Harriett Jacobs was an African American writer who escaped from slavery and was later
freed; she became an abolitionist speaker and reformer. Abolition was a movement to end
slavery. This book has a huge impact on readers because this writing could have shocked
readers. In this book there were two types of abuse physical abuse and mental abuse the mental
abuse was when they would do things like not allow the slaves to go believe in their religious
beliefs, physical was things like sexual abuse; however the thing that shocked readers most in the
book was all the talk about abuse based on the color of their skin.
First, this writing shocked readers because not many people understand quite how bad it
actually was for slaves especially …show more content…
This is a huge
equality problem and in my eyes that is very wrong not only are they discriminating against
blacks, but even worse because whites are considered the powerful color, white woman are
protected by law against slavery. Another example of this discrimination towards blacks was in
chapter 12 when it said,” it was a grand opportunity for the low whites, who had no negroes of
their own to scourge. They exulted in such an chance to exercise a little brief authority, and show
their subservience to the slaveholders; not reflecting that the power which trampled on the
colored people also kept themselves in poverty, ignorance and moral degradation.(45)”. This
quote shows that although many poor whites did not own slaves, wealthy slaveholder often
recruited them to do the dirty work of maintaining order. And elaborate system of serious
prejudice kept the poor whites from realizing that they had more in common with slaves than
they realize- just like white woman and black woman. The difference was they were not being
forced to do it the black people were all slaves and were born into it or were bought so they had
no choice in the …show more content…
Any white could correct slaves who did not stay in their
place.(The American Promise A history of the United states, 332)” this is showing how the laws
were against slaves, this law was basically saying that a slave was prohibited from doing
anything without their masters permission, and if they did not any white person not just the
master could put them in their place. This once again shows how the whites were considered the
dominate race in this time period because it didn’t have to be a master to put the slave in their
place as long as it was a “ white person” it was ok for them to scold the slave to put them in their
place. Another example of this from the textbook was on page 362 when it said,” according to
the fugitive slave act, to seize an alleged slave, the slaveholder simply has to appear before a
commissioner and swear that the runaway was his.” .(The American Promise A history of the
United states,362) this is important and has to do with the novel because at one point she kind of
iterated about how even if the slaves were to escape to free states, they were obligated to give the
slave back to its owner. When she talked about this in the book she was iterating toward
freed; she became an abolitionist speaker and reformer. Abolition was a movement to end
slavery. This book has a huge impact on readers because this writing could have shocked
readers. In this book there were two types of abuse physical abuse and mental abuse the mental
abuse was when they would do things like not allow the slaves to go believe in their religious
beliefs, physical was things like sexual abuse; however the thing that shocked readers most in the
book was all the talk about abuse based on the color of their skin.
First, this writing shocked readers because not many people understand quite how bad it
actually was for slaves especially …show more content…
This is a huge
equality problem and in my eyes that is very wrong not only are they discriminating against
blacks, but even worse because whites are considered the powerful color, white woman are
protected by law against slavery. Another example of this discrimination towards blacks was in
chapter 12 when it said,” it was a grand opportunity for the low whites, who had no negroes of
their own to scourge. They exulted in such an chance to exercise a little brief authority, and show
their subservience to the slaveholders; not reflecting that the power which trampled on the
colored people also kept themselves in poverty, ignorance and moral degradation.(45)”. This
quote shows that although many poor whites did not own slaves, wealthy slaveholder often
recruited them to do the dirty work of maintaining order. And elaborate system of serious
prejudice kept the poor whites from realizing that they had more in common with slaves than
they realize- just like white woman and black woman. The difference was they were not being
forced to do it the black people were all slaves and were born into it or were bought so they had
no choice in the …show more content…
Any white could correct slaves who did not stay in their
place.(The American Promise A history of the United states, 332)” this is showing how the laws
were against slaves, this law was basically saying that a slave was prohibited from doing
anything without their masters permission, and if they did not any white person not just the
master could put them in their place. This once again shows how the whites were considered the
dominate race in this time period because it didn’t have to be a master to put the slave in their
place as long as it was a “ white person” it was ok for them to scold the slave to put them in their
place. Another example of this from the textbook was on page 362 when it said,” according to
the fugitive slave act, to seize an alleged slave, the slaveholder simply has to appear before a
commissioner and swear that the runaway was his.” .(The American Promise A history of the
United states,362) this is important and has to do with the novel because at one point she kind of
iterated about how even if the slaves were to escape to free states, they were obligated to give the
slave back to its owner. When she talked about this in the book she was iterating toward