Linda Brent

The true story of an individual's struggle for self-identity, self-preservation, and freedom, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl remains among the few extant slave narratives written by a woman. This autobiographical account chronicles the remarkable odyssey of Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897) whose dauntless spirit and faith carried her from a life of servitude and degradation in North Carolina to liberty and reunion with her children in the North.Written and published in 1861 after Jacobs' harrowing escape from a vile and predatory master, the memoir delivers a powerful and unflinching portrayal of the abuses and hypocrisy of the master-slave relationship. Jacobs writes frankly of the horrors she suffered as a slave, her eventual escape after several unsuccessful attempts, and her seven years in self-imposed exile, hiding in a coffin-like "garret" attached to her grandmother's porch.A rare firsthand account of a courageous woman's determination and endurance, this inspirational story also represents a valuable historical record of the continuing battle for freedom and the preservation of family.

(Written by Herself)

Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is the Autobiographical account of Harriet Jacobs published in 1861. This stunning look at the struggles and hardship of women under slavery and how they are so much worse than the men face. Pressured to have sex at a early age, rape, selling of their children and their mistreatment at the hands of their mistresses. "Northerners know nothing at all about Slavery. They think it is perpetual bondage only. They have no conception of the depth of degradation involved in that word, SLAVERY; if they had, they would never cease their efforts until so horrible a system was overthrown." This narrative contains some incidents so extraordinary, that, doubtless, many persons, under whose eyes it may chance to fall, will be ready to believe that it is colored highly, to serve a special purpose. But, however it may be regarded by the incredulous, I know that it is full of living truths. I have been well acquainted with the author from my boyhood. The circumstances recounted in her history are perfectly familiar to me. I knew of her treatment from her master; of the imprisonment of her children; of their sale and redemption; of her seven years' concealment; and of her subsequent escape to the North. I am now a resident of Boston, and am a living witness to the truth of this interesting narrative. George W. Lowther.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

The tragic and uplifting story of Linda Brent, who was born into slavery. 'I was born a slave; but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away. My father was a carpenter, and considered so intelligent and skilful in his trade, that, when buildings out of the common line were to be erected, he was sent for from long distances, to be head workman. On condition of paying his mistress two hundred dollars a year, and supporting himself, he was allowed to work at his trade, and manage his own affairs. His strongest wish was to purchase his children; but, though he several times offered his hard earnings for that purpose, he never succeeded'. American Slave Series

The True Story of a Woman Born a Slave

Harriet Jacobs

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Written by Herself - Harriet Ann Jacobs aka Linda Brent - A True Story of American Slavery - Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is a slave narrative that was published in 1861 by Harriet Ann Jacobs, using the pen name "Linda Brent." The book is an in-depth chronological account of Jacobs's life as a slave, and the decisions and choices she made to gain freedom for herself and her children. It addresses the struggles and sexual abuse that young women slaves faced on the plantations, and how these struggles were harsher than what men suffered as slaves. The book is considered sentimental and written to provoke an emotional response and sympathy from the reader toward slavery in general and slave women in particular for their struggles, with rape, the pressure to have sex at an early age, the selling of their children, and the treatment of female slaves by their mistresses. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiography by a young mother and fugitive slave published in 1861 by L. Maria Childs, who bravely and generously edited the book for its author, Harriet Ann Jacobs, who used the pseudonym Linda Brent. The book documents Jacobs' life as a slave and how she gained freedom for herself and, later, for her children. In her unique demonstration of a sophisticated reading of the literature of her day, Jacobs contributed significantly to the genre of slave narrative by astutely weaving methods common in sentimental novels "to address race and gender issues." Specifically, she explores the struggles and sexual abuse that female slaves faced on plantations and generally in slavery, as well as their efforts to practice motherhood and protect their children within slavery's constraints, where their children might be sold away. In the text, Jacobs makes it clear that she is speaking to White women in the North who do not fully comprehend the evils of slavery. She makes direct appeals to their humanity and although she states that she's not seeking sympathy for herself, it is apparent that she is hoping to expand their knowledge and influence their sentiments about slavery as an institution. Throughout the text there is an evident tension of wanting readers to be able to relate while simultaneously acknowledging that a complete understanding is ultimately impossible for those who have never been enslaved.

An Autobiography of a Fugitive Slave

Henry Bibb

Kate Drumgoold

Autoibiographies of three pre-Civil War African-American slaves."Northerners know nothing at all about Slavery. They think it is perpetual bondage only. They have no conception of the depth of degradation involved in that word, slavery; if they had, they would never cease their efforts until so horrible a system was overthrown."

Autobiographies of Three American Slaves

Life Under Slavery

Frederick Douglass

Solomon Northup

Booker T. Washington,

 Louis Hughes

“Stories of Slavery and Liberation” is collection of narratives of slaves and works of famous writers on the struggle for liberation from slavery. Undoubtedly, the “narrative of slaves” is a documentary source that reveals from the inside through the eyes of slaves all aspects of their life, often hidden from slave owners.

Linda Brent

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