ALTHOUGH NOT EXACTLY THE SAME ASSIGNMENT AS YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN THIS TERM, THIS PAPER, A DOCUMENT ANALYSIS FROM AN HST202 COURSE IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN “A” PAPER.

A Historical Analysis of

“Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”

by Harriet Jacobs

At the time it was published in 1861, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” was only one of the many slave narratives that fanned the flames of the abolitionist movement. Jacob’s story was unique as it addressed a fact of life for many household slaves that had not previously been openly discussed: the sexual abuse suffered at the hands of their white masters.

Harriet’s story goes into detail about the circumstances of her life in slavery, particularly her Master, Dr.Flint’s sexual advances and the great lengths to which she went to avoid him. She relates the fear of having her every movement watched, by both her Mistress and Master. The Mistress watched her with jealousy and hatred, knowing the truth of her husband’s rape and abuse of the slaves of the house. Harriet reports that her Master fathered 11 slave children that she knew of. Generally, after the slave woman’s pregnancy became obvious, he would sell them of at auction to be rid of them. Harriet was absolutely determined to escape the fate that so many others before her lived.

The story of her escape is an amazing account of perseverance and hope. She lived in a tiny, airless space, unable to stand up, in utter darkness, freezing in winter and broiling in summer, for nearly seven years to finally win her freedom. After she was smuggled to New York, she worked as a servant in the home of the Willis. She was no longer treated like a slave, but as a person with a life and thoughts of her own. In 1852, Mrs. Willis bought her freedom from the descendants of Dr. and Mrs. Flint, who were still trying to recapture her and return her to slavery; an attempt which was made legal by the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Of her freedom, Jacobs writes: “I well know the value of a piece of paper: but much as I love freedom, I do not like to look upon it. I am deeply grateful to the generous friend who procured it, but I despise the miscreant who demanded payment for what never rightfully belonged to him or his.”(Heath Anthology 859)

Jacobs’s narrative joined several other slave narratives to give another perspective on life in slavery. Until Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, there were few if any slave narratives by women. A black man, though it was rare, could win his freedom and go on to write; but with the limited opportunities for all women of that time, it was far less likely that a slave woman would find the freedom to write. Harriet Jacobs’s story was the first to deal directly with the sexual abuse suffered by slaves at the hands of their Masters, and their Mistresses who either looked the other way or blamed the slaves for tempting the men.

As with all personal histories, there is a question of the historical value, as they are almost inevitably biased to the views of the author. In the Heath Anthology introduction to Jacobs’s story, Jean Fagan Yellin, a historian with Pace University writes: “Both the preface that Jacobs signed and the introduction her editor Lydia Maria Child supplied make clear that Incidents was written for an audience of free white women and that its purpose was to involve these women in political action against the institution of chattel slavery.” (Heath Anthology 842) According to the letters she wrote at the time, Jacobs’s motivation for writing the story for publication was to influence and gain more support for the abolitionist movement.(Heath Anthology 842)

It wouldn’t be fair or just to say that any life history that is put on paper with a purpose beyond mere sharing is too biased to be relied upon for historical accuracy. At its core, the study of history is the study of human perspective on various events. So the question becomes: Did Harriet Jacobs change her “true story” to fit the needs of the abolitionist community?

The sophistication of some of the language in the story suggests that she had a great deal of help in the writing of it. For example, she relates that as a teenager, she was teaching herself to read and write. Yet, in her story she writes “Finding her expostulation unavailing, she sent Ellen to entreat me.” (Heath Anthology 858) This is the language of a well educated person, not a slave girl that taught herself to read and write. Even if she had received education later in life from a friend or employer, it seems unlikely that she would come up with such language on her own. Yet it is presented as hers, which raises the question of how much outside influence was exerted on the story itself.

On the other hand, she doesn’t shy away from her happy childhood as a slave, nor does she claim to have been beaten or treated ill. She writes “I had always been kindly treated, and tenderly cared for, until I came into the hands of Dr. Flint. I had never wished for freedom till then. But though my life in slavery was comparatively devoid of hardships, God pity the woman who is compelled to live such a life.” (Heath Anthology 853) Her story focuses on the sexual harassment, sexual abuse and the tribulations of her escape. Ashamed as she was of some of the choices she made to escape the clutches of Dr. Flint and eventually win her freedom, she was reluctant to write her story for publication.

Although all historical information is filtered through the values and motives of those doing the telling, some of the sources will be less biased than others. Harriet Jacobs’s story was shocking at the time because while it was well known that slaves were used sexually, and even bred for more slaves, (whom their father/masters often had no qualms about selling off) it had not been written about in such a personal way. As her readers are drawn into her story, they feel her fear and rage and helplessness-- and ultimately her determination to get out, whatever the cost.

As eloquently as it was written, it’s likely that she had some help with the structure and wording. Ultimately though, Harriet Jacobs’s story is probably as true as any story can be that was written by the one who lived through it. For the story to be acceptable for publication and effective at garnering sympathy, it would have to be written so the audience could relate to the language. Therefore any help that she had in the writing is understandable, and was necessary to assure it would be accepted.

Cite Sources:

Jacobs, Harriet. excerpts from “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” in the Heath Anthology of

American Literature, ed. Paul Lautner (Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company,

2004) 841-60.