Resistance, Resilience, & Strength: The Life of Harriet Ann Jacobs

Resistance, Resilience, & Strength: The Life of Harriet Ann Jacobs

There are few stories that illustrate the resilience and strength of enslaved women, and the myriad of ways they resisted enslavement, more than Harriet Ann Jacobs. Born enslaved in Edenton, North Carolina, after years of resisting her enslaver’s unwanted advances, Harriet made the brave choice to flee her oppressive situation. Her only option at the time became hiding in a small attic space, with only room to lay on a mattress. With unimaginable fortitude, she remained in that tiny space for almost seven years, when finally, in 1842, a free Black man named Peter helped her escape via the Maritime Underground Railroad. Harriet went on to become an anti-slavery activist, an abolitionist author, and eventually post-Civil War, a relief worker dedicated to assisting the newly freed peoplein the South. In this lesson, students will learn about the life of Harriet Ann Jacobs and gain an understanding of North Carolina’s Maritime Underground Railroad through reading, discussion, a timeline activity, primary source review, and creative writing