Sojourner Truth (Ca. 1797-1883)

"A Methodist preacher, former slave, abolitionist, and speaker, she gave one of the most famous speeches of the suffrage movement, refuting a man who claimed women were to helpless to vote. She said, in part: "I could work as much and eat as much as a man-when I could get it-and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman?" This final phrase became a rally cry of the cause." -David Roberts, Suffragette: The Battle for Equality