collaborated with Robinson on the transcription of her speech, Truth did not dictate his writing word for word. The most widely circulated version of the speech was written by Gage years after the fact, but there are no reports of Gage working with Truth on the transcription. Gage portrays Truth as using a Southern dialect, which the earliest reports of the speech do not mention. Truth is said to have prided herself on her spoken English, and she was born and raised in New York state, speaking only Jersey Dutch until the age of 9. The dialect in Gage's 1863 version is less severe than in her later version of the speech that she published in 1881. In addition, the crowd Truth addressed that day consisted of mainly white, privileged women. In Gage's recollection, she describes that the crowd did not want Truth to speak because they did not want people to confuse the cause of suffrage with abolition, despite many reports that Truth was welcomed with respect. Although Gage's version provides further context, it is written as a narrative: she adds her own commentary, creating an entire scene of the event, including the audience reactions. Because Gage's version is built primarily on her interpretation and the way she chose to portray it, it cannot be considered a pure representation of the event. References Further reading Pdf. Jones, Martha S. (Fall 2020). Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All. BasicBooks. Pdf. Painter, Nell Irvin (Fall 1997). Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol. W.W. Norton. Pdf. Pdf. External links Version of Gage, 1878 in google books, without pagination, Ch. 7, from Man Cannot Speak for Her. Volume 2: Key Texts of the Early Feminists. The Sojourner Truth Project, a website that compares the text of each version of the speech and provides audio reading of both. Pre-emancipation African-American history 1851 speeches Women's rights History of women in the United States 1851 in Ohio Sojourner Truth May 1851 events History of Akron, Ohio