1822 – Birth of Harriet Ann Jacobs

Born on June 10, 1822, in Edenton, North Carolina, Harriet Ann Jacobs became one of the most powerful voices of the 19th-century Black liberation movement. Escaping the horrors of enslavement, she penned Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl—a groundbreaking narrative detailing her life under bondage, including years spent hiding in an attic crawlspace. Jacobs’ work uniquely focused on the sexual exploitation of enslaved women, a topic often neglected in male-dominated slave narratives. After gaining her freedom, she became active in abolitionist and humanitarian efforts, including aiding formerly enslaved people during and after the Civil War. Her life spanned both U.S. and international contexts, including travel to England, where her story found a broader abolitionist audience. Jacobs’ resilience and literary contribution remain vital to both African American history and global human rights struggles. Her birth on June 10 marks a turning point in the personal testimonies of the enslaved.