1. First, read the excerpts from Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl that I have linked to on our “Readings” page. In a brief (250 word) post to our blog, comment on the reading.
The most obvious aspect of this writing that is very enlightening is getting the perspective of a slave woman. As you read about her experiences you see the extra suffering that a woman must endure over a man. Like how Douglass’s aunt is whipped until she bleeds whilst being half naked because the slave holder finds her attractive. Like how Jacobs has to find “clever ways” to not be raped by Dr. Flint. She decided to be in a loveless, passionless relationship to avoid the unwanted interest of the doctor. All of this pain only eludes to the dehumanization that occurred during this time. They considered their masters “good people” because they didn’t beat them as bad. They probably feed them the amount that a human would need. The detachment that you must have with basic human rights must be crazy to characterize slave holders as decent people. Furthermore, Jacobs’ experience is unique in the sense that she was “trapped” in a small, tight attic for seven years to avoid getting her family separated. She would rather feel free while trapped in a small crawl space than to feel powerless in slavery. The choices that were made during that time seemed completely unfathomable to us but that is why it is important in learning about it. Both Douglass and Harriet Jacobs give us a perspective of a crazy, painful time for a specific race in America. They were born into a life of struggle and they had no choice in that matter whatsoever. By giving attention to this deplorable time we will be able to remedy the aftermath that was left by it.
2. Although slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, slavery in various forms continues to be an important Human Rights issue even in our own day. Spend some time exploring the topic of contemporary slavery on the internet, and share on the blog three important things that you learn about this subject.
The most important aspects of modern slavery for me would be mass incarceration and the modern debt system. The incarceration rate for African Americans or black Americans in America is quite deplorable. They disproportionately make up the majority of the incarcerated population whilst being a minority in the population. No race is innately more willing or likely to commit crimes so it is a system that is at fault. We continue to punish people due to the race that were born in, which is something that they have no control over. And in regards to the American debt system, we set an entire race of people on the track to failure and then punish them with high interest rates when they inevitably fail. The debt collection is connected with the bail system making it a crazy and unfair cycle that specifically targets minorities like black Americans. We haven’t moved forward enough when it comes to the suffrage of the people in slavery. All that we have done is put a different face on it but it still isn’t over.
Abdulla, I appreciate your connecting Harriet Jacobs’ autobiography to the incident about his aunt being beaten that Douglass describes at the beginning of his autobiography. Both highlight the particular burdens placed on female slaves. Thanks for giving the examples of mass incarceration and the American debt system – there is so much to think about here about how our society continues to oppress and discriminate against people of color.