

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

welcome to: THE PENGUIN GREAT IDEAS PROJECT!

as you all know, i'm:
a) addicted to projects (and my book club, my long classics project, and my genius project are all on pause)
b) mildly behind on my reading challenge (see: months-long reading slump and corresponding existential crisis)
c) very into short books that make me look smart (much like the penguin great ideas collection).

i have acquired a couple dozen penguin great ideas installments, and i will be attempting to read one a day until i get bored, catch up, or reach spiritual fulfillment!

find past books here:
WHAT IS EXISTENTIALISM?
REFLECTIONS ON THE GUILLOTINE
THREE JAPANESE BUDDHIST MONKS
REFLECTIONS ON THE GUILLOTINE
THE DECAY OF LYING

sojourner truth...i have no choice but to stan. in these pages she is so FUNNY, so concise, so brash and smart. it rules.

a lot of this is told in the form of other people relating sojourner truth's speeches, as she was unable to read or write, and that makes this collection not just a reminder that she is awesome, but also an interesting and telling reflection of social storytelling, of history, and of perception.

at the end the collection kind of pointlessly and inexplicably switches to various other speeches from non-sojourner truth people, which is really setting them up to fail. they were nowhere near as good.

anyway, i've said it before and i'll say it again: i am loving this project!!!

[Mohammad Ali Shamekhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

تروث که زنی است سیاه پوست - که سابقا برده بوده و بعدا مبلغ مذهبی شده - در این سخنرانی بسیار کوتاه خود بر وضعیت خاص آن دوران تأکید می کند، اینکه سیاهان در جنوب به دنبال آزادی اند و زنان در شمال. او با لحنی خودمانی و بدون اطناب و سخنان پرطمطراق خواست زنان برای حقوق خود را مطرح می سازد. اختصار و خودمانی بودن این سخنرانی به نظرم نقطه ی قوت آن است. او در جایی می گوید

حرف این چیزی که در سر انسان هست می زنند. اسمش چیست؟ ( یکی از میان جمعیت می گوید: «عقل ». ) بله همان که گفتی، عزیزم. این چه ربطی به حقوق زنان یا حقوق سیاهپوستان دارد؟ اگر لیوان من کوچک باشد و مال شما بزرگتر، آیا خباثت نیست اگر شما نگذارید که من همان لیوان کوچکم را پر کنم

[Eleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly fun to read. Seems like Sojourner Truth was quite an iconic and kind of hilarious woman? Such a distinctive style - you can almost hear it in your head as you read. Very interesting to hear what black women of the time's expectations were. An illiterate 80 year old black woman in the 1860s seemingly genuinely saying she expected to be able to vote before she died... It makes for somewhat bittersweet reading. I really liked the addition of other writings / speeches from black American women of around the same time. Interesting to get some different perspectives

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

”If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.”

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ada sebuah pertanyaan menarik yang dilontarkan rekan sesama penyiar ketika kami siaran bersama pagi ini (3/12).

"Hestia, kenapa kamu tertarik untuk baca buku-buku yang ditulis perempuan?"

Karena dibatasi oleh durasi, aku hanya menjawab singkat. Membaca tulisan perempuan membawa aura berbeda dengan tulisan laki-laki.

Semenjak kuliah, aku hanya belajar sambil lalu apa itu feminisme & kesetaraan gender. Proses unlearning doktrin patriarki ini nggak mudah. Aku juga bertemu dengan pertanyaan yang jawabannya baru kudapatkan ketika aku menggali lagi bacaan feminisme. Hingga tahun 2021, aku bertekad untuk memperbanyak khazanah bacaanku dengan karya perempuan (sekaligus mendesentralisasi isi kepalaku). Termasuk berkenalan dengan aktivis kesetaraan gender dan hak asasi manusia. Seperti Sojourner Truth.

