Harriet Jacobs

Biography

Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery in Edenton, North Carolina, and waged a courageous contest for freedom, spending seven years concealed in a tiny attic space before escaping to the North.

Once free she devoted herself to the abolitionist cause, collaborating with leaders of the movement and offering sanctuary and counsel to other women escaping bondage while her stirring memoir exposed the intimate cruelties of slavery.