From what I understand, even under southern state chattel slavery laws Harriet Jacobs should never have been enslaved in the first place, as her grandmother had been freed and thus her descendants should have been free. Also, I'm not sure it could be said that Harriet's relationship was entirely consensual. As she describes, the only way she could see to counteract her master's advances was by accepting the advances of another powerful white man in the community, and the necessity of the relationship was clearly a source of grief and shame to her.
You’re 100% correct about the consent question. I almost modified that in my original draft. It’s hard to speak about consent in the context of such coercion and duress. I opted for the way I expressed it to contrast the situation with that of her master, but I think you’re closer to the truth there. It’s possible Jacobs should have been free but the law, as she describes it, certainly seems to have been on the side of her master.
A further point on the legality issue. Jacobs’s own grandmother assumed she had to purchase her grandchildren’s freedom but wasn’t able because she was essentially robbed of her savings by the white family to which her children were attached. She mentions that early in the book.
Jacob's account was unclear about when her grandmother was freed. It was outside sources that indicate that her grandmother had been emancipated, before the birth of her children. Bu on further research, it seems there was a nasty twist to that liberation. From the New Bedford Historical Society:
"Her maternal grandmother, Molly Horniblow, was emancipated by her mistress during the American Revolution, sold back into slavery as a prize of war, and was re-emancipated in 1828."
My kids (16, 15 yr old) and I loved Frederick Douglass' book. We read it in late 2023. I think it should be in high school curriculum around the country as required reading. I'm off to see if Jacob's book is at the local library..... !
Hey Joel,
My interview with the Pulitzer winning biographer of Frederick Douglass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHflpxDG-Ow&t=2540s
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m eager to watch that. I’ve got the book but haven’t read it yet.
From what I understand, even under southern state chattel slavery laws Harriet Jacobs should never have been enslaved in the first place, as her grandmother had been freed and thus her descendants should have been free. Also, I'm not sure it could be said that Harriet's relationship was entirely consensual. As she describes, the only way she could see to counteract her master's advances was by accepting the advances of another powerful white man in the community, and the necessity of the relationship was clearly a source of grief and shame to her.
You’re 100% correct about the consent question. I almost modified that in my original draft. It’s hard to speak about consent in the context of such coercion and duress. I opted for the way I expressed it to contrast the situation with that of her master, but I think you’re closer to the truth there. It’s possible Jacobs should have been free but the law, as she describes it, certainly seems to have been on the side of her master.
A further point on the legality issue. Jacobs’s own grandmother assumed she had to purchase her grandchildren’s freedom but wasn’t able because she was essentially robbed of her savings by the white family to which her children were attached. She mentions that early in the book.
Jacob's account was unclear about when her grandmother was freed. It was outside sources that indicate that her grandmother had been emancipated, before the birth of her children. Bu on further research, it seems there was a nasty twist to that liberation. From the New Bedford Historical Society:
"Her maternal grandmother, Molly Horniblow, was emancipated by her mistress during the American Revolution, sold back into slavery as a prize of war, and was re-emancipated in 1828."
https://nbhistoricalsociety.org/portfolio-item/harriet-jacobs-writer/
So her grandmother had been legally freed, but that was disregarded, using the fog of war as a cover.
Fascinating. Thanks for the extra info.
I have the Douglass book on my shelf and hope to get to it sometime this year. Thanks for the interesting overview of these two important figures.
My pleasure. They’re both worth the time. Excellent.
My kids (16, 15 yr old) and I loved Frederick Douglass' book. We read it in late 2023. I think it should be in high school curriculum around the country as required reading. I'm off to see if Jacob's book is at the local library..... !
I read these both last year, and was tremendously moved by them. Glad to hear your thoughts here on them.