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Primary sourceNewspaper article1863

Sojourner Truth, the Libyan Sibyl

1863

A collection of newspaper excerpts and writings about Sojourner Truth from the files of the Lincoln Financial Foundation.

Contemporary newspaper excerpts describing Sojourner Truth's public reputation as an abolitionist speaker.

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Sojourner Truth, the Libyan SibylPDF · 102 pages
Sojourner Truth, the Libyan Sibyl, excerpts from newspapers, 1863. Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection.

About this source

What it is

This is a scanned booklet of excerpts from newspapers and other sources about Sojourner Truth, dated 1863, held in the files of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection. It includes an account describing her as "Sojourner Truth, the Libyan Sibyl," written by someone recalling encounters with her.

Why it matters

The excerpts record how people of Truth's own time described her as a well-known speaker at anti-slavery meetings who traveled the country on what the writer calls a self-appointed mission. This gives a glimpse of how contemporaries, including people connected to Abraham Lincoln's circle, viewed her public role as an abolitionist.

Look closer

  • Who wrote this account, and how might their perspective shape the way Truth is described?
  • What does the title "Libyan Sibyl" suggest about how the writer saw Truth?
  • Why might newspapers of the time have found Truth's name and activities worth recording?

This newspaper article 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.

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