Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by Herself, Harriet Ann Jacobs

"God . . . gave me a soul that burned for freedom and a heart nerved with determination to suffer even unto death in pursuit of liberty." In this excerpt from a letter written by Harriet Jacobs to her friend, the abolitionist Amy Post, Jacobs expresses her determination to continue her quest for freedom. Dated October 9, 1853 - less than two years after Jacobs was freed - the letter was written in response to Post's suggestion that Jacobs tell the story of her abuse and exploitation as an enslaved black woman. Eight years later, in 1861 - the same year that marked the beginning of the Civil War - Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself was published in Boston. According to the chronology of Jacobs's life compiled by her autobiographer, Jean Fagan Yellin, the events described in Incidents narrated by "Linda Brent" mirror key incidents of Jacobs' life.