Sojourner Truth adalah nama yang ia pilih sendiri setelah ia menjadi manusia bebas. Terlahir sebagai budak tentu membuat pilihan hidupnya sangat terbatas. Kabur menjadi satu-satunya opsi agar ia selamat. Tapi dia nggak berhenti di situ. Dengan segala kecakapan yang ia punya, Truth berkeliling Amerika Serikat menyerukan tentang betapa perbudakan, rasisme, dan seksisme nggak bisa dibenarkan.

Ain't I A Woman? merupakan satu kalimat paling terkenal dari pidato-pidatonya. Kalimat itu kemudian dijadikan judul buku dalam seri Penguin Books Great Ideas ini. Buku tipis yang berisi pidato Truth. Memberikan gambaran kepada pembaca bagaimana ia mencoba meyakinkan bahwa perbedaan warna kulit & kasta (tuan dengan budaknya) merenggut their basic necessities.

Seperti yg kusampaikan, penulis perempuan punya pengalaman hidupnya sendiri. Catatan yg nggak bisa diwakili penyampaiannya oleh laki-laki. Dan lewat kumpulan pidato Truth, aku kaget dan kesal. Kaget karena Truth punya keberanian begitu besar untuk menyuarakan haknya dan kesal karena 200 tahun kemudian, perempuan masih saja nggak bisa claiming their own destiny (& body & rights).

[Mina Savic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un recueil de textes de féministes afro américaines de la fin du XIXème siècle très intéressant. Je suis heureuse d’avoir enfin pu lire des textes de Sojourney Truth, une femme don’t j’entends parler depuis longtemps. Mais les autres textes étaient aussi super. Je l’ai lu pour le mémoire et c’était top.

[Jinte Eléanora · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ain't I a Woman" by Sojourner Truth is a powerful and inspiring piece of literature that resonates with the strength and resilience of women. The speech challenges societal norms with a certain kind of grace and determination. It’s a must read for anyone seeking empowerment and a deeper understanding of the struggles and triumphs of a woman who paved the way for progress.

[Liv]

pt. 2 of my quest to become smart

[Dídac Gil Rams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Les protagonistes desitjaven la igualtat i hi havia dues coses que les hi anaven a la contra: el gènere i el color de la pell. És tant estrany el que demanaven? Experiència dura el llegir aquests discurs i veure que aquesta gent va existir i va fer el que va tenir a les seves mans per canviar una situació injusta que més de 150 anys després encara no podem donar per acabada.

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

This won't hold a candle to it, but I've arranged my takeaway on this speech into a haiku:

"The oppressor’s words
Oddly fall apart when heard
Outside their vacuum."

[Stephanie Virts · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She had heard it said that these evils would die out in time, but they would not die out, they must be learned out.”

“ I want it root and branch destroyed. Then we will all be free indeed. I feel that if I have to answer for the deeds done in my body just as much as a man, I have a right to have just as much as a man.”

[Liselotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a weird book to review. Do I review Sojourner Truth's words or the people who wrote it down? Her words are amazing, it's just the interoperation of other people who wrote it down which I didn't really like. They were the same words, just explained by different people and it just felt odd, I wanted to know and learn more, but just never didn't.

[Ella Lindeborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel eternally thankful for this collection of Sojourner Truths’ speeches. I’m astonished by the way her words (though inevitably retold by others) reaches through time and space all the way from the 1800th century to me, a reader in 2024. This book is a gift.

[Maria reads SFF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly inspiring to see these women of colour stad up for their and other's rights.
Sojourner Truth's speaches were so powerful and emotional.

[Marius · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was eye opening and I treasure it. It is essential for any feminist, for any ally to racialized communities and for any anti-f@$ci$t. I think it's mandatory for any missionary too! Any christian should have a critical perception of his religion and what authentic missionary work looks like. Until reading it I thought missionary work was just colonial bull$hit and I would have never guessed there could be an intersection between @ctivi$m and missionary work.
There are many paragraphs flooded with wisdom but I'll just leave you with one.
"We need men who can let their interest and gallantry extend outside the circle of their aesthetic appreciation; men who can be a father, a brother, a friend to every weak, struggling unshielded girl. We need women who are so sure of their own social footing that they need not fear leaning to lend a hand to a fallen or falling sister. We need men and women who do not exhaust their genius splitting hairs on aristocratic distinctions and thanking god they are not as others; but earnest, unselfish souls, who can go into highways and byways, lifting up and leading, advising and encouraging with the truly catholic benevolence of the gospel of christ."

