1rocketjk
I finished Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet A. Jacobs. This is an extremely well written and harrowing autobiography of a woman who, born in 1813, grew up a slave in North Carolina. Due to a protective mother and a kind "mistress" who even taught her to read and write, Jacobs as a girl was not even aware that she was a slave. But her mother and mistress died in short order, and in her mistress in her will, "left" Jacobs to her 5-year-old niece. This put Jacobs in the power of the girl's father, who proceeded to sexually harass Jacobs relentlessly. Jacobs refused to submit, and due to highly unusual community status of Jacobs' grandmother (who had long since bought her own freedom), Jacob's tormenter a prominent doctor, had to refrain from force or physical punishment. However, the psychological torment he subjected Jacobs to was horrible enough and remains a constant theme throughout most of Jacob's narrative. In the meantime, a relationship with another white man brings Jacobs two children. And while the father reneges on his promise to free both Jacobs and their children, Jacob's fight to protect her young son and daughter, along with her determination to evade the clutches of her tormentor, create the dominant, determined themes of her story, leading her into desperate sacrifices and risks. Through all this, Jacobs provides a detailed, horrific picture of chattel slavery.
Jacobs' book, published after her eventual escape to the North, became an important document in the abolitionist fight against slavery. Although not the first slave testimony, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was the first widely distributed slave account written by a woman. According to the excellent Introduction in my edition written by Columbia University professor Farah Jasmine Griffin, doubts remained in historical circles about the veracity of Jacobs' account, and even about whether there ever was a Harriet Jacobs, up through the 1980s, when researchers uncovered letters and other documents that proved the existence of Jacobs, and the details of her story, beyond a doubt.
Jacobs' book, published after her eventual escape to the North, became an important document in the abolitionist fight against slavery. Although not the first slave testimony, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was the first widely distributed slave account written by a woman. According to the excellent Introduction in my edition written by Columbia University professor Farah Jasmine Griffin, doubts remained in historical circles about the veracity of Jacobs' account, and even about whether there ever was a Harriet Jacobs, up through the 1980s, when researchers uncovered letters and other documents that proved the existence of Jacobs, and the details of her story, beyond a doubt.
2jztemple
Completed a quick John Tyler: The American Presidents Series: The 10th President, 1841-1845 by Gary May. Though not a deep study it was a good overview look at Tyler and worth the time to read. I picked it up as a Kindle sale item and while I wouldn't pay full price for another, I might pick one up on another sale.
