Abstract

The abolitionist movement speaks and defines social climate as described in both books in different ways. For instance, in the Incidents in Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs the social climate is defined as cruel especially for the slaves. The interaction between the slaves and their masters was unfriendly. The slave women were subjected to exploitation and treated like concubines to their masters and sexually harassed. For example in Linda's case, her mistress' father subjected her to years of sexual harassment. The slaves were the ones that were supposed to abide by their holder's wills however unfair they were. They used to be taken as sexual objects to their masters or owners. In this paper, we try to focus on Abolition. The paper, discuss the abolitionist movement speaks to or even defines the social climate described by both Douglass and Jacobs.

Abolition

Introduction

According to the abolitionist movement, the social environment or climate for urban slaves differed from the plantation slaves and they were women in most cases. Even though still oppressive and humiliating, the life in urban areas gave way to slaves to upgrade their lives. They were not under regular supervision by their masters or holders. They also had a lot of opportunities to influence and change their own lives through endeavoring into town, earning incomes, listening to the abolitionists' speech, chatting about current rumors and happening and much more. Unlike plantation slaves, they were also given more security, independence and authority which Linda obviously appreciated because it was the movement's wish and desire.

However, urban slaves had insecurity cases as there was auction block where slaves were sold during the New Year's Day. Brent describes an occasion of the distress of one enslaved mother that watched powerlessly as all of her seven kids were being checked and sold like animals. Linda also demonstrates some types of struggle particularly slaves begging the humane masters to buy them before the cruel ones did as they could distinguish them within forty miles. The abolitionist movement therefore tries to communicate that the slaves never had power over their own lives and they experienced a lot of insecurities as they could be taken away anytime unwillingly.

Discussion

The women slaves' social climate was surrounded by deception. They were lied to by their masters and therefore they could not be able to fight for their rights and freedom as they believed them. The slaves were warned against running away to the North with allegations that they were not able to take care of themselves and could die of hunger and cold on streets.

They were deceived and convinced by the fact that they were well fed, happier and better off under the humiliating husbandry of their holders. At the same time, the slaves were compared to livestock or animals. They were not taken and treated the same level as human beings. It was too bad for many slaves who preferred the protective slavery to harsh freedom. Linda, who supports the abolitionist movement , however wishes to go back ...