Chapter 1
-parents= mulattos, and one brother, William
-dad= carpenter
-doesn’t know she is a slave until 6 years old
-grandmother used to bake crackers after her slave work was done
-after mother and kind mistress died, bequeathed to mistress’s sister’s daughter and family (Mr. and Mrs. Flint)
Chapter 2
-father dies; masters don’t let her go see him bc he had taught them that they were “human beings”
-Harriet’s grandmother (Aunt Marthy) given her freedom @ an auction, bc mistress’s sister freed her
-Mr. and Mrs. Flint were very cruel (dog throw-up and cook incident)—especially to the cook
Chapter 3
-asks women of NY to compare their free lives w that of slave lives (pg 26)
-children: “no hand but that of death can take them from you”
Chapter 4
-pg 32: first time Harriet was punished--- gets new shoes from Grandma, but mistress makes her walk far in the snow w/ them off
-Benjamin throws his master to the ground and wants to escape to the North—got on a vessel, jumped off, captured, and returned to master
-escaped again, but them caught and rechained
-Benjamin’s mom wants him to be free, so hires a lawyer, etc.
-Ben reaches NY safely w/ the help of his old master’s labor, and his mom (Harriet’s grandmother) was informed
-meets his brother, Phil, who is on business for his mistress—Phil comes home and tells grandmother of the happy news of her freed son—soon, she pays $800 to free Phil J
Chapter 5
-Harriet is now 15, and her master (Dr. Flint) is now being verbally and physically abusive
Chapter 6
- “ I WOULD ten thousand times rather that my children should be the half-starved paupers of Ireland than to be the most pampered among the slaves of America. I would rather drudge out my life on a cotton plantation, till the grave opened to give me rest, than to live with an unprincipled master and a jealous mistress.”
-Mrs. Flint is very jealous, and Mr. Flint doesn’t let ANYONE punish Harriet
-Harriet finally tells Mrs. Flint about Mr. Flint’s behavior; Mrs. Flint watched over Harriet and when she slept
-Mr. Flint used the excuse that Linda was his daughter’s property, so he would not have to sell her
Chapter 7
-Linda falls in love with a black carpenter who wants to marry her
-first time Master ever strikes her (after Linda says she loves another man)
-Dr. Flint wants to take Linda and other slaves with him to Louisiana; plan ruined bc Louisiana isn’t that great
-Linda is punished for talking to her lover in the street; eventually lover leaves
Chapter 8
-lies told to slaves about the North and other things (how runaways suffer, while they are actually comfortable)
-northerner vs. southerner ideals; her idea of the work men do
Chapter 9
-Mr. Litch – had 600 slaves; many cruel punishments (suspending a man above the ground w/ rope over a fire); murder was common on the plantation
-description of slaves and their cruel punishments
-flesh torn apart by bloodhounds; whipped; put in b/w screws of cotton gin
-discusses what happens when slaves have offspring of the slaveholders
-“ I can testify, from my own experience and observation, that slavery is a curse to the whites as well as to the blacks. It makes the white fathers cruel and sensual; the sons violent and licentious; it contaminates the daughters, and makes the wives wretched. And as for the colored race, it needs an abler pen than mine to describe the extremity of their sufferings, the depth of their degradation.”
Chapter 10
-Dr. Flint wants to build a house for Linda
-A white man (Mr. Sands), who is friends with Linda’s grandmother, expressed sympathy for her bc of her master
-Linda becomes pregnant to avoid going into Flint’s cottage* (who did she have the child w?)
-her grandmother no longer wants to speak/see her—later forgives after Linda tells her everything
Chapter 11
-Mr. Sands says he will buy and care for Linda’s child
-Dr. Flint is very angry with Linda about the baby.. Linda said, "I have sinned against God and myself," I replied; "but not against you."
