Lesson at a Glance
- Grades
- Grades 9–12
- Time
- One class period (20–40 minutes)
- Standards
- NCSS Themes 2 (Time, Continuity, and Change) and 4 (Individual Development and Identity); C3 D2.His.4.9-12, D2.His.10.9-12
- Reading
- Harriet Jacobs (profile)
Big Idea
Harriet Jacobs exposed the sexual exploitation at the heart of slavery and, by telling her own story on her own terms, claimed authority that slavery and prejudice denied her.
Before Class
Students read the profile of Harriet Jacobs, including the Key Dates and Sources.
Discussion Questions
- Jacobs wrote under the pseudonym Linda Brent and disguised every name. Why might she have made those choices, and how did they later lead readers to doubt her authorship?
- Jacobs addressed white Northern women directly. What did she want them to understand, and why did she think they in particular needed to hear it?
- Jacobs was anguished when her employer bought her freedom. Why would a purchase that freed her feel like a wrong?
- How did Jean Fagan Yellin’s archival research change what historians and readers know about Incidents?
Activity
Students read Chapter XXI of Incidents, “The Loophole of Retreat,” in which Jacobs describes her hiding place. In pairs (25–35 minutes), they compare her description with the dimensions and details given in the profile, then discuss how she presents her choices and whom she seems to be persuading. Each pair writes a short response explaining one way her narrative differs from narratives by formerly enslaved men, such as Frederick Douglass’s, and why that difference mattered to her readers.
Primary Sources
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Classroom lesson: Harriet Jacobs.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/harriet-jacobs/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Harriet Jacobs. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/harriet-jacobs/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Harriet Jacobs.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/harriet-jacobs/.
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.