Evaluating Mary Prince's Autobiography: Authenticity and Impact

Is the autobiography attributed to Mary Prince an accurate account of her life?

The primary goal of this essay is to evaluate the authenticity of Mary Prince's story as documented by Susanna Strickland and edited by Thomas Pringle. After the British parliament passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807, advocates shifted their attention to abolishing slavery entirely.

Even though the buying and selling of slaves was banned, enslaved people in the British Empire were not truly liberated until the establishment of the Anti-Slavery Society in 1823.

This group, made up of religious, political, and abolitionist supporters, worked towards freeing those who were held captive. Finally, in August 1833, the Slave Emancipation Act was enacted which granted freedom to all slaves within the British Empire after a set period of time.

The 1833 Act marked the official end of slavery in the British West Indies, but it was not enforced until August 1, 1834. Even after this legal change, freed individuals still faced exploitation, cruelty, and forced labor under their former masters for low wages and in poor living conditions.

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Accounts such as 'The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian slave. Related by herself.' were used by religious abolitionist groups like the Quakers to promote their cause and gain public backing.

Mary Prince, a Bermudan woman born into slavery, was the first black female from the British Caribbean to write a slave narrative. She was separated from her mother and siblings at the age of 12, sold to different masters in various locations. Upon arriving in England, she was considered a free woman and left her owners, Mr and Mrs Woods, after facing threats of being thrown out onto the streets.

Seeking refuge, Mary found shelter with a couple from the Moravian church she had been attending. Shortly after, she met Thomas Pringle, a passionate abolitionist writer and poet who was the secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society. Mary was employed within Pringle's household. Prince requested Pringle to document her story so that 'good people in England might hear from a slave what a slave had felt and suffered'. Pringle agreed to this request and enlisted Susanna Strickland to record Prince's narrative for editing and publication.

Pringle emphasizes in the preface that Mary herself requested to write her own history by stating, 'The idea of writing Mary Prince's history was first suggested by herself.' He wanted to make it clear that Prince was not forced to tell her story, anticipating criticism from pro-slavery groups who might accuse him of taking advantage of her vulnerable position as his employee to create a religious propaganda pamphlet aimed at guilting Christians into supporting his cause.

Throughout the text, Prince continually challenges the traditional beliefs about enslaved women. She demonstrates that she was not as typically submissive as many people in England assumed, and that she possessed an assertive nature and a strong sense of agency. Specific instances are provided where she confronted her masters and stood up to them, such as when she declared, 'I then took courage and said that I could stand the floggings no longer; that I was weary of my life.' These examples serve to illustrate Prince's agency and her ability to advocate for herself, ultimately leading to her request for her story to be published by an employer.

Despite the unusual circumstances of a slave runaway being brought back by her father to her master, Prince still dares to speak boldly to him. She points out that her master did not flog her on that day, which was surprising considering the usual harsh punishments given to runaways as a warning. The language used in Prince's narrative, particularly the reference to not being flogged "that day," implies that the punishment may have happened later but was left out for storytelling purposes.

It is striking that Prince's narrative does not mention sexual abuse, despite its prevalence among West Indian slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries. Paquet proposes that societal and religious taboos in 19th century Britain, as well as legal consequences, may have limited Mary Prince's ability to openly discuss this issue in her writing.

Thomas Pringle, as a member of the Evangelical movement, understood that middle-aged white Christian housewives would find the topic of sexual abuse distasteful. Additionally, black slave women were already stereotyped as sexually promiscuous, which would have undermined Prince's credibility as a witness. Despite this, Mary cautiously describes incidents with sexual overtones, such as when she mentions her former master Mr D_ and his habit of undressing completely and instructing her to wash him in a tub of water.

Prince found it even more humiliating than the physical abuse when Master would summon her to wash him and she would refuse out of shame. Additionally, Prince reveals that Master was indecent and spiteful, showing no shame for his servants or even his own body. Pringle likely played a role in ensuring this aspect of her story remained in the text.

Prince may not explicitly mention being sexually abused, but she hints at a sexual nature in the relationship between Mr. D_ and his slaves. The preface by Thomas Pringle confirms the authenticity of the narrative, stating that it was directly from Mary's own words and nothing significant was left out or added, despite the narrative relying heavily on memory.

When looking back, memories can be distorted. There is evidence of scars on Prince's body, which Strickland claims to have witnessed firsthand, indicating a traumatic experience of slavery. This prompts us to consider how this may have impacted her memory and to what extent Pringle influenced her recollection. For instance, Prince recalls being sold at a slave auction by her mother as "I was then put up for sale."

The bidding started at a few pounds, increasing gradually to fifty-seven. It is difficult to imagine how a 12-year-old girl, amidst the chaos of a bustling slave market, feeling the pain of being torn away from her mother and siblings, and enduring over 30 years of traumatizing abuse in bondage, could accurately recall the exact amount she was sold for. This seemingly insignificant detail raises doubts about the accuracy of the minute details in Prince's story. Perhaps it was included later by Pringle to enhance the narrative flow and maintain the reader's interest.

Pringle, a writer himself, understood the importance of creating a narrative that would captivate the audience. The evidence reviewed suggests that while the narrative may have been edited and pruned at times, it still retains Prince's voice. With Pringle's editorial skills and Mary's goal of sharing her story to gain freedom for all slaves, the overall success of the narrative is evident.

Her powerful narrative played a crucial role in passing the Slave Emancipation Act, resulting in the liberation of thousands of enslaved individuals and transforming the industrial landscape. The enduring study and analysis of Mary Prince's story by writers, educators, and students underscores her authentic voice and serves as a testament to her status as a self-made heroine.