[mer! · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book although short is very impactful, extremely quotable. I think the one takeaway I have from this compilation of beautifully written yet succinct, message-hearty speeches regarding the liberation of women and slaves and the improvement of the black and female condition is the necessity for drive, self-actualization, and unity. This book answered my questions and speculation about the recently popularized divestment movement: in short, I’ve been convinced it’s not the answer. I will for sure be doffing my cape to the masses as a black woman in the United States after the ‘24 election, but I will never devalue or mock those in my company in the racially oppressed and systematically discriminated class. Sojourner Truth and co. have made me come to a satisfying conclusion regarding that political position.

[Charley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an eye opening book and provided a great insight into the lives and perspectives of black women in the 1800s. However it was just a little too intensely religious for me (I understand it is relevant and accurate for the time) just meant it felt a little preachy rather than political. I would also have liked more context on the writing included in the book. We got context about the women’s lives but not always where the text had come from, be it a speech, a letter or an article.

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sojourner Truth's words are so powerful and ring so true. I imagine hearing her speak live would have been awe-inspiring.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great dissection on how her own voice was used as a tool by others. One of the more charismatic people I’ve ever heard of for sure. 10/10.

[qamar⋆｡°✩ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5☆

[Adélaïde Goude · Rating 3 out of 5]

je pense que cette version est un peu légère, je reste sur ma faim je voulais en savoir plus mais quand même plutôt bien!!! (édition payot bilingue)

[Amy Bartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

What I find most interesting is how much more impactful I found Sojourner (the illiterate octogenarian’s) on-the-fly speeches versus the writings from the younger, formally educated women (who presumably took their time, edited, rewrote, etc).

It’s sad that these speeches exist only in versions that were transcribed or summarized by others. Imagine what it must have been to hear her speak. Or what the transcribers might have missed or forgotten.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 not part of German history curriculum but should have been

[Patricia Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text is a collection of essays and speeches delivered after the emancipation in the United States. Most involve Sojourner Truth, but not all of them. Each is a few pages long & details the happenings of the Suffragettes and voting movements.

My favourite portion of the book was during a speech delivered by Maria Stewart, a once indentured servant and firm abolitionist and women's rights activist. The entire speech was moving, but there were two excerpts that stood out the most:

"Whilst our minds are vacant and starving for want of knowledge, theirs is overflowing. Most of our colour have been taught to stand in fear of the white man from their earliest infancy, to work as soon as they could walk, and call 'master' before they scarce could lisp the name of mother. Continual fear and laborious servitude have in some degree lessened in us that natural force and energy which belongs to man; or else, in defiance of opposition, our men, before this, would have nobly and boldly contended for their rights. But give the man of colour an equal opportunity with the white, from the cradle to manhood, and from manhood to the grave, and you would discover the dignified statesman, the man of science, and the philosopher. But there is no such opportunity for the sons of Africa, and I fear that our powerful ones are fully determined that there never shall be (60).

This portion highlights the disparities between the success of white Americans versus African Americans in the states. The barriers put in place to hold back Black Americans forever create a rift between what was and could have been in every sphere of life. Black Americans were stripped of and continue to be stripped of opportunity. As Derrida likes to remind us, the happenings of the past continue to affect us today as the sentiments and structures that existed are transcendental in nature and thus, continue to influence modern social spheres, even without intention.

Another aspect that this reading highlights is that social ideas of today have remained largely consistent over time. Black scholars forever emphasize that any modern social idea regarding race, class, and gender were already unfolded and dissected by Black people long ago, yet they were largely ignored and squandered by the hands of white supremacy; declarations that the Black voice and the Black mind were nothing but dismissible and less than. It's interesting to see the way that Black ideas are co-opted by white counterparts over time.

