A glance at a photograph of Sojourner Truth reveals so much more than the naked eye can see. In plain sight, she is a frail, elderly black woman who looks as if she has given a scolding or two in her day. Up close and personal, Sojourner is a carrier of the Truth. She is best known for her God given gift of public speaking in which she used to the best of her ability. In one of her many speeches she was quoted as saying, "I sell the shadow to support the substance." This is also the caption of a famous picture of Truth, a carte de visite, in which she sold before and after her speeches for twenty five cents each. Sojourner was telling the world that she must sell pictures of herself or the shadow to support what she believed in or the substance. In other words, she would do whatever was necessary to make sure that her words and thoughts became actions and ideas in the world. Truth was an amazing woman who taught the world every time she opened her mouth to speak. 

African American women for centuries have been a vast minority. Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington Carver, Malcolm X, and many others are household names but their are few black women that can be named that have been successful in their endeavors. Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks both have claims to fame as well as Sojourner Truth but many people if asked today who Truth was, not many people would be able to answer the question. Racial equality is improving drastically each day which is causing many people to forget the past. Yet it is imperative that no one forgets that Sojourner Truth stood before men, women, and children, former slaves and slave owners, the good and the bad, and spoke eloquently as if she had a college degree. She had a story, a story filled with the cruelty and inhumane acts of slavery, that needed to be told. Her famous speech, "Ain't I A Woman" should be taught in all schools today so that no one forgets that once upon a time equality between blacks and whites and men and women as well as children was not the same. It was an issue that needed to be talked about and fixed which is exactly what Truth took it upon herself to do. 

One of the most fascinating times in history for women was the antebellum age. It was a time when women came out of their shells and stopped relying on men to make their every move for them. Women spent the majority of their time fighting for their equality and did not mind getting their hands dirty no matter the obstacle. The identity of all women who fought for their rights can be seen through the trials and triumphs of Sojourner Truth. She was born into slavery, walked twelve miles to freedom holding her baby girl, and preached against slavery the rest of her life. Truth's story was different than most white women of the antebellum age for she endured cruelty as well as suffering.  Some women of this age were not afraid to speak in public like Truth. The antislavery movement boosted many women to stand up for what they believed in like Susan B. Anthony who started with slavery and went on to help gain women the right to vote. Truth became a stepping stone at this point for all women who needed a starting place for their platform. 

"If de fust woman God ever made was strong enough to turn de world upside down all alone, dese women all togedder ought to be able to turn it back right side up agin." This is the caption below a standing portrait of Truth. She is dressed to go out and about most likely going to give a speech about her beliefs. She also holds a cane to support herself which could be because of old age or because there is so much built up knowledge and gumption in her frail body that she needs a strong foundation to lean on each day. Truth spoke these words during of her many speeches. It was almost as if it was a command to all the women in the audience. She could not read or write but she could hear and as far as she was concerned, if Eve had the power to cause the world to sin, the women of the world have the power to make the evils of the world go away and never come back.

Going public during the nineteenth century was a term that described anything that took place outside of the standardized home. Many women were often not involved in public politics but they did find a way to become participants in the public sphere by advocating women's rights. The middle class women as well as African American women found that there were many ways in which to be involved in public whether it be through a rally or protest or even an organization formed to fight the evils of the world such as drinking and slavery. The temperance movement as well as the anti-slavery movement are two causes that women of all races fought for. Without such platforms to stand on and prove themselves worthy, women of the nineteenth century might not have had the opportunity to speak on their opinions. The world to this day might have still remained a masculine world where only men speak in public and women are the domestication of society. Sojourner Truth went public with all she had. Nothing stood in the way of her voice and nothing hindered her from  showing the world that she was able to communicate despite the fact that she was never educated properly. Very much like the middle class women of the nineteenth century, Truth decided to take action concerning her surroundings to make the world a better place for all concerned.