Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiography of a woman who experienced a slave’s life during the beginning of the uprising of civilians for justice for African Americans. The story is a heartbreaking journey that starts with the writer’s childhood as a slave and ends with gaining freedom. The work holds a high value in understanding the formation of the current US history and its law. Furthermore, it helps accurately assess the events during the Civil War from different perspectives and unravel equality issues at that time.
First of all, the text covers the problem of minorities from different perspectives. It is necessary to realize the situation in the past to appreciate the present. There is a thorough description of the relationship between a master and his slave and the level of difference in their status. For example, the author tells about her acquaintance, a slave, who had to take care of his master despite the latter’s abusive behavior. The master would cruelly punish the caregiver whenever he had bursts of anger.
Additionally, the source shows the poor treatment of African Americans and women of that time. It was a patriarchal world, and women had almost no power to make important decisions. The author of the story is a black female, which makes her a minority from two aspects. She was treated poorly not only because she was a slave but as a woman as well. Hence, this fact helps us view the role of women and see its change in history. The author had to endure her master who was molesting her and controlling his wife, which demonstrates women’s inferiority at that period. The writer states, “No matter whether the slave girl is as black as ebony or as fair as her mistress. In either case, there is no shadow of law to protect her from insult” (p. 45). The work gives a picture of the minorities’ life at one of the most difficult times in history and highlights the importance of the concept of justice.
The story is critical in the characterization of American history as a primary source. The writer bases her work on her own experience as a direct victim of slavery, which is why it is relevant. The woman was living at the period of the passage of the 13th amendment, which claimed freedom for African Americans. She witnessed the abolitionist movement, which took place in the middle of the 19th century.
Most primary resources that are available of that period are from white men. Since many black people were not literate and afraid of talking openly about the situation, it is hard to find the revolutionary period’s record from their perspective. The author has experience of living in the southern and northern parts of America and specifies the life from two sides of the barricade. For instance, she writes, “I was, in fact, a slave in New York, as subject to slave laws as I had been in a Slave State. Strange incongruity in a State called free!” (p. 290). Here, she demonstrates New York remaining as a slaveholding state despite the new legislation. Also, the author tells about the man who was hosting her when she arrived in New England. According to her, he was against the Fugitive Slave Law but had to succumb because of the pressure on people who supported the freedom of slaves (p. 292). Thus, this autobiography is crucial at perceiving the chain of events and people’s situations more accurately.
Finally, the story of a slave girl calls for people’s conscience, and it is crucial in constructing moral values. The writer describes the sufferings black people had to go through after abolishing slavery that making the reader feel empathy towards victims. The work helps to understand the extent of cruelty towards slaves and the importance of the concept of freedom for all. The modern democratic world free from slavery and prejudice exists thanks to the people who fought for justice and equality. The Civil War in the second half of the 19th century is a transformational event that forced the advancement of the country into what Americans have today. The given autobiography expresses that time to detail and helps to see the modern legislatures’ shaping.
To sum up, the story is instrumental as a primary source to evaluate black people’s situation during slavery and its abolishment. It interprets the chronicle of the revolt and injustice faced by minorities from their representative’s eyes. Furthermore, the autobiography is valuable due to its unique way of featuring people’s cruelty because of someone’s racial identity. It calls for the empathy of the reader for the slaves’ situation and their hardship. The text emphasizes the importance of freedom for all and gives food for thought regarding racism. It provides detailed information on the events in the country’s southern and northern parts and deep insight into the worth of freedom and justice in the modern world.