Harriet Jacobs
Biography
Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897) was an enslaved African American writer and abolitionist, renowned for her autobiography *Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself*. Born in Edenton, North Carolina, Jacobs was initially taught to read and write. Her relatively mild early enslavement ended tragically when her mistress died, leaving her to the brutal whims of Dr. James Norcom, who relentlessly sexually harassed and abused her. To protect herself and her children, Jacobs made the desperate decision to hide for seven years in a tiny, unheated crawl space in her grandmother's attic. This act of profound resistance allowed her to remain near her children while evading her enslaver. After finally escaping to the North in 1842, she worked as a nanny in prominent abolitionist households and tirelessly advocated for her children's freedom. With the support of abolitionist friends, she purchased her own freedom in 1852. Her memoir, published in 1861 under the pseudonym Linda Brent, offered a harrowing and unique perspective on the particular vulnerabilities of enslaved women, challenging prevailing stereotypes and powerfully advocating for abolition. After the Civil War, she dedicated her life to relief work, establishing schools and aiding formerly enslaved people. Her work remains a cornerstone of American literature, valued for its historical insight and literary merit.
Selected Thoughts
«No pen can give an adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery.»
«O, ye happy free women, contrast your happy homes with the dwellings of the Southern slave. Compare your husbands with the husbands of slave women. Compare your children with the children of slave women.»
«Reader, my story ends with freedom; but it was not until my children could feel the sunshine of liberty, that I ever knew true happiness.»
Writing Style
Autobiographical, confessional, direct, persuasive, vivid, unflinching, moralistic, and often emotionally charged. Her narrative style directly addresses her Northern female readers, aiming to evoke empathy and moral outrage against the institution of slavery, particularly its impact on women and families.