Harriet A. Jacobs (1813–1897)

Hakim Adi's selection of writings about Britain (mainly England) by Black people of the late 18th to the early 20th century is carefully chosen to establish their presence in all strata of society at a date earlier than certain commentators would wish it known. There's a thread showing the development of abolitionism into emancipation into supremacism to justify the continued exploitation of Black Labour, and Adi's selections often strongly resonate with current issues, such as the Windrush show more scandal and the illegal Tory Rwanda deportation policy.

There's also many fascinating glimpses into Georgian and Victorian society and, while varying degrees of racism are noted, many of the impressions of visitors to the island are positive about their reception and of the culture in which they find themselves.

A nuanced and balanced selection of historical testimonies which I thoroughly enjoyed reading, not least the short section on John Ocansey's day trip from Liverpool to my home town of Southport 🏖️ show less

Harriet Jacobs' memoir was the first to describe life as a slave from a female perspective. Other slave narratives had touched upon this, but there had never been a first-hand account. Jacobs' bravery in committing her story to paper was a significant bolstering to the abolitionist movement and won an even broader sympathy from readers.

Hers is a less straightforward telling than that of Frederick Douglass, just as personal but interspersed with essay-like asides that describe more generally show more what the slavery experience entailed for all those she knew. She highlights how physical attractiveness was a boon for white folks but a terrible curse if you were a black slave. It drew undesired attention from her master who was more than thirty years older, the low point of her experience. Some courageous and creative acts of bravery follow this, a path of defiance that few in her shoes would even have thought of. This was the degree of inventiveness required to escape the steel trap that southern laws and their enforcement sought to make all-ecompassing. I found one of the concluding points especially telling, when she contrasts how much worse off a slave is than the poorest of free folk. There's no question she was a very intelligent woman who could have gone far in another life.

Incredibly, between the death of Jacobs in the 1890s and up to the early 1980s, academic opinion was turned against her and dismissed this narrative as a work of fiction by her editor, a white woman. Only the diligent research of Jean Yellin was able to clear this miasma of skepticism in 1987 and restore the recognition that Harriet's true story actually deserves. show less

Unexpectedly, most of this book is about a woman choosing to live in a very tight prison cell for years, in order eventually to escape slavery. The irony is thick, and powerfully telling. Who would go through such an ordeal, if the terror of what they had escaped weren’t even more unbearable?

Though it must have been suspenseful for her to live through, the story of her own confinement—long, suffocating years hidden away—doesn’t carry the suspense of a thriller, since you know from show more the outset that she survives. But it still has a quiet tension. The strain of the ordeal isn’t in the specific details, which are actually pretty blurry. It’s in the waiting and isolation, stretched out beyond imagination. When Jacobs finally reaches freedom, the sense of relief isn’t so much about plot resolution as it is about the loosening of a weight that’s been pressing on every moment. It’s also a validation of her truly incredible endurance.

In some sense, the book is too tied to Jacobs’ own singular story—an enslavement free of the physical tortures that others around her had to bear; an escape that wasn’t overly challenging, at least in its initial steps; a family of enslavers who won’t release her from bondage even when they truly can’t afford not to; children whose lives teeter right before her eyes on the edge between enslavement and freedom. Jacobs does often pause to point out how her experiences mirror those of others under slavery, and those moments are usually powerful. But still this is certainly her story, far unlike any other.

It’s that thread of motherhood that gives the book most of its emotional weight. As I said, you know all along that Jacobs survives and gains her freedom. But what happens to her children isn’t so clear, and you’re always aware of her deep dread at the thought of them falling into enslavement. Every decision she makes seems to be weighed against their survival and safety. That anxiety doesn’t fade even in the moments of triumph, and it keeps the story grounded at a human level rather than in any abstract idea of freedom. show less

I first read Harriet Jacobs' charged narrative as part of an undergraduate course on African American literature. Reading Jacobs' account alongside that of Frederick Douglas was a wonderful experience, and happened to produce a strong bias on my part; after discussing the publication (and editing) history of Douglas' works I came to appreciate Jacobs' novel even more. Her account is unique at the time of its publication because it tells the story of a female slave from her own point of view show more - with no author or editor in the way. Jacobs, educated in her own right and therefore completely capable of producing such an eloquent text, is an extremely effective rhetor. She clearly identifies her audience - white Northern women who may be sympathetic to the abolitionist movements - and uses rhetorical techniques to produce the maximum impact. Jacobs' narrative focuses on many prominent issues, most notably the desire of the slave to remain morally pure and righteous (in a Christian sense) despite the sinful and heathenish demands of their masters, and the heartbreaking plight of the slave mother who must face the uncertainty and sorrow that comes with every auction and sale.

I was very pleased to have the chance to introduce Jacobs' story to my AP English student this semester, and was equally pleased with the charged responses that the text inspired. Jacobs' story - and skillful writing - is always sure to make an impact. show less