![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Truth was a woman of intense religious faith who credited God with giving her the power to challenge the establishment. Within a year, he was returned to her custody. With the help of local Quakers, she filed a legal complaint for the return of her 6-year-old son, who had been illegally sold in Alabama. At this time, Truth took another action that was unprecedented for an illiterate, penniless, newly-freed black woman. Instead of staying nearby, she left to pursue her calling on a larger stage. What this meant was that Truth was freed, while her five children had to remain in slavery. The law decreed that slaves born before 1799 gained their freedom on July 4, 1827-but those born later were required to serve their masters until age 28 if male, 25 if female. After being sold for the third time, she remained with the same family until she was emancipated by New York law in 1827. At age 9, the Dutch-speaking slave was sold for $100 to a man who spoke only English and she was beaten for failing to understand his instructions. In about 1797-not surprisingly, Painter could not determine the exact date of this slave’s birth-Truth, then called Isabella, was born in largely Dutch-speaking Ulster County, N.Y. ![]()
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