Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself

Harriet Jacobs (1813 - 1897)

Harriet Jacobs' autobiography, written under the pseudonym Linda Brent, details her experiences as a slave in North Carolina, her escape to freedom in the north, and her ensuing struggles to free her children. The narrative was partly serialized in the New York Tribune, but was discontinued because Jacobs' depictions of the sexual abuse of female slaves were considered too shocking. It was published in book form in 1861. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett).

Genre(s): Memoirs

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Introduction Elizabeth Klett
00:06:20
Play 01 Childhood Elizabeth Klett
00:08:52
Play 02 The New Master and Mistress Elizabeth Klett
00:13:19
Play 03 The Slaves’ New Year’s Day Elizabeth Klett
00:04:48
Play 04 The Slave Who Dared to Feel Like a Man Elizabeth Klett
00:24:10
Play 05 The Trials of Girlhood Elizabeth Klett
00:08:29
Play 06 The Jealous Mistress Elizabeth Klett
00:14:30
Play 07 The Lover Elizabeth Klett
00:15:06
Play 08 What Slaves Are Taught to Think of the North Elizabeth Klett
00:05:48
Play 09 Sketches of Neighboring Slaveholders Elizabeth Klett
00:17:52
Play 10 A Perilous Passage in the Slave Girl’s Life Elizabeth Klett
00:13:08
Play 11 A New Tie to Life Elizabeth Klett
00:11:29
Play 12 Fear of Insurrection Elizabeth Klett
00:11:44
Play 13 The Church and Slavery Elizabeth Klett
00:18:30
Play 14 Another Link to Life Elizabeth Klett
00:08:00
Play 15 Continued Persecutions Elizabeth Klett
00:14:08
Play 16 Scenes at the Plantation Elizabeth Klett
00:21:40
Play 17 The Flight Elizabeth Klett
00:07:12
Play 18 Months of Peril Elizabeth Klett
00:16:22
Play 19 The Children Sold Elizabeth Klett
00:11:27
Play 20 New Perils Elizabeth Klett
00:09:24
Play 21 The Loophole of Retreat Elizabeth Klett
00:09:46
Play 22 Christmas Festivities Elizabeth Klett
00:05:16
Play 23 Still in Prison Elizabeth Klett
00:09:24
Play 24 The Candidate for Congress Elizabeth Klett
00:06:24
Play 25 Competition in Cunning Elizabeth Klett
00:11:22
Play 26 Important Era in my Brother’s Life Elizabeth Klett
00:09:42
Play 27 New Destination for the Children Elizabeth Klett
00:15:38
Play 28 Aunt Nancy Elizabeth Klett
00:11:42
Play 29 Preparations for Escape Elizabeth Klett
00:19:12
Play 30 Northward Bound Elizabeth Klett
00:07:12
Play 31 Incidents in Philadelphia Elizabeth Klett
00:10:23
Play 32 The Meeting of Mother and Daughter Elizabeth Klett
00:08:02
Play 33 A Home Found Elizabeth Klett
00:06:28
Play 34 The Old Enemy Again Elizabeth Klett
00:08:26
Play 35 Prejudice Against Color Elizabeth Klett
00:05:41
Play 36 The Hairsbreadth Escape Elizabeth Klett
00:11:01
Play 37 A Visit to England Elizabeth Klett
00:06:19
Play 38 Renewed Invitations to Go South Elizabeth Klett
00:04:46
Play 39 The Confession Elizabeth Klett
00:04:31
Play 40 The Fugitive Slave Law Elizabeth Klett
00:12:06
Play 41 Free At Last Elizabeth Klett
00:16:00
Play 42 Appendix Elizabeth Klett
00:05:10