When someone thinks about the hardships of slavery, they usually think only of the treatment of African Americans. What most people don't know is how women were treated, whether they were colored or not. In Harriet Jacobs’ book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, she explains: “Slavery is terrible for men; but it is much more terrible for women. In addition to the burden common to all, they have wrongs, sufferings and mortifications specific to them. The cruel treatment of enslaved women and the struggles of Southern women during the Civil War are ignored by the majority of people today, even though they are an important part of American history and still affect society. Slave owners often raped and impregnated their female slaves, then never let the women care for their mixed-race children. Actions like this contribute to prostitution today, but people still don't view prostitution as a form of slavery. These truths are tangible today thanks to African-American authors Susie King Taylor and Kate Stone. Fortunately, white women abolitionists such as Ida B. Wells and Mary Chesnut were there to defend slaves and women. Although life was incredibly tragic for the majority of women of color, a few were lucky enough to receive an education, gain freedom, or be born free black. Unfortunately, these people are the only African Americans who were able to tell their lives through writing, while others were unable to do so due to their illiteracy. The story of Susie King Taylor is a perfect example. In her book, A Black Woman's Civil War Memoirs, she recounts her life being born a slave and ultimately gaining freedom. She was born in 1848 on an island in the middle of paper...... only a few people know about the treatment of female slaves. The responsibilities of white women are also overlooked because most people think they have had it easy. People forget that women did not have civil rights like slaves. It was extremely dangerous for abolitionists, especially as women, to help slaves read, write, and become free. Women are still fighting for equal rights and black people still face racism on a daily basis. Some say that female slavery still exists, but then we talk about prostitution. To this day, women are held as sex slaves, servants and cooks. Human trafficking remains a major problem and generally affects women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, known for her contributions to women's suffrage in the 19th century, left the world with some words of wisdom: "The prolonged slavery of women is the darkest page in human history..”