Harriet Jacobs wrote one of the most read Slave Narratives of all-time, as she recollects her childhood, coming of age and escape from the licentious condition she found herself in.
Much like Frederick Douglas, she hardly knew that she was a slave for the first seven years of her life. Her Grandmother was freed later in life, having been purchased at auction for $50 by the sister of her mistress master. She was freed by the will of her mistress, but her son in law, declared her estate insolvent and stated that in this condition, she could not be freed, but would rather have to be sold. The grandmother may have been able to purchase her own freedom, except that the money she had earned late night by baking and selling her well-known crackers, pastries and other treats were loaned to her mistress master. having died "insolvent" she was denied her rightful payment.
In truth Harriet's grandmother was raising the money to purchase the freedom of one or more of her children, which was her dream.
Harriet suffered many cruel blows of life, soon after she found out that she was a slave. Her mother and father died. At the time her father died, he was laying in state a mere mile from where she was held in bondage, but she was denied the opportunity to visit his body, for there was a party she needed to prepare for in her slave master's house.
Although Harriet was kept from the field, she suffered equal indignities, if not privations as a slave. In her account, she narrates how she could read and write. Her father, mother and grandmother were dignified and principled as well as god fearing, all of which were blessings indeed, yet, in terms of their bondage, made them very acutely aware of their servile and unjustifiable positions against the will of God and the morality of man.
As many slaves remark, slavery does as much to harm the slaveholder as the slave. The slavemaster, with their principles corrupted, no check on their powers and being surrounded by cruelty, often are debased and perverted monstrosities beyond the devils own creation.
Harriet recounts time and again, how god-fearing, pious, and charitible members of the southern society beat, cuff, whip, stomp and kill their slaves for the slightest and most meager of insults.
Harriet recounts how in one household, the mistress would stand by the door, if the food was not served to her liking, or it were late, and then she would go around in the kitchen spitting in all of the pots and pans and plates of food, so that the slaves could not partake of any leftovers.
Her husband, flattering himself an epicure, would force the cook to eat every last morsel of the food made, as he crammed it down her throat nearly chocking her, and stuffing her to a near bursting point, if he did not find the food to his liking.
Her narrative recounts dozens of horrendous scenes, where slaves are beaten until their backs a a solid clot of blood, or they are strung up just above the ground for hours, or days. or shot, dismembered, and the like.
But the real difference between Harriet's narrative and most others is that it is written by a woman, and she uncovers the rancid underbelly of miscengation. As she tells it, there is nary a slave owner who does not father multiple children from his slaves. Often, the mother and child are soon sold either when the babe is still nursing, or when the child gets older and it is obvious that the father is white. As she tells it, many slaveowners see this as a way to fulfill two foul purposes. they can both increase their "stocks" and satisfy their lustful urges. In almost all cases, their wives know of the conduct of their husbands, but they can hardly stop it. Instead of feeling pity for the slave, the slave woman is beaten and sexually abused by the master, and an object of jealousy, scorn and hatred by the mistress. the legitimate children of such a union invariably find out or figure out what has occured, either by seeing the light complexioned children, or hearing their parents bickering and quarreling. In such a way, the entire household of the slaveholder is corrupt, unhappy, bereft and hellish.
Harriet told of one case, where the legitimate daughter of the slaveowner, picked the most foul, brutish and incorrigible slave on the entire plantation to sire her own child as a way to get back at her father. Her father, upon seeing the dark complexion of the child sent for the slave to be killed, but his daughter, anticipating his reaction, had made out free papers for the slave and provided him with money to make his way north.
If not for the upbringing, strong will and almost incorruptible nature of Harriet Jacobs, the sting and power of her narrative would hardly come through, but from such a perch, she exactingly details the faults, flaws and horrors as well as consequences of the slave system, while condemning the free north, for not interfering, or doing more to end such a vile system.
Much of the story involves her struggles with her master, who despite the presence and objections of his wife, continued to attempt to corrupt and coerce Harriet into an illicit sexual relationship. He had previously had 11 children by slave women, and each of the women, after 1 or 2 children, had been sent, with his offspring to be sold at auction.
In was in this desperate situation, that Harriet soon fell to the advances of another white man, had a child and then, in her foul predicament, steeled herself for her escape to freedom.
harriet jacobs spent seven years in a space above her grandmothers house, between the roof and cieling, no more than 3 feet high at it's highest point, and 9 feet long by 7 feet wide, for more than 7 years, through freezing winters, tortuously hot summers, driving rains, and all manner of inclement weather. the shingles were loose, such that she had very little shelter. yet, it could not be risked that the shingles be replaced for fear of discovery.
a few years into her hiding, the father of her children, a white lawyer, contrived with a slave trader to buy Harriet's children and brother. Her master was desperate for money, having made several trips to new york looking for Harriet and other expenses. later, he tried to condition the trader to not sell the children or brother within 1000 miles of town. the slave trader said that he was too late. the trader, although engaged in the traffic of humans, did this without even so much as a tariff, for he comprehended the sitation and needfulness of the arrangement.
