Up from Slavery
The Slave Narratives The characteristics: First hand accounts Written or recorded by slaves Tales of journeys from enslavement in the south to freedom in the north Detailed records of the physical and mental oppression
Slave Narratives The majority of the narratives were written during the Civil War. Anti-slavery newspapers and journals published the narratives. The narratives are historical documents that chronicle the perils of slavery. Some of the narratives are autobiographical tales that are still in existence.
Slave Narratives Cont. The slave narratives mark the beginning of the African American Literary Movement in the US.
Frederick Douglass ( ) One of the best-known author’s of the slave narratives. His autobiography was published in 1845 and titled Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland.
Douglass cont. He was never sure of exact age. He didn’t receive any formal education, but he did teach himself to read and write. The people that he worked for were instrumental in helping him learn. At 21 years old he escaped to Massachusettes.
Douglass Cont. While in Massachusetts, Douglass got married and began speaking out against slavery. His speeches supported abolitionist principles. He went to England to escape possible persecution for being a fugitive. In England he won support for the anti- slavery movement and some friends purchased his freedom.
Douglass continued again! In 1847 when Douglass founded a newspaper called The North Star. The name was chosen because escaped slaves used the North Star as a guide to freedom in the north. In 1855 Douglass published a revised version of his autobiography called My Bondage my Freedom.
His narratives were widely read and beneficial to the abolitionist cause. After the Civil War he advocated for education as a means to rehabilitate scarred people. He is admired today for the eloquence of his writing style.
Harriet A. Jacobs ( ) Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery in Edenton, NC. She was an orphan by the age of six. She was trained to be a house servant by her mistress. She was taught how to read and write. When her mistress died she was willed to niece of her mistress.
Jacob’s Cont. Her life was difficult when she moved into the home of James Norcom. He subjected her to abuse and repeated harassment. When she would refuse his advances, he sent her to the field to do hard labor as a plantation slave. She was separated from her young children for about seven years.
Jacobs Cont. She escaped and found shelter with friends. In her grandmother’s house in Edenton, she hid for seven years in the crawl space. She watched her children grow from a distance because Norcom sold them and they were living with her grandmother. In 1842, Jacobs escaped to New York where she was reunited with her children.
In 1852 she finally gained her freedom after living as a fugitive for ten years. She began writing her story in 1853 and published it herself in She used the pen name Linda Brent. She worked tirelessly to relieve the suffering and poverty of other slaves.
Review Study notes on Frederick Douglass Harriet Jacobs Review vocabulary on pg. 415 (also include diction and purpose) Review vocabulary on pg. 425 (also include style and dialect) Review questions on Equiano (sheet and vocabulary) Test will be on Friday