Sierra

=**Isabella (Sojourner Truth) Baumfree** = = = ==

Birth Year: 1797 Hometown: Ulster County, New York Profession: Preacher, Civil War Nurse Education: Iliterate Favorite Books: Bible Political Views: Republican (Abraham Lincoln) Religious Views: Baptist Christian Relationship Status: Its Com plicated (Husband sold into slavery) Quotes: "Ain't I a Woman" Likes: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Listening to speeches writing speeches. Hobbies: Telling stories, Knitting

Status Updates 1850: The fugitive slave act was passed as a part of the Compromise of 1850. Now it will make it so much harded for slaves to stay safe after they escape if the dont have their free papers. 1851: Harriet Tubman (Conductor of the Underground Railroad) freed 25 more slaves today! So far she has led 60 slaves to freedom ! 1851: Today i made a speech in Akron, Ohio concerning the rights of woman and African-Americans. I believe that they should have the same equal rights as white men we were all created equal by God. 1852: A friend of mine read me an excerpt from activist Martin Delany's book The Condition, Elevation, Emigration and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States. This book basically states that African-Americans should migrate away from the United States and become their own Nation. He has an interesting perspective. 1853: Uncle Tom's Cabin which was once an article in an anti-slavery newspaper has now been published as a book and sold over 300,000 copies last year! This book really shows people the hardships of slavery. 1860: Republican Abraham Lincoln has been elected president. South Carolina has now left the Union, and im pretty sure several other states will follow just as they have threatened. We must be prepared, I have a feeling that the war is coming.



Me before i gave the "Aint I a Woman" speech in 1852



Harriet Tubman: Conductor of the Underground Railroad who lead 300 slaves to freedom!



My family. My mom, dad, brother, two sisters and I. The master made us take a picture that sunday before church



Abraham Lincoln and I looking over the Bible during my visit at the white house.



Well known abolitionist Frederick Douglass. He brought many people to realize the hardships of slavery.



Union soldiers getting ready to fight during the civil war



Frederick Douglass' news paper called the North Star. This was one of the ways he got his point of slavery across



The narrative of my life which i dictated because i never learned to read or write.



President Abraham Lincoln. He was elected president in 1860 causing 7 states to leave the Union.



The star which led so many of my people to freedom and inspired the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd"

Note 1: Slavery Slavery wasn’t always how it is today. It used to be a better more reliable system. Before it was named “slavery” it was called indentured servitude. The difference was that indentured servants were not forced to be slaves. They chose to be. Why would someone choose to be a slave you ask? Well people would do anything for a way to come to the “New World” known as America because of the land and many new opportunities. In order for you to come to the new world there were a lot of things that needed to be paid, and some people didn’t have that type of money. So some people would find someone to pay for their passage into the New World and in return they would work of their debt, making that debtor and indentured slave. While working they would receive clothes and food, and once their debt was paid they would be freed and given 50 acres of land. This system was working well until people began to like the idea of having a slave… who wouldn’t? When you have a slave they do all your hard work and labor for little or no pay. All you really had to do was provide food and a place to stay. They had hundreds of people who worked for free and produced products that their “masters” sold for a profit therefore bettering the economy. What wasn’t taken into consideration was the process of transporting slaves, and how they were treated. Because people felt that they were in need of slaves ships were sent out to the slave’s homelands, places such as Africa. Once they got there they would kidnap Africans or take war prisoners and bring them over to America and sell them to whoever wanted to buy them. Once whoever bought them and they got to their destination most slaves would work for hours and hours, receive little food, be beaten, abused, and be treated inhumanely. Because of this most slaves wanted, needed to find a way out. I was lucky enough to escape, but there are hundreds who are still trapped in that awful cycle. This is probably the way things will remain unless something is done to stop it. I plan to do all that I can to maybe put an end to slavery!

Note 2: A Slaves Resistance

Slaves would steal various things from their masters such as money, tobacco, food, property and even liquor. Because most masters didn’t treat their slaves properly, most slaves didn’t have the things they needed, especially food. Another reason why some slaves stole was also because they felt entitled to other things the master owned. They felt that because the master “owned” them then anything the master “owned” was theirs. Slaves also rebelled by retarding their work process. They would work slower so that they could get less work done. If they got less done, the master would lose a percentage of his profit. Although these were effective forms of resistance they had several faults. If slaves were caught rebelling they could be beaten, killed, sold away or even treated worse than they had been treated before. Another form of resistance was the abolitionist’s quest to abolish slavery. Abolitionist were people who were committed to abolishing slavery. Some abolitionists were escaped or freed slaves who wanted to help their people get out of slavery and put an end to it. Unlike the other abolitionists who were Quakers or people who lived in the North, ex-slaves who were abolitionists had a first-hand experience with slavery and could tell stories of what really went on. In many cases this helped the abolitionists because now white people could hear slavery in depth from an actual slave and not what slave masters made it sound like. Several times people would write books about their time in slavery and publish them so that everyone would know the truth and help put an end to slavery. Slaves who ran away also showed a form of resistance. Running away in most cases was the only way a slave could escape from slavery. Some slaves traveled in groups while others went solo. Slaves would also sing songs such as “Follow the Drinking Gourd” that would help them find an escape route. This song told them to follow the North Star, which would take them North, away from slavery and toward free states. When slaves escaped they had to go at night because there were watchmen and patrollers that could spot them. This meant that the slaves would need someplace to stay during the daytime so that they could rest. The Underground Railroad was made for this purpose. The slaves would travel along the Underground Railroad during the night and during the day they would stay at “stations”. Stations were run by conductors who would help keep slaves safe during the day. When slaves got to these stations they were given food, a place to sleep, and sometimes clothes. One significant woman who made a great contribution to freeing slaves and the Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman was a slave who escaped from slavery and went on 17 journeys back to the South to help over 300 slaves. All of her journeys were a success, and she and the slaves she was rescuing were never caught. If slaves were to be caught their punishment would be severe. They would be beaten, body parts could be cut off, they could be sold, or treated even worse than they were already being treated. Because running away was such a risky process many slaves wanted to turn back, but turning back could risk your life plus the life of many others. But the slaves who continued their journey and were not caught would continue traveling north where they could hopefully escape slavery. They would travel to northern free states because they knew their freedom would be ensured there.

Note 3: Land of the Free? July 4th, 1776 America declared its independence from Great Brattain, because we felt that their laws were unfair we broke away from them. We fought long and hard to have back the freedom that Great Britain stole from us. That was the purpose of the Revolutionary War, to get our freedom back. But if we fought so hard to have a freed nation then why would we want to enslave people within this nation? Why can’t we African-American’s also have the freedom which America so greatly fought for? What is the fourth of July to the slave? Frederick Douglass delivered a powerful speech about this on July 5, 1852. He explained that to a slave the fourth of July is a mockery. Americans fought so hard to become free but yet they are enslaving other people. This is would be considered a form hypocrisy. Frederick Douglass is a well know abolitionist who travels around the country, delivering speeches such as //What is the Fourth of July to the Slave//. He also wrote an autobiography and has a newspaper called “The North Star”. He addresses the hardships of slavery from a slave’s perspective to white people so that they can understand what truly goes on, while on the plantations. He wants white people to be aware of the circumstances so that something can be done about it. Although he is a free black, he is still very concerned with the well being of his brethren who are still involved in slavery. I believe what Frederick Douglass really wanted to get across was the real meaning of America. In his speech he states that, “America is yours not mine.” I feel like he said this because since us blacks are not considered free, how can we be a part of America which is now being known for its freedom. How can you call yourself a free country if not everyone in the country has the same rights and freedoms as everyone else?