Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

• To whom was Harriet Ann Jacobs sold at a young age?


  She was sold to Dr. James Norcom, whom she refers to as Mr. Flint in her book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
• What did Dr. Flint do in an attempt to break Harriet Jacobs's spirit?


   Dr. Flint sent Jacobs to his son, Mr. Flint, to break her willfulness through cruelty and abuse.
• What was the turning point that made Harriet Jacobs take action?


  When Jacobs learned that Mr. Flint planned to enslave her children, she decided to escape in order to protect them.
• How did Jacobs plan to get her children freed?

  She planned to run away, leaving her children behind, hoping that Mr. Flint would not want to care for them and would sell them to their white father, who could then free them.
• What happened after Jacobs's plan succeeded?


  Jacobs was reunited with her children in Rochester, New York, where she later wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
• Why did Jacobs write under the pseudonym "Linda Brent"?


  She used a pseudonym to protect the identities of those who helped her and others escape slavery.
• What was significant about Jacobs's perspective on slavery in her book?


  Jacobs's story provided a rare female perspective on slavery, which was unusual for the time period.