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Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

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Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Jacobs, Harriet
Mroz, Jessica
March 23, 2011 Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Barnes & Noble, Inc. 2005). 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. The female slaves seemed to have the most difficulties while in slavery. Harriet Jacobs says “My master met at every turn, reminding me that I belonged to him, and swearing by heaven and earth that he would compel me to submit to him” (35). I interpreted this as a grown man trying to get a 12 year old girl to have sexual relations with him. I know that this was common in the years of the slavery but it was really not a good thing. I feel that it is disgusting and wrong and do not understand how people thought it was okay just because the girl was black. Black slaves were not able to legally marry because they were considered a piece of property. In the book Jacobs had a guy that she was in love and she asked permission to marry him and it was denied. She says, “My lover was an intelligent and religious man. Even if he could obtain permission

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