Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897) was an African American writer and abolitionist who was born into slavery in Edenton, North Carolina. She was raised by her grandmother, who had been a slave but had been freed by her former master. Jacobs’ mother was also a slave, and her father was likely her mother’s owner.
Jacobs spent most of her early life as a slave, working in the household of Dr. James Norcom. Norcom sexually harassed and abused Jacobs for years, and she eventually entered into a relationship with a white man named Samuel Tredwell Sawyer in order to avoid having to submit to Norcom. Jacobs had two children with Sawyer, both of whom were born into slavery.
In 1842, Jacobs escaped from slavery and fled to the North, where she eventually settled in New York City. She was reunited with her children, who had been sent to the North earlier by their father. Jacobs spent several years in New York working as a nurse and a teacher, and she became involved in the abolitionist movement.
In 1861, Jacobs published her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, under the pseudonym Linda Brent. The book was one of the first narratives of slavery written by a woman, and it provided a detailed and vivid account of the experiences of enslaved women, including the sexual abuse and harassment they endured. Jacobs’ book was an important contribution to the abolitionist movement and is now considered a classic of African American literature.
In the book, Jacobs describes her experiences as a slave, including the physical and sexual abuse she endured at the hands of her master. She also writes about the unique challenges that female slaves faced, such as the threat of sexual exploitation by their masters.
Jacobs eventually escapes to the North with the help of friends and the Underground Railroad. She then spends several years in hiding before finally gaining her freedom and reuniting with her children.
The book was published under the pseudonym “Linda Brent” to protect Jacobs and her family from retribution by her former slave owners. It was not until many years later that Jacobs revealed her true identity and the circumstances of her escape.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an important historical document that sheds light on the experiences of enslaved women and the horrors of slavery in the United States.
After the Civil War, Jacobs continued to be involved in the fight for social justice. She worked to provide education and support for newly freed slaves and advocated for women’s suffrage. Jacobs died in Washington, D.C. in 1897.
Summary
A haunting, evocative recounting of her life as a slave in North Carolina, and her final escape and emancipation, Jacobs’ narrative, written between 1853 and 1858 and published in 1861, is one of the most important books ever written documenting the traumas and horrors of slavery in the antebellum South. Buy Here