Incidents entry 4

The Fugitive Slave Law was a desperate attempt by southerners to keep slavery intact.  The passage of this law caused great anguish for the slaves who fled to the North for a better life only to realize they could be hunted by Northerners who would then have to return them to their masters.   “I was, in fact, a slave in New York, as subject to slave laws as I had been in a Slave State.  Strange incongruity in a State called free!” (Jacobs 199).  This law greatly angered Lynda, “What a disgrace to a city calling itself free, that inhabitants, guiltless of offence, and seeking to perform their duties conscientiously, should be condemned to live in such incessant fear, and have nowhere to turn for protection!” (196).  Linda was amazed by the hypocrisy of this law which only fueled her political outlook and made her more committed to finding ways to help herself and others who shared her circumstances.

Incidents entry 3

When Linda finally got to the north, she thought her troubles with slavery were all over.  Upon arrival in Philadelphia, she in awe at the size of the city and surprised by the warm welcome of the Durham’s, “Mrs. Durham met me with a kindly welcome, without asking any questions.  I was tired, and her friendly manner was a sweet refreshment” (Jacobs 165).  However, she found out that not everyone shared these warm and welcoming feelings.  When Linda was getting on the train to New York, she encountered the first of her troubles in the north, “They do not allow colored people to go in the first class cars…It made me sad to find how the north aped the customs of slavery” (168).  This was her first taste of discrimination in the north, something she did not expect to find there.