Resisting The “Slave Religion”: Understanding “Christianity Proper” Through The Slave Narratives Of Frederick Douglass And Harriet Jacobs

This thesis seeks to explore the misconception that arises when viewing Christianity as the source of enslavement or White supremacy. Focusing specifically on the nineteenth-century Antebellum era, This Thesis investigates the primary texts of Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Fredrick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself—two prominent Christians of their time—to juxtapose the teachings and practices of their captors with the actual Biblical text. This thesis seeks to explore and complicate the common narrative that has falsely implicated Christianity as a tool of oppression.