-Flint offers to take care of Linda and her child if she stops communicating w/ the baby’s father… she refuses, and he says that he will never sell her
-Linda is in a lot of pain during her pregnancy.. the baby is premature, but the boy lives
-William (Linda’s brother) helps Dr. Flint with everything and is required to bring notes to Linda – he was there when Linda was yelled at L
-“ O, the serpent of Slavery has many and poisonous fangs!”Chapter 12
-mention’s Nat Turner’s rebellion and everyone= happy!
-many soldiers go around to search houses; the search of Linda’s house was led by Mr. Litch (cruel slaveholder mentioned earlier)
-When Turner is captured, the slaves are returned to their masters
Chapter 13
-church used to make servants obey their masters*(why did people go?)
-slaves had fun when singing songs and hymns
-new preacher comes in and many slaves enjoy the sermons! They are finally treated as human beings (white slaveholders did not like the new preacher bc he preached better to the slaves than to them)
-Linda teaches an old black man (Uncle Fred) to read the Bible
-talking about an outsider’s view of slavery: “What does he know of the half-starved wretches toiling from dawn till dark on the plantations? of mothers shrieking for their children, torn from their arms by slave traders? of young girls dragged down into moral filth? of pools of blood around the whipping post? of hounds trained to tear human flesh? of men screwed into cotton gins to die? The slaveholder showed him none of these things, and the slaves dared not tell of them if he had asked them.”
-Dr. Flint becomes Episcopalian
Chapter 14
-Dr. Flint threatens to sell Linda’s baby
-when Linda is pregnant again, Flint cuts off all of her hair
-second child= girl à yields more verbal abuse from Flint
-Linda names her son Benjamin
Chapter 15
- Linda’s children know that the doctor is bad
- Grandmother yelled at the doctor to get out of her house after witnessing him hurt Linda
- The doctor offers Linda light labor and a cottage if she stops communication w/ the father of her children
o Linda decided not to go, and tells the doctor that she will go to the plantation w/ her kids
Chapter 16- The plantation is now run by the doctor’s son
- Linda sneaks back to the house to see her children
- Mr. Flint grants Linda a free day
o Linda spends the Sunday with her grandmother, devising a plan to escape slavery
o Escape plan: “My plan was to conceal myself at the house of a friend, and remain there a few weeks till the search was over. My hope was that the doctor would get discouraged, and, for fear of losing my value, and also of subsequently finding my children among the missing, he would consent to sell us; and I knew somebody would buy us.”
§ Grandma persuades her not to
- Wedding day comes
o Everything runs smoothly
- Linda’s children are going to be brought to the plantation
Chapter 17- Linda runs away and confides her plan to a friend, Sally
-after she escapes to her friend’s house w/o her children, award for anyone who found her
Chapter 18
-grandma’s friend is willing to let Linda stay with her cook (Betty)
-Linda will stay in the room above the mistress’s apartment
-Linda’s other family (brother, aunt, and children) were put in jail
-the doctor took $500 from Linda’s benefactress to go and find Linda in NY
Chapter 19
-the doctor sells William and the 2 children to a slaveholder for $1900; the slaveholder sold them to Mr. Sands
-they were soon reunited w/ grandma
-Linda has a vision of her children; she is worried about their status, but then is relieved to hear they are with grandma and free
Chapter 20
-search for Linda begins again, so she must leave
-goes on a vessel and has to stay in a swamp until Peter finds a place for her
-snakes surronded her in the swamp
Chapter 21
- Linda now stays in the shed of her grandma’s home (in darkness)
- She finally sees her children through a hole in her place
Chapter 22: christmas timeChapter 23:
-Linda becomes very sick in her small location
-hears her son scream and he is covered in blood (bit by a dog)
Chapter 24:
-Whig candidate for congress = Mr. Sands (Flint tries everything to make others vote for Democrat candidate)
-Sands promises Linda (1st time she has come down from den) that he will free her children
Chapter 25:
-Linda writes a fake letter to Dr. Flint from NY
-Flint goes to grandma and presents a fake letter to her from Linda
-she finally moves around her storeroom
Chapter 26:
-William is no where to be found after his journey with Sands
-Will sends a letter later saying he’s always wanted to be free
Chapter 27
-Mrs. Sands and her sister want to adopt Linda’s children
-Linda slips into the house to see her daughter before Ellen leaves
Chapter 28
-Aunt Nancy is dying ; controversy over where she should be buried
Chapter 29
-Linda has been in the secret location for 7 years
-her friend Fanny is also in concealment
-Peter has come to take Linda to the North if she wants to – later says no, and says Fanny can go – later joins Fanny bc vessel is detained (she also talks to her son!)
