Primary sourceBook1866
Six Months at the White House, chapter LVIII
Francis Bicknell Carpenter · 1866
A contemporary account by a White House artist describing Sojourner Truth's 1864 meeting with President Lincoln.
A near-contemporary account, dictated by Truth, describing her 1864 meeting with President Lincoln.
About this source
What it is
This is a chapter from Francis Bicknell Carpenter's 1866 book Six Months at the White House, describing Sojourner Truth's 1864 visit to see President Abraham Lincoln. The account was written from Truth's own dictation, as recorded by a friend.
Why it matters
The passage describes how Truth, then over eighty, traveled to Washington to meet Lincoln before her death, and how he treated Black visitors with kindness. It offers a close, near-contemporary record of their meeting and shows Truth's determination and the public respect she had earned.
Look closer
- Why is it important that this account was dictated by Truth herself, even though written down by someone else?
- What does the writer choose to focus on in describing Lincoln's behavior?
- How might this source differ if written by someone who disagreed with Truth's cause?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sojourner Truth on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
More Sojourner Truth sources
Meet the AI Sojourner Truth →Primary source
Ain't I a Woman?
Sojourner Truth · 1851
Primary source
Narrative of Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth · 1850
PhotographPrimary source
I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance
1864
BookSecondary source
Fanaticism; Its Source and Influence, Illustrated by the Simple Narrative of Isabella, in the Case of Matthias
Gilbert Vale · 1835
PhotographPrimary source
Sojourner Truth, seated with knitting
1864
Ready when you are
Start chatting with Sojourner Truth now.
20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.