Essay about Slavery: Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglas

The narratives of Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglas were nothing short of powerful as their unique resilience reflected a gruesome upbringing that would then influence audiences everywhere. Immediately the reader is introduced to the gendered distinctions in narratives as Douglas has letters and statements of prominent men reinforce the validity of his work while Jacobs is forced to create a pleading tone for acknowledgement of her experience as a female slave. Although slavery was an excruciating experience that unjustly plagued millions of African Americans, gender roles and constructs allowed for distinct offenses that forced women to experience unique abuse relative to their male counterparts. The narratives of Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglas reinforced the trials of slavery with examples of educational hardship, physical trauma and differing aspirations of freedom. These factors and a few others such as motherhood and masculinity influenced their legacy in context of slavery as a gendered experience.

Slavery was something cruel and unhuman that many of our brothers and sisters endured. For many years colored men, woman, and children did not have much to live with. The description of the two different narratives of Frederick Douglass and Harriot Jacobs are quite distinct, yet so alike in through their experiences as slaves.

Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, provides insight into those who suppressed him due to ignorance which includes his owners and overseers. Although they each played an important part in shaping Douglass and his mindset, Edward Covey was the harshest because he broke Douglass down not only physically but mentally as well. Covey was a slave breaker that was used to correct the behavior of defiant slaves. “My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!” (pg. 38)

Fredrick Douglass’s life as a slave was hard any slave’s life would be. He was born into slavery in Tuckahoe, Maryland where he lived as a slave while being raised by his grandparents. He was treated horribly by his masters growing up. Around when Fredrick was eight years old he got transported to Baltimore, Maryland where he worked for Hugh Auld who was strict as could be. On the contrary his wife was kind and actually got to teach Fredrick Douglass some reading and writing skills. Hugh Auld did not let it last so he made his wife stop teaching him. This was not the end of Douglass’s education because he pretty much taught himself how to read and write by looking at other people’s handwriting and also by using newspapers. Soon he was actually able to make out what the newspapers were saying so he could now know what was going on around the

In her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs is a slave that was born into slavery in 1813 that has decided to share her amazing story of slavery and her struggles to become free. When she was young her parents were “property” of a really nice lady that allowed her family to have a very comfortable life for a slave family. They were allowed to work for their own money and Harriet did not know that she was a slave for until she was twelve. When she was seven her master died and left her to her sister’s daughter who was five years old. She believed that it was not right to treat blacks in the way that whites did and that someone should not have to purchase themselves or their children. She believed that the whites were way too cruel. She eventually escaped to the north and eventually had someone purchase her freedom for her and her children. Reaching north, Harriet was relief and breath of freedom when she get out from the boat, not long after her arrival to the north she was reunited with her daughter and was ensured of her safety and good treatment she received. She found work in one house and find a friendship in the house she got work with a woman named Mr. Bruce who she was working for, her struggle in those days was been reduce, coming to the north would end all her painful sorrow and struggle. However, there is still another thing she

Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: A Harrowing Escape from Abuse

Born as a slave in Edenton, North Carolina in 1813, Harriet Ann Jacobs was raised by her slave mother and father. Since Harriet’s father was very skillful in his trade of carpentry, he was allowed to pay his mistress 200 dollars a year to work at his trade and manage his own affairs. As a result, his family was able to live comfortably in their home, and Harriet was “fondly shielded that [she] never dreamed [she] was a piece of merchandise, trusted to them for safe keeping, and liable to be demanded of them at any moment,” unlike most other slave children (pp. 11-12). At age six, however, her mother died and she was sent to her mistress. Because her mother was such a faithful servant to her mistress and whiter foster sister, the mistress promised that Harriet and her younger brother William should never suffer for anything during her lifetime (pp. 14). Unfortunately, when Harriet was nearly twelve, her mistress had died, and so did her shielding from the harsh reality slaves had to face at that time. Rather than being granted her freedom, Harriet was willed to the daughter of Dr. James Norcom, who was portrayed as Dr. Flint in Harriet’s autobiography. As a result of his abusive and threatening treatment towards her, Harriet planned an elaborate escape from both him and slavery with the help of people such as her grandmother and the Sands family. Only in 1861, when Harriet was free, did she decide to write one of the most popular female antebellum slave narratives, Incidents

