Although Sojourner Truth never learned to read or write she still was able to contribute in the frantic fight for the civil rights of African Americans, in the south, and women, in the north. The narrative Ar'nt I a Woman was spoken by Truth at a women's

rights convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851. Truth gave her speech against the wishes of the convention's participants, and as a result captivated her audience with a powerful narrative that would flourish in African American history. After gaining her freedom, she changed her name from Isabella, to Sojourner Truth as representation of the new person she had become. She vowed to preach the "Truth" as God revealed it. Her powerful oration drew people into her speeches, and she challenged her listeners to live up to the ideals they claimed to embrace.

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