Jacobs

For decades, slavery had taken place in America. In the Antebellum South, slavery was most common. There in the South, African Americans endured the harshest punishments under their cruel white masters. In the narrative titled Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written by Harriet Jacobs, the main character and narrator, Linda, shares her own experiences growing up a female slave in the Antebellum South. The narrator tells her journey of being a slave and living amongst her enslaved family, to having and raising her children, to escaping and earning her freedom. It goes without saying that white people maintained strict dominance over their slaves. The masters and mistresses kept this dominance through America’s laws, their cunning lies and manipulation, and by physical punishment and abuse.

In America, the North had abolished the practices of slavery, even though they still enforced the Fugitive Slave Law. However, in the South, slavery was one of the most common practices for white families and one of the main producers of cotton and other goods. Linda, who is the main character and narrator in this story, was born a slave because the rest of her family was enslaved. Once she was old enough, she partook in the work that her master had given her. On January 1st of every year, slaves are “auctioned off” and are bought and sold to their new masters; this day is known as “Hiring-day”. Some masters buy and keep their slaves that they have had previously. If a slave refuses to go with his or her new master, they are put into jail. Since these people are bought, the masters have the right to do whatever it is to them as they please. For female slaves, and in Linda’s case, her master Mr. Flint wanted her to have his child. In the S...

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Not all plantations and slaveholders resorted to this kind of behavior and action towards their slaves. But the ones who did took full advantage of such physical abuse and murder in order to keep their authority and so their slaves know what will happen to them if they misbehave, do not do what they are told, or cross their master.

By following America’s laws in the south and north, using cunning lies and manipulation, and by physical punishment and abuse, the masters and mistresses were able to keep their dominance over their slaves. Slaves did not have any leniency and were not able to get away with much, if anything at all. Harriet Jacobs, or Linda in the story, took the biggest risk of her life by running away so she would be able to take care of her children and live a free life. She was born a slave, and it took her over twenty years to finally escape it.