Harriet Jacobs: an educator. A mother. An activist. Jacobs was born into slavery in 1813 in Edenton, North Carolina. Unlike many others, she was both rebellious and smart, but mindful. Due to her being a slave, she treated very poorly. She was degraded and harassed by her owner. There were so many factors of slavery she had to endure. Her personally definition of slavery and freedom was shown throughout her life’s story. Her love life, emotions, and mental process were being held in bondage. The symbols of her story defined her character. Her views of freedom were like many others; she wanted to be treated equally. She wanted the right to her life. She wanted want freedom.

During the early 1800’s slavery in America was under stiff opposition from abolitionists, men and women such as William Lloyd Garrison and Harriet Beecher Stowe published or wrote prominent anti-slavery essays in periodicals. It was under these conditions that Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs escaped slavery to help the movement with their stirring slavery narratives entitled Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl respectively. Frederick Douglass was well known on the lecture circuit. He, along with other abolitionists, toured around America telling his story by word of mouth; he is known to have been a great orator, a fact that is mirrored in his writings. Harriet Jacobs

Jacobs autobiography which is known by the name of ‘Incidents in a Life of a Slave Girl’ gave a true account of the treatment that black women faced during that time and also throwing some light on a perception which has been kept in shadows from the society. While writing the story of her life, Jacobs though focused on her defeat due to obstacles like race and gender, gave voice to something which was hidden from society regardless of the presence of patriarchal society of the nineteenth century.

Harriet Jacobs's autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861) is a wonderful slave narrative of recounting life experiences before being freed from slavery. Harriet Jacobs better known as "Linda Brent” talks about being born into slavery in 1813 near Edenton, North Carolina. She describes her childhood as being enjoyable with her family until she turned six years old, when her mother passed away. Due to Jacobs’s mother passing away she was then cared for by her mistress Margaret Horniblow. Horniblow taught Linda how to do important life skills such as teaching her to read, write, sew, and caring for herself.

I believe that Douglass’s fighting off Mr. Covey, who was “leasing” Douglass from his owner, was the right thing to do. When Mr. Covey made impossible demands and beat Douglass viciously, Douglass did not initially resort to violence. He first sought the protection of his owner, Thomas Auld. This was a bold and desperate thing to do, since slaves could not challenge the words or actions of a white man without risking

Harriet Jacobs’ gender helped to flesh out the oppressive dimensions of slavery. Rather than slavery being a system of racial dominance, there was an element of gender exploitation utilized in dehumanizing “Linda Brent” and other enslaved women. This is indicative in how Jacob’s family as exemplified through her mother and grandmother would face unique prejudice as indicated by their race and sex. In addition, Dr. Flint’s abusive treatment of Jacobs would further reinforce the patriarchal hierarchy of slavery that would denigrate the likes of Jacobs. Overall, gender only exacerbates the inhumane actions as implicated with rape and sexual abuse.

Both Douglass and Jacobs were inspirational icons for the African-Americans in American history. Their contributions to the abolition of slavery and liberalism of the African-American race in the U.S. are very notable and important too; not only for honor but also important to American literature. They both lived during the period of the Antebellum (1820 - 1865) when the abolition of slave trade was a big issue in the country. At this time, most writers were writing on the subject of slavery. The works of Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave respectively, were narratives of

numerous types of themes. Much of the work concentrates on the underlining ideas beneath the stories. In the narratives, fugitives and ex-slaves appealed to the humanity they shared with their readers during these times, men being lynched and marked all over and women being the subject of grueling rapes. "The slave narrative of Frederick Douglas" and "Harriet Jacobs: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" themes come from the existence of the slaves morality that they are forced compromise to live. Both narrators show slave narratives in the point of view of both "men and women slaves that had to deal with physical, mental, and moral abuse during the times of slavery."