Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?: Introduction–Chapter 2

by Patricia McKissack
This biography chronicles the life of Sojourner Truth, a woman who was born a slave, and who became the embodiment of the universal ideals of abolition and equality.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Introduction–Chapter 2, Chapters 3–5, Chapters 6–7, Chapters 8–10
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bicker
    argue over petty things
    Sojourner was born sometime in 1797, the same year John Adams became the second president of the United States, and George Washington warned the nation in his farewell speech that regional bickering would one day “disrupt the Union.”
  2. indenture
    bind by a contract for work, as an apprentice or servant
    That same year, the settlers brought eleven black indentured servants from the West Indies to help build their fort, which was finished in 1635.
  3. vigorous
    characterized by forceful and energetic action or activity
    Although the Dutch were vigorous slave importers, Dutch documents show that as early as 1643, a free black man, Comingo Anthoney, owned property in the area known today as Greenwich Village.
  4. privateer
    a ship commissioned to prey on other ships
    In 1647, a land grant was given to Jan Negro, an indentured servant “who came with the privateer.”
  5. flourish
    grow vigorously
    New Amsterdam was renamed New York and became a flourishing slave market.
  6. uprising
    organized opposition to authority
    The frequency of slave uprisings in New York also shows how many blacks opposed slavery and fought against it.
  7. appalled
    struck with dread, shock, or dismay
    But through the years, the resistance to slavery became more outspoken, especially among the New England Quakers who were appalled by the system.
  8. status quo
    the existing state of affairs
    However, the pro-slavery forces were just as determined to maintain the status quo.
  9. faction
    a clique that seeks power usually through intrigue
    Led by rich and powerful Dutch landowners like the Hardenbergs, the pro-slavery faction had managed repeatedly to delay emancipation legislation in New York and New Jersey.
  10. taint
    place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
    Slavery, they argued, would “taint the new Republic.”
  11. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
    But Southerners proved to be formidable opponents.
  12. appease
    cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
    James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” opposed slavery. However, he compromised on the slavery issue to appease the Southern states and secure the approval of the document.
  13. inherently
    in an essential manner
    Then he plunged into a ludicrous debate describing blacks as “inherently inferior beings who would be harmed by freedom.”
  14. denounce
    accuse or condemn openly as disgraceful
    And he denounced the Quakers as “spies, traitors, pacifists, and hypocritical money grubbers.”
  15. hypocritical
    professing feelings or virtues one does not have
    And he denounced the Quakers as “spies, traitors, pacifists, and hypocritical money grubbers.”
  16. patent
    obtain a document granting sole rights to an invention
    Then, in 1793, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin and the slavery question was moot.
  17. moot
    of no legal significance, as having been previously decided
    Then, in 1793, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin and the slavery question was moot. The gin made cotton the primary crop in the South and increased the demand for slave labor.
  18. enact
    order by virtue of superior authority; decree
    The South countered this opposition by supporting the passage of the first Fugitive Slave Law, enacted by Congress in February 1793, making it a criminal offense to harbor runaway slaves or prevent their arrest.
  19. assessment
    the act of judging a person or situation or event
    There were many New York slaveholders who agreed with the South’s assessment of Quakers.
  20. clause
    a separate section of a legal document
    Actually, the struggle for emancipation in New York had begun as early as 1777, when John Jay tried to include an abolition clause in the New York State Constitution.
  21. radical
    markedly new or introducing extreme change
    At times, moderate abolitionists advocated making compromises with slave owners to achieve some of their goals, while more radical abolitionists demanded immediate and unconditional freedom.
  22. unconditional
    not subject to any restrictions or limitations
    At times, moderate abolitionists advocated making compromises with slave owners to achieve some of their goals, while more radical abolitionists demanded immediate and unconditional freedom.
  23. affront
    a deliberately offensive act
    Even so, the days of slavery were numbered, because it was an affront to the principles upon which the new nation was founded.
  24. indifference
    the trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things
    Colonel Hardenbergh noted the birth of another slave with the same indifference he might have shown a calf or a lamb.
  25. instill
    teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions
    Mau Mau Bett and Baumfree instilled in their daughter the importance of hard work, honesty, loyalty, and obedience.
  26. contract
    be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
    Living in the cellar, he had contracted arthritis, which had disfigured his hands and legs.
  27. loophole
    an ambiguity that makes it possible to evade an obligation
    But sadly very few laws are without loopholes, and the Hardenberghs found one.
  28. fend
    try to manage without help
    They had to either agree or fend for themselves in a world of English-speaking people they could not understand or speak with.
  29. coarse
    lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
    Soon she learned that the Schryvers were a coarse, uneducated couple, but they weren’t cruel.
  30. abolition
    doing away with a system or practice or institution
    While working in the tavern-inn, the girl overheard conversations about slavery, and her ears perked up whenever the topic turned to abolition. That was a new English word she’d learned. Abolitionists were people who wanted to end slavery.
  31. ruddy
    inclined to a healthy reddish color
    One day a short, ruddy-faced man came into the tavern.
  32. spiteful
    showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt
    Mrs. Dumont, on the other hand, possessed a vinegary disposition and a spiteful tongue. Belle was warned to steer clear of her mistress, but that was impossible since the girl worked part-time in the Big House.
  33. disposition
    a natural or acquired habit or characteristic tendency
    Gertrude, the Dumonts' ten-year-old daughter, liked Belle. Gertrude called Belle into her room later that night. Her disposition was comparable to her father’s.
  34. exonerated
    freed from any question of guilt
    As soon as Belle was gone, the hired girl came in and dumped a clump of ashes into the pot. Gertrude jumped from her hiding place. “I caught you,” she said, hurrying off to tell her parents. With the help of Gertrude, Belle had been exonerated.
  35. imposing
    impressive in appearance
    He was a man of imposing height, well over seven feet tall.
  36. endurance
    the power to withstand hardship or stress
    Known for his athletic skill, he challenged men to contests of strength and endurance.
  37. revel
    celebrate noisily or engage in uproarious festivities
    After the contests, the feasting began, followed by endless dancing to beating drums. Couples stomped and reeled, clapped and sang far into the night. At dawn the weary revellers rested, but the activities began again at dusk.
  38. reprimand
    censure severely or angrily
    Uncharacteristically, Dumont broke the gentlemen’s agreement between slaveholders and stopped a master from reprimanding his slave.
  39. drudgery
    hard, monotonous, routine work
    Belle could see that at one time her husband might have been a nice-looking man, but now he was old and stooped from the drudgery of field work.
  40. grueling
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    For several months, she put in extra-long hard hours, planting, washing, cooking, cleaning, back to the fields...endless hours of grueling back-breaking work.
Created on Mon Nov 14 09:44:14 EST 2022 (updated Wed Mar 15 11:55:24 EDT 2023)

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