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Harriet Jacobs: Prisoner of Freedom

© Mary M. Alward

Can you imagine living in a crawlspace seven feet wide and nine feet long for almost seven years? It would be sheer torture, wouldn't it? Well, that is exactly what Harriet Jacobs did.

Harriet was born into slavery at Edenton, North Carolina in 1813. Her mother, Delilah, was a slave. By law, this made Harriet as slave as well. Her father, Daniel was a skilled carpenter. He was owned by Dr. Andre Knox. His mother was a slave. His father was white. This made their children mulattoes, which is how people with one black parent and one white were referred to at that time.

Harriet didn't know she was a slave until she was six years old. When her mother died, she was taken in by her mistress. Her childhood was a happy one. She especially adored her maternal grandmother, Molly Horniblow, who often gave Harriet and her brother, Willy, treats of crackers, cakes and preserves that she'd made to sell.

Harriet enjoyed living with her mistress. She never had to perform heavy tasks or do chores she didn't like. She was treated kindly and was always willing to help out. She often sewed for her mistress. When she became bored with the task, she was sent into the yard to play. Harriet was taught to read and write, which was unusual. It was against the law for slaves to be educated.

The year that Harriet turned twelve, her mistress died. When the Will was read, Harriet found that instead of granting her freedom, her mistress had given her to her five-year-old niece. Since the child was underage, Harriet became the property of the child's father, Dr. James Norcom. Willy was purchased by the same family.

When Harriet's father died suddenly, she wasn't allowed to go to his house. Instead, she was forced to gather flowers and weave them into garlands for a party that her new mistress was hosting. She was allowed to attend his funeral the next day.

Harriet's new master and mistress didn't feed their slaves.. They were left to fend for themselves. The young girl often stopped by Molly's house when she was out running errands. Her grandmother would feed her and saw that Harriet had more to wear than the one dress she was given each winter.

Molly became free when her mistress died. Dr. Norcom, who was the executor of the estate, lied to. He told her she wasn't free and that she was to be sold at auction. The people in the community knew that Molly's mistress had granted her freedom. They would not bid to buy her. The elderly sister of her former mistress bid fifty dollars, bought her, and immediately granted her the freedom she'd been promised. The year was 1828. The fact that her grandmother was free surely saved Harriet's life in later years.

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