Houseslave, By Harriet Jacobs

Often, when discussing the enslavement of African Americans within American history, we hear the harrowing tales of beatings, chases, and field work which many of these slaves had to face. However, a very little-known perspective is of the houseslave. Due to their lighter skin-tones which placed them in the position, these slaves are often deemed as being the “better-off” of those than those of a darker tone. However, Harriet Jacobs provides a different perspective from this narrative. Jacobs describes the mental and sometimes physical abuse she suffered from her master, and how he granted her freedom for his own satisfactions. This suppression eventually led to her making rash decision within her adulthood in which Jacobs could only describe
“I was so fondly shielded that I never dreamed I was a piece of merchandise, trusted to them for safe keeping, and liable to be demanded of them at any moment.” Due to her childhood, Jacobs was able to learn a sense of freedom and independence that many slaves never experienced. Those moments of freedom would be one which Jacobs would later seek after in her older age. After the death of her Mother and Mistress, Jacobs was put under the care of Dr. Flints daughter, but directly responded to the doctor himself. Although Jacobs was favorited by her master, he would constantly “…remind[ed] me that I belonged to him and swearing by heaven and earth that he would compel me to submit to him.” Dr. Flint could only view Jacobs as a sexual object and therefore treated her a such. However, his unusual attraction to her aloud Jacobs a certain degree of freedom. She was allowed read and write without being punished, but her master would take advantage of the privileges she allotted. “One day he caught me teaching myself to write. He frowned, as if he was not well pleased; but I suppose he came to the conclusion that such an accomplishment might help to advance his favorite scheme.” Her master allowed Jacobs to have a certain degree of freedom [INSERT SOMETHING HERE] Even through the constant threats of her master Jacobs always had the opportunity to have freedom with her well-respected grandmother. However, Jacobs chose to remain silent over these issues as she did not want to alarm her grandmother and cause a scene, for in the past her grandmother had been rumored to have “…once chased a white gentleman with a loaded pistol, because he insulted one of her daughters.” Although Jacobs was a slave she was unable to shake the moments of freedom that were given to her, through individuals such as Dr. Flint