What Is Dr. Flint's Poor Treatment?
Poor treatment continues for Jacobs, and she was to the point where she would do anything to escape her master, Dr. Flint. Rumors were going around saying that Dr. Flint was taking advantage of Jacobs, which of course, made the mistress extremely jealous and upset. Jacobs decided to get impregnated by a free white man of whom she was close with in order to make it appear as if her master had impregnated her. It was common for pregnant slaves to be sold away because of the jealous mistress, and Jacobs was hoping the same would happen to her. She hated to do such a thing because she knew it was a sin, but she wanted more than anything to leave Dr. Flint. Unfortunately, this did not work. Dr. Flint refused to let her go, even when she became
pregnant again. She was eventually brought back to work on the plantation, where she began planning how to escape from slavery. Harriet Jacobs could have escaped easily on her own, but now she had two children, and she could not abandon them. Once she finds out that her children were being moved out of her grandmother’s home and onto the plantation in order to “break them in” to slavery, it was the final straw. She decided to act now; she would run away from the plantation. (Jacobs, 82-144).
pregnant again. She was eventually brought back to work on the plantation, where she began planning how to escape from slavery. Harriet Jacobs could have escaped easily on her own, but now she had two children, and she could not abandon them. Once she finds out that her children were being moved out of her grandmother’s home and onto the plantation in order to “break them in” to slavery, it was the final straw. She decided to act now; she would run away from the plantation. (Jacobs, 82-144).