The second excerpt comes from the same speech.

Like King Solomon, who put neither nail nor hammer to the temple, yet received the praise; so also have the white Americans gained themselves a name, like the names of the great men that are in the earth, whilst in reality we have been their principal foundation and support. We have pursued the shadow, they have obtained the substance; we have performed the labour, they have received the profits; we have planted the vines, they have eaten the fruits of them (61).

I find it interesting that Christianity and Catholicism were colonial imports forced upon African Americans, yet many of the speeches used an appeal to faith. What's more interesting is that the scripture used advocates for Black liberation. The same scripture used to justify oppression is turned around to justify freedom. Though not particularly religious, I believe that to be quite poetic. What's the saying? There's no hate like Christian love? Anyways, I would like to learn more about religion in African American communities after chattel slavery.

Overall, the collection serves as an excellent pocket book to refer to when needing strength & highlights the different frameworks surrounding the start of the civil rights and Suffragettes movement.

[Tom]

A peculiar but inspiring little book! I gained an appreciation for Sojourner Truth - as a witty, sarcastic and outspoken elderly woman, she leveraged her larger-than-life character to gain herself a platform to advocate for abolition, suffrage, and reparations through the mid to late 19th century.

Since Sojourner Truth was illiterate, having been born into and lived half of her life in slavery, she left no writings. Accordingly, this book is full of short second-hand accounts, mostly about her speeches at various conventions around the country - including Massachusetts and Ohio. There is naturally some skepticism needed when reading these accounts (some of her recorders apparently gave her a southern inflection of speech despite being from New York, for example), and there are even two conflicting accounts of her most famous speech on which the title of the book is based. This gives the book a legendary feel, as you can’t fully trust what you’re reading, and it’s all centered around the charisma of one individual - reminiscent of the accounts of Jesus told by the evangelists, or Neal Cassidy as told by Jack Kerouac. It’s also fascinating from a historical perspective, as there are accounts of her heckling Fredrick Douglas, having a smoke after a speech, and railing against women’s fashions.

A few snippets from these accounts:

“What a narrow idea a reading qualification is for a voter! I know and do what is right better than many big men who read. And there’s that property qualification! Just as bad. As if men and women themselves, who made money, were not of more value than the thing they made.”

“My friends, I am rejoiced that you are glad, but I don’t know how you will feel when I get through. I come from another field- the country of the slave. They have got their liberty - so much good luck to have slavery partly destroyed; not entirely. I want it root and branch destroyed. Then we will all be free indeed. I feel that if I have to answer for the deeds done in my body just as much as a man, I have the right to have just as much as a man.”

“Well, Sojourner, did you always go by this name?’ ‘No, indeed! My name was Isabella; but when I left the house of bondage, I left everything behind. I wasn’t going to keep nothing of Egypt on me, and so I went to the Lord and asked Him to give me a new name. And the Lord gave me Sojourner, because I was to travel up and down the land, showing the people their sins, and being a sign unto them. Afterwards, I told the Lord I wanted another name, ‘cause everybody else had two names; and the Lord gave me Truth, because I was to declare the truth to the people.”

“The Church wrongs woman as much as the State. ‘Wives obey your husbands’ is as bad as the common law.”

“Now here is the question that I am here tonight to say. I been to Washington, and I find out this, that the colored people that are in Washington living on the government, that the United States ought to give them land and move them on it.”

“I am going to talk several times while I am here; so now I will do a little singing. I have not heard any singing since I came here.”

