The Life of a Slave Girl

A Look at the Fallen Women in

Slavery
Written by: Harriet Jacobs
Presented by: Michael Nora, Jeff
Landgren, and Michael Flanigan

Introduction
During slavery in America, the rights
of slaves were non-existent and the
rights of women were limited. A
woman slave had to struggle just to
survive and was given nothing but her
weekly rations and if she was lucky
she might actually have the favor of
her master. Fallen women were
dangerous and considered outcast.

Contents

Qualifications
Dangerous?
Opinion of a fallen women
Methods of control
Status value to society

Definition

A fallen woman is:

One who has sexual relations before or
outside of marriage, which could produce
children.
One who works for her own living and is not
supported by a man.
One who openly displays her sexuality
through showing her ankles, legs, cleavage,
etc. and defies social standards.

Relation to the Story

The fallen woman in Incidents in the Life of

a Slave Girl is just like the fallen woman in
American society as mulatto children were
seen as bastard children.
Linda Brent, the main slave woman,
experiences the same treatment as most
fallen women. Her lover leaves and the
father of her child never claims her, forcing
her to work hard and eventually run away
to secure freedom for her and her children.

What is a Mulatto?

The offspring of a
white man or
woman and a black
man or woman.
They are
characterized by a
lighter skin tone
than blacks, but
darker than white
people.

Why is this so Controversial?

Society since early civilizations has always placed a

higher social value on man than women. If women were
allowed to go outside this custom, it would threaten the
standards of society. Therefore, men placed restrictive
expectations on women to maintain this order.
Slaves already had very restrictive rules that were
strictly enforced.
Once slave women became fallen the mulatto baby was
often concealed to protect the reputation of the father,
especially if the master was the father.
The child was often sent to another plantation to conceal
the masters late night deeds.

Opinions

Women who fell into this negative category faced huge

obstacles and criticism. The husbands would divorce
the wife, who would then have to support herself. At
the time, it was almost impossible for a woman to find a
job that paid well. Since society limited the amount of
jobs, the woman would often turn to prostitution.
Linda experiences this neglect and obstacles. She tries
numerous times to contact the father of her children,
but he simply disregards her even when he runs for
political office.
Her master thinks less of her, as he had seen her as a
respectable slave who obeyed and served his family
well. He still agrees to protect her under many
restrictions. She must stay tied to him for protection
and help.

Masters Feelings

If the master was the father:

The master would give the child special

treatment and usually sent the child off
to another plantation.

If the master wasnt the father:

The master would treat the child worse

out of resentment for not being the
father if the child was a mulatto.

Contrary to Popular Belief

Lindas master decides to take care of her

and her child as if they were his own.
He asks that she obey him and do as she is
told and he promises to keep her and her
child, and eventually children, from the harsh
effects of slavery.
Even though she has it great, she stills
decides to run away and leaves her children
behind.
They still are taken care of, after a short
extent in jail.
He still wishes she would come back and says
he has forgiven her.

Slavery is Crazy!

On the contrary, I had always been

kindly treated, and tenderly cared for,
until I came into the hands of Dr. Flint. I
had never wished for freedom till then.
But though my life in slavery was
comparatively devoid of hardships, God
pity the woman who is compelled to
lead such a life!
- Linda, Harriet
Jacobs
pg.115

Methods of Control

Slaves were controlled through:

Structured work schedules

Beating and separation of families
Fear

Women were controlled through:

Lack of political participation: voting,

running for office, etc.
Personal freedoms were restricted and
controlled.

Value of Fallen Women

The value of fallen women was very

low only to serve as a sexual outlet
for some men.
For slaves who were fallen their value
was even less as they were
considered soiled property.

Dangerous?

Fallen slave women were only dangerous

if they were to reveal the masters secret.
They were more controlled and could be
sent away if they were a threat.

Fallen
Women

Jeff Landgren

Background on Slavery
This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return,
would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge.
Frederick Douglass

Fallen Women
No man should hold unlimited power over his fellow-man. From the repeated
abuses of this power, he becomes the most brutal of the human species;
and the more he himself has been abused, the more eager he is
to abuse others.
Harriet A. Jacobs

Amistad

Questions
What is the perception of a fallen women to a white woman vs.
a black woman who is free?
What is the perception of a fallen women to a white man vs.
a black man who is free?
What is a white womans response in the case where the husband
has sexual rights with a slave?
If a black man is related to a fallen woman can he use this
to his advantage or possibly black male.

Rosewood

Any Questions?

Bibliography

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASwhippi
ng.jpg
http://www.historywiz.com/images/africa/whipping
.gif
Photo courtesy of Noah Allen
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave
Girl. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2000.

The End