Harriet Jacobs

The condition of women under slavery could be doubly cruel. They were held in bondage not only for their labor but also, frequently, for their use as sexual servants. Many mulatto children were born to southern slaveowners, who had no legal obligation to recognize them as their own and who frequently sold them to avoid any further trouble.

Born in Edenton, North Carolina, in 1813, Harriet Jacobs was sold at the age of twelve to Dr. James Norcom. In 1834, and after teaching herself to read and write, she escaped to Philadelphia. After moving to New York, she set down her memories of her life as a slave. Her straightforward description of bad treatment at the hands of Dr. Norcom (whose name she changed to Dr. Flint) scandalized the northern public while appearing in serial form in the New York...