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sojourner Truth speeches and bits of background on her are wonderful. I would have been glad to have read this just for those - that's why I picked up the book in the first place. I knew who she was, but not really what she said and when. This book makes that clear, and brings to light her charm, cleverness and eccentricity. I didn't realize before reading this that she was a slave for 40 years, and lived past 80 so lived free for 40+ years as well. What an incredible woman, to be speaking on behalf of women's rights when she had suffered so long as a slave. What really pushes the value of having read this book over the top is the essays by seven other black women, also back in the 19th century, some as early as the 1830's, pointing out that the slaves had MADE ALL THE MONEY for the rich, white land owners, using language like "we have labored for hundreds of years to support others" and "the slaves who produced two-thirds of the cotton do not own themselves" and " These human chattels are but property in the estimation of slaveholders, and receive by public opinion, established custom, and law, only the protection which is generally given to animals " and "the bulk of this money (made from cotton, sugar and tabacco, on slave plantations) goes to the support of the slaveholders and their families; therefore the dependence of slaveholders upon their chattels is complete." They KNEW IT themselves back then. They completely understood what was happening, even though the white landowners kept them from learning and tried to convince them they were less intelligent, more like animals, etc. Sickening! And amazing that these *women* were speaking about it in the years before and immediately after the Civil War, when even white women were rarely educated and definitely could not vote. Just astounding, especially in the context of us still needing to have these conversations in the US and most people in this country having no idea how all these things fit together, how insidious it was from the very beginning.

[Emma]

🗣️ An absolutely stunning speech:

"Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

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? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed 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 the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

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?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say."

[Anne Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Ain't I A Woman?' is a slim book (90 pages) that is sort of by Sojourner Truth. I say 'sort of' because although it's mostly made up of Sojourner Truth's speeches, she didn't actually write the book. Truth was a freed slave who became well-known for touring and giving speeches on equal rights for Black women. Her speeches have been gathered into this slim volume as part of the Penguin 'Great Ideas' books. She couldn't read or write so the speeches in the book are from the writings of other people who heard her speak and wrote down what they remembered. There isn't enough to fill even 90 pages, so the book is padded out with speeches from other contemporary women who spoke on the same theme. Even if the book hadn't had the need for padding, it would have still been a good idea to include these other speeches as it's interesting to read them all together.
The speeches are all quite repetitive, but this is such an important piece of often side-lined history (women's history, Black history, slavery history from the point of view of someone who was a slave) that's it's great they've all been compiled together here. Each speech has a tiny introduction too that says when and where the speech was given and a little bit of context.
I hadn't heard of Sojourner Truth or her most famous speech which is the 'Ain't I A Woman?' one, so this book has educated me. Back on the point of side-lined history, it also made me think about how I'm really familiar with Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' speech, as I assume most people are. Yet how many are familiar are as familiar with Sojourner Truth's speech? Am I just the odd one out here, or is it another example of men's history being at the forefront and women's history being left in the shadows?

[Rachel]

Some quotes I liked:

"If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!"

"So I am for keeping the thing going while things are stirring; because if we wait until it is still it will take a great while to get it going again."

"If men had not taken something that did not belong to them they would not fear."

"What will such lives as you live do for humanity? We all ought to feel that the world should be better because we are in it."

"Like King Solomon, who put neither nail nor hammer to the temple, yet received the praise; so also have the white Americans gained themselves a name, whilst in reality we have been their principal foundation and support. We have performed the labor, they have received the profits. We have planted the vines, they have eaten the fruits of them."

"We need men who can let their interest and gallantry extend outside the circle of their aesthetic appreciation; men who can be a father a brother a friend every week, struggling unshielded girl. We need women who are so sure of their own social footing that they need not fear leaning to lend a hand to a fallen or falling sister."

[brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“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 the lash as well! and ain't i a woman? i have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when i cried out with my mother's grief, none but jesus heard me!” —ain’t i a woman?, sojouner truth

sojourner truth is best known for being an abolitionist and a women’s rights activist who presented this speech at an 1851 women’s rights convention in ohio. this may be inaccurate, as there are no official transcripts available from her speech, but i assume it got the message across that she wanted to share.

in this piece, anaphora is the most crucial device utilized by truth. she is an ideal orator, tying in “ain’t i a woman?” to further express herself. her perspective was that she was completely equal to men in everything, yet receives nothing near what men receive based on the “merit” that they are a man. this ties into modern times, where women still are not treated equally to men. luckily, we have come much further since the mid-nineteenth century, but we still have ways to go. this speech is important because it transcends the time period—it is applicable, and has been applicable, since the speech was given.