Letters from a Slave
Girl: The Story of Harriet JacobsLetters from a Slave
Girl: The Story of Harriet JacobsLetters from a Slave Girl is based on the life of Harriet Jacobs, a young slave girl who escaped to freedom in the 1840s. She later became a published author and abolitionist. (An abolitionist was someone who fights hard to outlaw something they feel is wrong.)
This book is geared for ages 9-12. Its author, Mary Lyons, created fictional letters based on actual events, to build a powerful portrayel of Harriet Jacob's life.
Harriet Ann Jacobs was born in Edenton, North Carolina in 1813. At age twenty-two, she decided to run away from her slaveholder. She left behind two children, but because she loved them and didn't want to desert them, she didn't run very far. Instead, she slipped through a small opening in a special room at the back of her grandmother's cottage in Edenton, and there she lived for almost seven years!
Harriet's grandmother, Molly Horniblow, was a baker. In fact, she had used some of her savings from her bakery business to buy the cottage. Income from her cooking skills continued to provide a place of freedom and comfort for her family. Molly taught Harriet many things, including how to bake crackers. Have you ever baked crackers? Probably not! Here's a cracker recipe, if you'd like to bake crackers similar to how Harriet must have made hers.
In 1842, after Harriet was certain that her children would be able to come with her, she escaped by boat and eventually found her way to New York city. She began a new life there, working as a nursemaid for Nathaniel Parker Willis.
At age 40, Harriet began to speak out about her life as a slave. Read the whole story here.
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