Chapter 30
-Fanny and Linda reunite on the vessel
-difficult for Linda to trust the captain, because going through slavery makes you trust no one
-next morning – sunshine – escape slavery J
Chapter 31
-meet Rev. Jeremiah Durham (Bethel church minister).. they are in Philidelphia
-Anti-slavery society comes to talk to Linda
- Linda realizes the differences bw the North and South (fire incident)
-when going to NY, are not allowed to sit in first-class bc they are colored
Chapter 32
-Linda finally meets Ellen again; in order to meet her and talk to Mrs. Hobbs, Linda says she has just arrived from Canada
-Linda learns that Ellen will become a servant to Mrs. Hobbs daughter
-writes to Flint and his daughter to see how she can be freed
Chapter 33
-employed w/ Mrs. Bruce by taking care of her child
-William comes to NY
Chapter 34
-response from Miss Flint’s brother received asking Linda to come home.. it was actually a disguised letter by Dr. Flint
-Dr. Flint is on his way to NY, so Linda goes to Boston to stay w/ her brother (Benny also comes to her)
-In the summer, Linda must start taking Mary (Mrs. Bruce’s baby) out for walks in a city full of Southerners
Chapter 35:
-prejudice is everywhere (hotel with other nurses only one shade lighter!)
-stands up for Colored rights at the hotel
Chapter 36
-Mr. Thorne (Mrs. Hobbs brother) has written to Dr. Flint about Linda’s location
- were able to change to comfortable seats on their way to Boston (Ellen and Linda)
- Linda educates Ellen
Chapter 37
-After Mrs. Bruce dies, Mr. Bruce sends Linda and Mary to London to meet Mary’s relatives
-12-day journey and Linda feels great that no one is judging her on her color ("unadulterated freedom" and a new view of Christianity)
-stays for 10 months
Chapter 38
-while she was away, Ben left on a whaling voyage because his fellow apprentices harassed him for his background
- Emily Flint finally writes back (now married as Mrs. Dodge) and offers Linda to purchase herself or come live w/ Emily in Virginia – Linda does not reply
Chapter 39
-Ellen is going to boarding school and Linda confesses her slave story
-Ellen says her father is nothing to her, and she loves Linda very much
-Linda tries an anti-slavery reading room w/ her brother, but not successful – eventually stays with Isaac and Amy Post (well known abolitionists)
Chapter 40
-William leaves for Cali, and takes Benny with him
-Ellen is doing really well in school
-Mr. Bruce marries again, and Linda is asked to nurse the new baby
- fugitives fear the fugitive slave law
-Luke – ends up in Canada
-Dr. Flint hears about Linda again and is coming for her.. Mrs. Bruce lets Linda take the baby with her
-Linda is sheltered by a senator’s wife in New England.. then goes to country
-She returns to NY when Dr. Flint leaves
Chapter 41
-Dr. Flint dies (Linda learns of this through letters from her grandmother)
-Flint family isn’t left with a lot.. Mrs. Flint says that Linda is too valuable a slave to lose
- Linda finds out about them visiting NY and goes to Mrs. Bruce’s friend’s hosue
-Linda has a friend learn of Mr. Dodge's intentions.
-Mrs. Bruce arranges to buy her for $300 and give her freedom
-THAT'S WHEN SHE GETS HER FREEDOM and lives with the Bruces for a bit longer
-grandma and uncle phillip die soon after
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