” I was born in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough, and about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot county, Maryland. I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday. They seldom come nearer to it than planting-time, harvest-time, cherry-time, spring-time, or fall-time. A want of information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege. I was not allowed to make any inquiries of my master concerning it. He deemed all such inquiries on the part of a slave improper and impertinent, and evidence of a restless spirit.”
This is the first of three Frederick Douglass autobiographies he published in his lifetime, specifically the one from 1845, with the support of William Lloyd Garrison helping to get it published. This one primarily discusses the overview of his life, with a specific focus on his early childhood, a central scene of his fighting back against a violent overseer, and learning to read.
The learning to read sections are quite pivotal, and oddly at one point kind of funny. Initially Frederick Douglass is being to taught by the master’s wife, and that is quickly shut-down, correctly acknowledging that if you teach an enslaved person to read, they’re going to start doing some real thinking about things. So after this happens, one of the things Douglass would do as an adolescent to continue his own education is challenge white kids around town to “reading contests” where he boast that he could read more than they could, and boy would they show him by reading something more advanced than he could. He would then take notes in his head, adding to his knowledge.
Sojourner Truth – Narrative
“The subject of this biography, Sojourner Truth, as she now calls herself–but whose name, originally, was Isabella–was born, as near as she can now calculate, between the years 1797 and 1800. She was the daughter of James and Betsey, slaves of one Colonel Ardinburgh, Hurley, Ulster County, New York.”
The Sojourner Truth narrative stands out for a few reasons. Unlike many other famous slave narrative, Sojourner Truth dictated hers by supplying large sections of biography that were then compiled into a narrative, as it seems she otherwise couldn’t read. This simply meant that she couldn’t do these on her own, but this is important because skeptical audience already acted like “written by himself” or “written by herself” were a lie or fabricated, so there was an added and specific focus on the legitimacy of the writing.
Another interesting element of her writing is the adoption of her name, names and naming being not just an important element of slave narrative, but of literature at large.
The last important element to emphasize here is that Sojourner Truth was enslaved in New York state before they eventually outlawed slavery, and because so many narratives are squarely set in the South, it’s an important reminder that this was and always has been a nation-wide institution.
Solomon Northup – 12 Years a Slave
“Having been born a freeman, and for more than thirty years enjoyed the blessings of liberty in a free State-and having at the end of that time been kidnapped and sold into Slavery, where I remained, until happily rescued in the month of January, 1853, after a bondage of twelve years—it has been suggested that an account of my life and fortunes would not be uninteresting to the public.
Since my return to liberty, I have not failed to perceive the increasing interest throughout the Northern States, in regard to the subject of Slavery. Works of fiction, professing to portray its features in their more pleasing as well as more repugnant aspects, have been circulated to an extent unprecedented, and, as I understand, have created a fruitful topic of comment and discussion.
I can speak of Slavery only so far as it came under my own observation—only so far as I have known and experienced it in my own person. My object is, to give a candid and truthful statement of facts: to repeat the story of my life, without exaggeration, leaving it for others to determine, whether even the pages of fiction present a picture of more cruel wrong or a severer bondage.”
This is the narrative that became the movie, and in general the movie is faithful to the story here. One of the troubling questions that happens throughout this book is the idea that Northup was kidnapped into slavery from being a free man in New York. What’s disturbing here and something that contemporary audiences have to reckon with is the lie of slavery being a regional issue, but also that because it was “legal” that it had a kind of legitimacy. You also have to reckon with the very disparate experiences of black men and women throughout the country (and something we still don’t reckon with well enough) and how where you are born plays such a large role into your status and rights.