95 Sojourner Truth, Address to the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, 1851

Sojourner Truth, Address to the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, 1851

Introduction to Primary Source:

On May 29, 1851 at the Woman’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth delivered what would become her most famous speech. But what did she say? Over the years, attempts to answer that question have focused on two very different newspaper accounts. The earliest version of the speech was recorded by Marius Robinson. The other version was written by Frances Gage, who had presided over the 1851 Woman’s Rights Convention as its president and who was also a staunch abolitionist and women’s rights advocate, provided this later account. The most controversial aspect of this version is its apparent attempt to imitate Southern slave dialect. While Truth had been enslaved and escaped, this happened in the North. She was born in Ulster County, New York, nearly 100 miles north of New York City. She never lived in the South and spoke only Dutch until she was nine years old, according to the Narrative of Sojourner Truth. She could have retained some sort of Dutch accent when speaking English, but that would be nothing like the dialect Gage gave her. Neither of the articles quote what became the speech’s well-known title, “Ain’t I a Woman,” although the title is derived from the later article.

Minister Marius Robinson, one of the secretaries of the convention, provided his account within three weeks of the convention in the Anti-Slavery Bugle, the newspaper he edited. He quoted a succinct, powerful speech packed with ridicule particularly toward white men who opposed women’s rights.

Did Truth choose a version? She stayed with Marius Robinson and his wife Emily in Ohio in 1851 and it is believed that Robinson went over his version with her prior to its publication. There is no evidence to suggest that Truth ever contested the other version of the speech written by Frances Gage, however.

“Ain’t I A Woman” Reported By: Marcus Robinson

One of the most unique and interesting speeches of the convention was made by Sojourner Truth. 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. She came forward to the platform and addressing the President said with great simplicity: “May I say a few words?” Receiving an affirmative answer, she proceeded:

I want to say a few words about this matter. I am a woman’s rights. I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man. I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that? I have heard much about the sexes being equal. I can carry as much as any man, and can eat as much too, if I can get it. I am as strong as any man that is now.

As for intellect, all I can say is, if a woman have a pint, and a man a quart — why can’t she have her little pint full? You need not be afraid to give us our rights for fear we will take too much, — for we can’t take more than our pint’ll hold. The poor men seems to be all in confusion, and don’t know what to do. Why children, if you have woman’s rights, give it to her and you will feel better. You will have your own rights, and they won’t be so much trouble. I can’t read, but I can hear. I have heard the bible and have learned that Eve caused man to sin. Well, if woman upset the world, do give her a chance to set it right siI want to say a few words about this matter.

I am for woman’s rights. I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man. I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that? I have heard much about the sexes being equal. I can carry as much as any man, and can eat as much too, if I can get it. I am as strong as any man that is now. As for intellect, all I can say is, if a woman have a pint, and a man a quart — why can’t she have her little pint full? You need not be afraid to give us our rights for fear we will take too much, — for we can’t take more than our pint’ll hold.

The poor men seems to be all in confusion, and don’t know what to do. Why children, if you have woman’s rights, give it to her and you will feel better. de up again. The Lady has spoken about Jesus, how he never spurned woman from him, and she was right. When Lazarus died, Mary and Martha came to him with faith and love and besought him to raise their brother. And Jesus wept and Lazarus came forth. And how came Jesus into the world? Through God who created him and the woman who bore him. Man, where was your part? But the women are coming up blessed be God and a few of the men are coming up with them. But man is in a tight place, the poor slave is on him, woman is coming on him, he is surely between a hawk and a buzzard.

Robinson, M. “Woman’s Rights Convention.” Salem(OH) Anti-Slavery Bugle. June 21, 1851: 4.

“Ain’t I A Woman” Reported By: Frances Gage

Well, chillen, whar dar’s so much racket dar must be som’ting out o’ kilter. I tink dat, ‘twixt the niggers of de South and de women at de Norf, all a-taking ’bout rights, de white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking ’bout? Dat man ober dar say dat woman needs to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have de best place eberywhar. Nobody eber helps me into carriages, or ober mud-puddles, or gives me any best place; And ar’n’t I a woman? Look at me. Look at my arm. I have plowed and planted and gathered into barns, and no man could head me—and ar’n’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man, (when I could get it,) and bear de lash as well—and ar’n’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen chillen, and seen ’em mos’ all sold off into slavery, and when I cried out with a mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard—and ar’n’t I a woman? Den dey talks ’bout dis ting in de head. What dis dey call it?” [“Intellect,” whispered some one near.] “Dat’s it, honey. What’s dat got to do with woman’s rights or niggers’ rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint and yourn holds a quart, wouldn’t ye be mean not to me have my little half-measure full? Den dat little man in black dar, he say woman can’t have as much right as man ’cause Christ wa’n’t a woman. Whar did your Christ come from?‘

Whar did your Christ come from? From God and a woman. Man had noting to do with him. That if de fust woman God ever made was strong enough to turn de world upside down all her one lone, all dese togeder, ought to be able to turn it back and git it right side up again, and now dey is asking to, de men better let ’em. ‘Bleeged to ye for hearin’ on me, and now old Sojourner ha’n’t got nothin’

Gage, F. D., “Sojourner Truth.” New York Independent. April 23, 1863: 1.

*Malea Walker, Sojourner Truth’s Most Famous Speech, Library of Congress