Harriet Jacob's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Essay

Harriet Jacob's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Essay Example I also think this quote is significant to me because as Harriet explains, both masters and mistress felt no sympathy to suffering slaves and even proclaimed to them heartlessly that heaven was not their place. In my own opinion and judgment I would imagine the extent to which these people suffered in the hands of their masters, despite the fact that in her childhood, Harriet mistress quoted the Bible and told her that she should not do any evil to her neighbor, it was the same mistress that was subjecting her and her family to slavery. This was a complete hypocrisy and furthermore, it demonstrates the extent to which the whites took slavery as part of their normal lives. Harriet Jacob’s story is more revealing in an exceptional way; it clearly demonstrates her desire to stand for her rights and the rights of other slaves that they suffered together. This is evident by the fact that she openly expressed her sufferings from sexual degradation and enslavement. She was able to rea ch the hearts of many people who later contributed to the fight against slavery. Jacob’s story also connects many other historical suffering that came before and after her story. In essence, in later 1960s in the era of the civil rights activists, many people were killed and their fundamental rights violated by their masters. In the extract from Fredrick Douglas The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro, â€Å"Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to- day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?†(184) In this quote, Fredrick Douglas had been called upon to speak during the celebration party of the U.S. independence in Rochester, New York. He had previously made many speeches and lectures in an area of about five miles in Rochester. This speech was particularly important because despite the fact that America was celebrating its 76th birthday, Fredrick and what he represented did not have anything to celebrate about. This speech means a lot to me because Fredrick spoke in irony; he even asked questions about the relevance of the Independence Day to him and his fellow black slaves. This quote is significant in the sense that despite the age of the nation approaching a century, there was no freedom for the black community; racial segregation was the norm of the day. The rights of the minority were not recognized by the same country that they toiled to build. In my opinion and judgment, I would see the pain that Fredrick was undergoing; his speech is ironic and full of desire to get equal rights with their white counterparts who were celebrating the bi rth of their country. It was an irony and mocking to invite a slave to the celebration of their independence from the British government. This quote reveals Fredrick’s passion to end slavery; he clearly fought for his rights and the rights of his fellow minority black community. He resisted injustice by airing his views about the whole idea of freedom that the country was enjoying. His experience also connects with other civil rights activists that came after him and specifically during the 1960s with Malcom X and Martin Luther King. Both