TOP: Harriet Jacobs. BOTTOM: Title page of "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Primary Sources: Excerpts from Harriet Jacobs' Slave Narrative, Part I
Editor's Note: Harriet Jacobs was born to parents who were slaves in North Carolina in 1813. As a young woman she ran away from her owner and hid in a crawl space in her grandmother’s house for seven years. In 1842, she escaped to the North, where black people were free. Jacobs became a writer and spoke out against slavery. She wrote a book about her own experiences called "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." It was published in 1861. She describes her childhood in the parts of the book below.
"We Were All Slaves"
I was born a slave, but I didn't know it until six years ofhappychildhood had passed. My father was a carpenter and was very good at his job. His strongest wish was to purchase his children from their white owners. Several times my father offered them his hard earnings, but he never succeeded in buying back his children.
My family lived together in a comfortable home. We were all slaves, but I was so shielded that I never dreamed I was something to be bought and sold. I had one brother, William, who was two years younger than me.
My grandmother on my mother's side was a remarkable woman. She was a little girl when she was sold as a slave to the keeper of a large hotel, where she cooked and sewed.
"Her Five Children Were Divided"
After my grandmother's master died, she remained a slave at the hotel. Her five children were divided among her master’s children and the youngest one was sold. His sale was a terrible blow to my grandmother, but she was naturally hopeful. She worked hard and dreamed of saving enough money to one day purchase some of her children from theirowners.
When I was 6 years old, my mother died. For the first time, I learned from the talk around me that I was a slave. My mother’s mistress[owner] was the daughter of my grandmother’s mistress. They played together as children, and, when they became women, my mother was a faithful servant to her whiter foster sister. On my mother's deathbed, her mistress promised my mother that her children should never suffer and shekept her word.
"Happy Days — Too Happy To Last"
My home was now to be with my mother's mistress, and I found it a happy one. No difficult duties were imposed upon me. My mistress was so kind to me that I was always glad to do what she asked. I would sit by her side for hours sewing. When she thought I was tired, she would send me out to run and jump. Away I bounded to gather berries or flowers to decorate her room. Those were happy days—too happy to last.
When I was nearly 12 years old, my kind mistress died. I loved her because she had been almost like a mother to me. I hoped she may have set me free after her death. The will of my mistress was read and although she possessed only a few slaves, we were all distributed among her relatives. She had given me to her sister’s daughter, a child of 5 years old.
"My Pen Is So Weak!"
I once saw two beautiful children playing together. One was a pretty white child, and the other was her slave. I saw them embracing each other and heard their joyous laughter. I knew the pretty white child would grow up to be a beautiful woman.Her path in life was blooming with flowers beneath a sunny sky.
Her slave sister also was very beautiful, but flowers and sunshine were not for her. Her path in life would not be lovely, because of the color of her skin.
Free men and women of the North, why are you silent about these things? I wish I did not have to be! My heart is so full, and my pen is so weak!
Portions of "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," written by Harriet A. Jacobs and Lydia Maria Francis Child [editor]. Boston: Published for the Author, 1861.
Article found at Newsela.com