Preface to the Narrative of Sojourner Truth

What it is

This is the preface William Lloyd Garrison wrote for the 1850 edition of the Narrative of Sojourner Truth, signed 'Wm. Lloyd Garrison.' Truth, who never learned to read or write, worked with Olive Gilbert, a sympathetic white woman, to produce the narrative. A copy is held by the Library of Congress.

Why it matters

The book tells the story of Sojourner Truth, a formerly enslaved woman who became a prominent abolitionist and advocate for women's rights. Garrison's preface shows how white abolitionist leaders like him supported and promoted the published testimony of Black women within the movement, though it also raises questions about whose voice shaped the final text.

Look closer

• Why might Truth have needed to work with Gilbert and Garrison to publish her story?
• What does Garrison's role as preface-writer suggest about power and support within the abolitionist movement?
• What questions should we ask about a narrative shaped by more than one author?