yet, there was a loophole. harriet and her chldren were the legal property of Mr. flynt's daughter, so he stated that the trade was not legal, seeng as the actual owner had no ability to consent to the arrangement. This was the same excuse given to harriet when she had begged to be sold out of his clutches.
in truth rarely in fact or fiction was there a more evil, jealous or persecuting would be lover, than dr. flynt.
later, the father of harriet's children was elected to congress, and her daughter sent north with his new wife's sister. harriet's freed brother also moved north. so at this point, her brother, uncle, grandmother and daughter were all free. all that remained was for harriet and her son to attain freedom.
it was seven years before an opportunity presented itself for her escape. SEVEN YEARS. In this day and age, society reels when they hear about abducted children being held for weeks, or months, by some depraved, sick, twisted, sadistic monster. Such as the condition of every slave in the south. Regardless of circumstance, they were held for the bidding, as animals, for the "wealth" and "pleasure" of others. What type of wealth is this? what type of pleasure is this? And to think of what type of societal condition needs to be in effect, for a woman to hold herself in bondage, in a tight space, in face of all the elements, not speaking to her own children, who dwell in the same house, for seven years? America's Most Wanted, had nothing on slaves. Harriet emerged from her harrowing ordeal with a body was crippled and damaged from so many years, and such horrible treatment. but she steeled herself for her quest to freedom, vowing to have her son brought to her.
Similar to frederick douglas who paid his master for his freedom after he escaped from slavery. harriet jacobs, though offered payment by her grandmother refused on moral grounds to pay anyone for her rightful freedom until after the fugitive slave law took effect, and rendered her forever, within the confines of the United States, the property of her mistress. Her mistress grew and married, and her and her husband came to New York, seeking Harriet and the money that could be made on her if she were sold. They accepted $300 for free papers on Harriet's behalf, thinking better to have the low payment in hand, than nothing to show for their efforts. In this day and age, where "morality" and "ethics" for many come only at the cost of convenience, one may wonder why a slave would runaway and then pay their master for freedom, yet, after the fugitive slave law of 1850 such was the level of paranoia and fear for all runaway slaves. Regardless of how far north they got. ironically, boston in those times was seen as the best place for a slave, as seen in the case of anthony burns, the citizenry were willing to raise arms against the government itself to protect the liberty of a black man or woman, whether born naturally free, or escaped bondsmen.
fear of whites, if the queen of england had lived in harriet's situation, and still had her education and intelligence and humane feelings, i doubt this narrative would have, or indeed could have diverted by a single word. as opposed to slave narratives of those who have toiled as dogs in the dirt, her experience picks up on the myriad various ways and trifling indignities, heaped one upon the other, along with threats of death and physical desstruction and indignities, as well as horrid contortions of personality and uncontrolled anger and sadism focused upon bondsmen and women, by christian masters and mistresses. yes, i say, "christian" in hypocrisy. another wonderful aspect of slave narratives is to hear of the god fearing sadistic masters, which exemplify more deeply and resonantly the qualities of true christianity. the truth of black religion is that god is closer, more full, more at home in the bosom of the slave/martyr, than anyone who stands by idly as slavery, discrimination, and evil infests their community it is truly amazing how horrid and immoral the slaveholder becomes. such lies, deception, selfishness, unfeeling hipocrisy. and all the whie slaves are continually accused of ingratitude, ignorance, laziness, stupidity, immorality, deception and unthankfulness.
yet, having been a slave, harriet is not content to be simply "free", she demands her rights, time and time again with dignity. had she been born in the U.S. in 1990, she would be no less accepting of even the slightest indignation based upon race. her poise and firmness is a beauty to behold, an inspiration and on the verge of spirituality. harldy is she "free" having made her way to new york. she is constantly under threat due to the fugitive slave law. and all the white, "dr. flynt" continually, in childish manipulations and lies and false promises in his letters to continually attempt to lure harriet back into slavey with promise of "freedom" love, tears and kind treatment. always, their motivation for her return is not pecuniary, rather out of love and tender affections...
in chapter 37 she contrast the condition of poor whites with slaves and does a beautiful job of explicating the power of freedom, ending her exposition by saying, that although the condition of the peasant was a thousand times better than the condition of slaves, she would not dare to describe the condition of the peasant in the same rosy manner that southern slaveholders describe the conditions of their slaves. throughout this tale the absurdity of one person owning another is increasingly bizarre and absurd. how this system was allowed to take root and persist and become the very backbone of this nation for 250 years is one of the great mysteries and most expositionary horrors of the depth and pit of man.
and on top of all of this, there is the other bright gem of this narrative, which is the power of her words, which have stood the test of time, as well as the power and determination of ms. jacobs and skill of her pen in exhibiting her words as a mighty stroke against the system of slavery. she writes to inteligent moral beings, not caring to justify her position, her perspective or her actions. knowing full well, the abilities and capacity of man to understand the most basic of human feeling and understanding. she is incredibly respectful of her readers, as are all slave narratives. such feeling and understanding of the most noble qualities of humanity can always be found within authors of the subjugated race.
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