Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiography by Harriet Jacobs written by herself and published in 1861 under the pseudonym Linda Brent.

Harriet Jacobs was a runaway slave and mother, and this book documents her life as a slave and how she gained freedom for herself and her children. Harriet Jacobs describes the struggles and sexual abuse slave women face, as well as their efforts to practice motherhood and protect their children from being sold. The book is aimed primarily at northern white women who do not understand the evils of slavery and how it affects motherhood, appealing to their humanity to take a stand against slavery.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was one of the first books to address the struggle for the freedom of slaves and denounce the harassment and sexual abuse to which they were subjected, trying to claim their rights as women and mothers.

It is one of the main books on the subject of slavery from the female point of view.

I was born a slave; but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away. My father was a carpenter, and considered so intelligent and skilful in his trade, that, when buildings out of the common line were to be erected, he was sent for from long distances, to be head workman.