Sarah/Sally Forbes Bonetta Davies witnessed the brutal murder of her family during a slave hunt when she was very young, and later given to Queen Victoria as a gift. She was liberated by the queen and was called her goddaughter She was initially given out of a tradition of giving enslaved children to serve the recipient (similar to Mary Prince with her first mistress), but her relationship with the Queen and respect given to Sally by her set an example for the country as they ratified the abolition of slavery in 1865.
Charlotte “Lottie” Forten Grimpke was born in Pennsylvania to a wealthy black family. Born into “old money” and a legacy of abolitionist leadership, she was raised to value education and literature. Grimpke was a scholar and poet, but was denied entry to multiple colleges, but eventually was accepted to Salem State University, where she was to sole student of color. She grew up to become a member of the Salem Female Anti-Slavery Society where she was able to share in the stories of other women, both white and black, in community.
Mary Prince was born in 1788 to a family enslaved by a predominantly female household, who by the measurements of the time and society, were considered “loving” mistresses. Mary was given at a very young age to the daughter of the household as her “gift”. Hard times for the owner’s family forced them to bring Mary and her siblings to market while her mother watched.
In July of 1855 Abby Guy sued William Daniel for wrongfully holding her and her children in slavery based on the claim that she was actually white. Guy and her children had lived freely since 1844 and although the 1850 federal census identified the family as free people of color, Guy socialized with the white community as an independent white woman would have. Then in 1855 Guy decided to move her family to Louisiana prompting Daniel to seize her and her children and started to hold them as slaves (Encyclopedia of Arkansas).
In 1859 Harriet Wilson published her novel, "Our Nig; or Sketches from the life of a Free Black," which, was based on her childhood in Milford, N.H., where she was raised by a white family that seemed sympathetic to the abolitionist movement but treated her as an indentured servant. Wilson is believed to be the first African-American to have a novel published in the United States.
So far, we’ve focused on how transatlantic women are different. But, if you look at women from different social classes in America, you will see a large difference in how working class women were able to accomplish their goals.
In Jane Eyre, the characterisation of Bertha also reveals the Victorian perception of whiteness. Bertha Mason was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, and this is where Rochester meets her, marries her, and lives with her at the beginning of their marriage.
