Slavery

3 Pages 686 Words

Faiths Role in Slavery

“Ole Satan’s Church is here below;
Up to God’s free church I hope to go.”

Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the life of a slave girl. (205)



These lines are taken from a song slaves used to sing. So powerful are these lines, yet simple.

As you read Harriet Jacobs narrative, the subject of religion has a very broad underlying. The images

she conveys are one of a sacrilegious nature in comparison to the white southerners, as opposed to reli-

gious in respect to the slaves. Which is ironic, when supposedly the slaves are the heathen. Examples

are given throughout the book as evidence of this strong view held by Harriet Jacobs. You have to

look no further than the characters of Dr. and Mrs. Flint and Rev. Mr. Pike and their hypocritical

behavior.


There comes a point in the book when Dr. Flint joins the Episcopal church. One would assume

this would have a beneficial affect on his character, but this made him more harsh. Harriet Jacobs

describes that she endured the most persecutions after his communion. It seems the doctors main rea-

sons for joining the church were because of his position in society and to stop the gossip in town about

him. It was known around town, that Dr. Flint was pursuing Harriet. During a conversation he tells

Harriet it would be good for her to join the church, her response was, that there are enough sinners in

church already. Dr. Flint epitomizes all that is evil with slavery and the south at that time.


Mrs. Flint, like most southern women, had no energy to take care of her own home; but had the

nerves to watch her slaves take a whipping. Like her husband, she was a member of the church and

was a woman of pure evil. The character of Mrs. Flint is a very unhappy one. If dinner was not
served at the exact time, she would spit in the remains, to prevent the cook and her children from eat

ing....