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

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Harriet Ann Jacobs. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself

Preface By The Author

Introduction By The Editor

I. Childhood

II. The New Master And Mistress

III. The Slaves' New Year's Day

IV. The Slave Who Dared To Feel Like A Man

V. The Trials Of Girlhood

VI. The Jealous Mistress

VII. The Lover

VIII. What Slaves Are Taught To Think Of The North

IX. Sketches Of Neighboring Slaveholders

X. A Perilous Passage In The Slave Girl's Life

XI. The New Tie To Life

XII. Fear Of Insurrection

XIII. The Church And Slavery

XIV. Another Link To Life

XV. Continued Persecutions

XVI. Scenes At The Plantation

XVII. The Flight

XVIII. Months Of Peril

XIX. The Children Sold

XX. New Perils

XXI. The Loophole Of Retreat

XXII. Christmas Festivities

XXIII. Still In Prison

XXIV. The Candidate For Congress

XXV. Competition In Cunning

XXVI. Important Era In My Brother's Life

XXVII. New Destination For The Children

XXVIII. Aunt Nancy

XXIX. Preparations For Escape

XXX. Northward Bound

XXXI. Incidents In Philadelphia

XXXII. The Meeting Of Mother And Daughter

XXXIII. A Home Found

XXXIV. The Old Enemy Again

XXXV. Prejudice Against Color

XXXVI. The Hairbreadth Escape

XXXVII. A Visit To England

XXXVIII. Renewed Invitations To Go South

XXXIX. The Confession

XL. The Fugitive Slave Law

XLI. Free At Last

APPENDIX

Отрывок из книги

The author of the following autobiography is personally known to me, and her conversation and manners inspire me with confidence. During the last seventeen years, she has lived the greater part of the time with a distinguished family in New York, and has so deported herself as to be highly esteemed by them. This fact is sufficient, without further credentials of her character. I believe those who know her will not be disposed to doubt her veracity, though some incidents in her story are more romantic than fiction.

At her request, I have revised her manuscript; but such changes as I have made have been mainly for purposes of condensation and orderly arrangement. I have not added any thing to the incidents, or changed the import of her very pertinent remarks. With trifling exceptions, both the ideas and the language are her own. I pruned excrescences a little, but otherwise I had no reason for changing her lively and dramatic way of telling her own story. The names of both persons and places are known to me; but for good reasons I suppress them.

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It is not necessary to state how he made his escape. Suffice it to say, he was on his way to New York when a violent storm overtook the vessel. The captain said he must put into the nearest port. This alarmed Benjamin, who was aware that he would be advertised in every port near his own town. His embarrassment was noticed by the captain. To port they went. There the advertisement met the captain's eye. Benjamin so exactly answered its description, that the captain laid hold on him, and bound him in chains. The storm passed, and they proceeded to New York. Before reaching that port Benjamin managed to get off his chains and throw them overboard. He escaped from the vessel, but was pursued, captured, and carried back to his master.

When my grandmother returned home and found her youngest child had fled, great was her sorrow; but, with characteristic piety, she said, "God's will be done." Each morning, she inquired if any news had been heard from her boy. Yes, news was heard. The master was rejoicing over a letter, announcing the capture of his human chattel.

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