Resistance is a constant feature of American slavery. The African-Americans have resisted and rebelled against their oppressors in many different ways. Suicide has been the most common way to resist slavery, in addition to escaping from the traders before reaching the slaveholders’ houses, or even reaching the European coats. In her novel, Jacobs mentions several different forms of resisting slavery: buying itself, using violence and running away.
Slaves have made a great effort to buy their own freedom. Before his death, the father of Linda’s grandmother has been working as a planter and he has managed to leave his wife and “his three children free,” to go away. Besides, Linda’s grandmother has been working at night, “after all the household work was done.” She has been “backing crackers at night,” in order to sell them to “clothe herself and her children from the profits,” and to be able to purchase some of her children” (Jacobs, 7). However, some slaveholders have refused to sell the slaves to the slave’s family. As a result, some family members have paid to strangers to pretend that they are who will purchase the sold slave. Linda’s children have been set free after being purchased by their own father, who has paid to slave trader to purchase them from Dr. Flint, to guarantee that the Dr would not refuse. This form of resistance is similar to a form used by slaves at the beginning of Islam called ‘El-mokatabeh’. At the beginning of Islam, slaves have purchased