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How did Sojourner Truth escape from slavery?
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Sojourner Truth
To make money, abolitionist and women's rights advocate Sojourner Truth sold cartes-de-visite of herself that bore the caption, βI sell the shadow to support the substance.β
Sojourner Truth escaped from slavery in 1826 by fleeing her enslaver, John Dumont, with her infant daughter. She was taken in by an abolitionist family, the Van Wagenens, who paid for her labor until she gained her freedom in 1827. She initially adopted the surname Van Wagenen before eventually taking the name Sojourner Truth in 1843, inspired by her faith to travel and spread God's word. Truth also successfully sued for the return of her son Peter, who had been illegally sold away from her, becoming the first Black woman to win a lawsuit against a white man in the U.S..12