Sojourner Truth, born into slavery in the late 18th century, lived a childhood marked by hardship, loss, and resilience. Her early life unfolded during a period when African American children born into bondage were viewed not as individuals but as property. Though she would later become one of the most powerful voices in the abolitionist and women’s rights movements, her beginnings were shaped by pain and endurance. Understanding her childhood helps to explain the strength and conviction that defined her adult activism.
Birth and Family Background
Birth Name and Origins
Sojourner Truth was born around 1797 in Swartekill, Ulster County, New York. Her birth name was Isabella Baumfree. She was the daughter of James and Elizabeth Baumfree, both of whom were enslaved by Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh. Her exact birth date is unknown because enslaved children were rarely provided with birth records.
A Dutch-Speaking Household
The Hardenbergh household was Dutch-speaking, and as a result, Isabella grew up speaking Dutch as her first language. English was something she learned later in life, and with a Dutch accent. This cultural environment influenced her speech and remained a part of her identity long after emancipation.
Siblings and Separation
Isabella had at least ten or eleven siblings, but due to the nature of slavery, families were often separated through sale or trade. Many of her siblings were sold away at a young age. This pattern of separation was common for enslaved families, and the Baumfree family was no exception. These early experiences instilled in young Isabella a deep sense of grief and longing.
Early Trauma and Sales
Death of Her First Owner
When Colonel Hardenbergh died, Isabella was only around nine years old. Following his death, she was sold at an auction with a flock of sheep for $100 to John Neely, a harsh and cruel master. It was her first experience of being treated as a commodity. She was torn away from her parents and subjected to brutal beatings and abuse.
Subsequent Sales and Abuse
Over the course of her youth, Isabella was sold several times. After Neely, she was sold to Martinus Schryver, a tavern keeper. Although not as cruel as Neely, her time with Schryver still involved the difficult labor expected of an enslaved child. She was then sold again to John Dumont of West Park, New York, who would remain her enslaver for the longest period of her youth.
Under Dumont, Isabella endured years of physical labor and personal hardship. She later described Dumont as complex sometimes kind, sometimes cruel. His wife, however, reportedly despised Isabella and mistreated her regularly. Isabella’s memories of this time included severe labor conditions and psychological oppression.
Growing Awareness and Inner Strength
Faith and Spiritual Development
Even as a child, Isabella demonstrated a deep spiritual nature. Her mother, Elizabeth, taught her the basics of Christianity and encouraged her to pray to God for strength and justice. This faith would grow over time and become central to her later work as an orator and activist.
The Pain of Enslaved Girlhood
Isabella experienced emotional and physical pain unique to enslaved girls. She was subjected not only to backbreaking labor but also to gender-specific vulnerabilities, including the threat of sexual exploitation. These early experiences would fuel her later advocacy for both racial and gender equality.
Relationships and Motherhood
Early Marriage Under Slavery
As a teenager, Isabella was forced into a relationship with an enslaved man named Thomas. Together, they had five children. These relationships were not recognized as legal marriages under the law, since enslaved people had no legal rights, including the right to marry or to keep their families together.
Motherhood and Struggle
One of her most heartbreaking early experiences was the sale of her son, Peter. Despite New York’s gradual abolition laws, her son was illegally sold to an owner in Alabama. Determined to get him back, Isabella filed a lawsuit the first time an African American woman successfully challenged a white man in a U.S. court. She eventually won Peter’s freedom, showcasing her fierce love and determination as a mother.
Path Toward Freedom
New York’s Gradual Emancipation
By the early 1800s, New York was slowly moving toward the abolition of slavery through a gradual emancipation law. However, many enslavers found loopholes to delay emancipation. Isabella was promised freedom by Dumont in exchange for good service, but he later broke that promise.
Escape to Freedom
In 1826, unable to endure any longer, Isabella escaped with her infant daughter, Sophia. She found refuge with Isaac and Maria Van Wagenen, a Quaker couple who paid Dumont $20 to release Isabella from her remaining term of service. This act of compassion marked the beginning of Isabella’s free life, though her journey was far from over.
Legacy of a Difficult Childhood
Early Experiences Shaping Activism
The harsh realities of Isabella’s youth shaped her worldview and activism. Her later name, Sojourner Truth, symbolized her role as a traveler and speaker of truth. The injustices she witnessed and endured in her childhood laid the emotional foundation for her powerful public voice against slavery and inequality.
Memory and Public Speaking
Sojourner Truth frequently spoke about her childhood in her speeches, emphasizing the cruelty of slavery and the strength it took to survive. She became a symbol of resilience, speaking for those who had no voice and who were born into lives of forced servitude and silence.
Sojourner Truth’s childhood was filled with unimaginable challenges separation from family, forced labor, abuse, and emotional trauma. Yet from those harsh beginnings emerged a woman of extraordinary conviction and strength. The lessons she learned as a child about injustice, endurance, and the power of faith would guide her for the rest of her life. Her journey from Isabella Baumfree to Sojourner Truth is not just a story of survival, but of transformation, and her childhood remains a crucial chapter in the life of one of America’s most inspiring historical figures.