That one time in Michigan: When an abolitionist called Battle Creek home

Did you know that one of the most famous abolitionists in US history called Michigan home?

Sojourner Truth, the legendary activist, lived in Michigan for more than 20 years, using her powerful voice to fight for abolition, women’s rights, and equality.

Today, we’re bringing you a quick history of her fight for freedom and life in Michigan.

Early life and escape from slavery

While Sojourner Truth never knew the exact date of her birth, she estimated that she was born sometime between 1797 and 1800 (most historical sources note her birth year as 1797).

Truth was born Isabella Bomfree in New York state. Her enslavers spoke Dutch, and that became her first language. After learning English, Truth continued speaking in a Dutch accent for the rest of her life.

Truth’s early years were marked by incredible hardship. She was bought and sold four times, eventually being purchased in 1810 by John Dumont of West Park, New York. In 1815, she was paired with another enslaved man with whom she had several children.

Truth’s accounts of her early life detail days filled with harsh physical labor and cruel punishments. Her first daughter, Diana, was born in 1815 as a result of rape by Dumont.

Despite these hardships, a pivotal moment in Truth’s life would soon come.

Beginning in 1799, New York had started the process of abolishing slavery, although full emancipation for slaves like Truth wouldn’t be complete until July 4, 1827. Dumont had promised Truth her freedom one year before that date but ultimately changed his mind.

In 1826, Truth took her youngest daughter, Sophia, and fled from Dumont. Truth later recalled that she was sadly unable to take the rest of children due to current laws that mandated them to be enslaved into their 20s before they could be free.

Truth was taken in by abolitionists Isaac and Maria Van Wagenen. They paid Truth $20 to help them around their house until the following year, when Truth was freed under the New York State Emancipation Act.

Becoming Sojourner Truth

Truth’s first mission following her emancipation was recovering her son Peter, who she discovered had been sold by Dumont to a slaveowner in Alabama. Using the name Isabella van Wagenen, she sued the man and, in 1828, after months of legal deliberations, was able to bring Peter back to New York—becoming one of the first Black women to successfully sue a white man and win. During this time with the Van Wagenens, Truth also became a devout Christian.

Truth moved to New York City in 1829, and the following years saw her participating in religious revivals across the state. In 1843, Truth had a spiritual epiphany. Saying that she was called by God to “testify the hope that was in her,” she took the name Sojourner Truth and began touring the US, speaking against slavery and for women’s rights.

In 1851, in Akron, Ohio, she delivered one of the most famous abolitionist speeches, Ain’t I a Woman? The spur-of-the-moment speech critiques the inequalities between the treatment of white and Black women:

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?

 Moving to Michigan

Sojourner Truth examining the Bible with Abraham Lincoln, Civil War-era print. (Source: Library of Congress)

Truth’s work towards civil rights led her to Michigan in the 1850s.

In 1853, she helped reorganize the Michigan Anti-Slavery Society in Adrian. In 1857, she settled in Battle Creek, where three of her daughters lived, but continued touring the country advocating for abolition.

During the Civil War, Truth helped recruit Black soldiers to fight in the Union Army. During this time, she also traveled to Washington, DC, meeting with President Abraham Lincoln and riding on public streetcars to encourage their desegregation.

Following the Civil War, Truth advocated for land grants for formerly enslaved people and met with President Ulysses S. Grant as part of this effort. She would later work on Grant’s re-election campaign in Michigan.

As her health began declining, Truth continued speaking tours until her death at her home in Battle Creek on November 26, 1883. She was 86. Truth is buried in Battle Creek’s Oak Hill Cemetery.

Today, a monument stands in Battle Creek to honor the contributions that Truth made in her life. The 12-foot-high statue depicts her at a lectern, highlighting her skill in public speaking to fight for abolition and suffrage.

The Sojourner Truth monument in Battle Creek. (Source: Calhoun County Visitors Bureau)