1-page, Section-by-Section Vocabulary Printables

The book's recurring name for a person reduced to property -- central to following the whole narrative. A strong Tier 2 word in an uncommon meaning here; 'born to be a chattel' ties the term directly to the slave child's fate.

Marks a pivotal turn -- the narrator willed away like property to a five-year-old. A useful Tier 2 word most target-grade students won't know precisely, and the excerpt makes its legal sense ('left by will') vivid in a memorable moment.

Thematically central: the grandmother cheated of her money, then nearly of her freedom. A valuable Tier 2 word; the parallel 'defrauded of her money... defraud her of her freedom' both teaches the meaning and sharpens the injustice.

Anchors Jacobs's thesis that slavery corrupts the enslavers. A rich, literary word with strong connotation; the parallel structure ('cruel and sensual; the sons violent and licentious') gives a target-grade student clear support for the meaning.

Defines the jealous mistress and a recurring force in the narrative. A strong Tier 2 word a target-grade student is unlikely to know well; paired with 'suspicion,' the context makes its sense of active ill will accessible.

Rich in connotation and a strong Tier 2 word. 'The credulous hearts of youth' is memorable and hands over the meaning, capturing the children's readiness to believe hopeful words. Comprehension role is modest but vocabulary value is high.

Marks the narrative hinge into the narrator's persecution ('a sad epoch in the life of a slave girl'). A strong word common in academic reading; the meaning of a defining period is well supported by the turning-point context.

Carries the section's bitter irony -- that teaching enslaved children they are human is treated as sacrilege. A strong word with rich connotation; the excerpt frames the meaning clearly against the masters' view.

The conceptual opposite of 'chattel' and central to the book's subject. High Tier 2 value and important to comprehension; the excerpt shows a rare positive instance -- a mistress freeing a slave so a marriage could have legal sanction. Familiar to some, but the precise legal sense is worth pinning down.

A high-value academic connective a target-grade student will meet routinely in formal reading. Straightforward in meaning but worth teaching as a tool; here it underscores that the grandmother's long, faithful service earned her family nothing.

epicure: Strong, vivid candidate (Dr. Flint forcing the cook to eat); just missed on lower likelihood of recurring in academic reading.

perfidy: Rich, high-difficulty word, but narrow academic value and the jealous-mistress scene is already covered by 'malevolence.'

vitiated: Uncommon and apt to the 'slavery corrupts the young' theme, but that thesis is already carried by 'licentious'; excerpt is solid, not strong.

conjectures: A good academic word, but the context nearly hands over the meaning and its comprehension role here is minor.

inculcated: Valuable academic word, but low comprehension stakes here and the excerpt is solid rather than memorable.

merchandise: Effective figurative use (a child as 'a piece of merchandise'), but the base word is familiar to most target-grade students.

piteous: Emotionally resonant excerpt, but the word is only moderately difficult and matters little to following the text.

superintend: A character-defining moment for Mrs. Flint, but low comprehension stakes and a fairly narrow word.

imprecations: Dramatic moment and high difficulty, but narrow academic value and a minor comprehension role.

insolvent: Useful financial term with a clear context, but modest comprehension stakes kept it below the line.

The richest word in the section and central to Jacobs's indictment of southern religion: 'sanctimonious Mr. Pike,' set against the sincere enslaved worshippers, crystallizes hollow, self-righteous piety. Rare, vivid, and academically valuable.

Essential to following this part of the book — Nat Turner's 'insurrection' drives three chapters of events and recurs throughout. A common-enough word, but a target-grade student cannot track the narrative without it; the excerpt anchors a pivotal moment.

From one of the book's most-quoted lines — enslaved women's 'mortifications peculiarly their own.' Strong academic word with rich connotation of deep humiliation, and the passage names a central theme. High comprehension and review value.

Uncommon, demanding academic word a target-grade student is unlikely to know; Jacobs concedes there may be 'sophistry in all this' as she examines her own moral reasoning. The excerpt shows plausible-but-deceptive argument in clear use at a thematic turn.

Strong Tier 2 word with vivid connotation of greed; Jacobs's bitter point that the law keeps 'licentiousness' from interfering 'with avarice' — that profit shaped slave law. Worth teaching for both comprehension and vocabulary growth.

High-value academic word; 'the most shocking outrages were committed with perfect impunity' shows the meaning — acting free of any punishment — in a charged context. Recurs in academic reading and matters to the section's argument.

Strong academic word a target-grade student often misjudges; 'abject submission' names exactly what the Flints intend for the family. Clear context for the degraded, utterly helpless meaning, and useful well beyond this text.

Strong Tier 2 word; 'The consternation was universal' captures the town's dread after the insurrection and recurs later. Uncommon enough to be worth teaching, with a strong excerpt tied to a key event.

Valuable academic word whose tested sense students often miss — here the abusive-name meaning, not the neutral descriptive one, as the doctor heaps 'every vile epithet' on Jacobs and her baby. Strong excerpt fixes the meaning.

Strong Tier 2 word carrying a sharp tone of false superiority — the doctor 'condescended to pity me. Could he have offered wormwood more bitter?' Memorable excerpt and a useful sense of deigning as if doing a favor.

depravity: Strong word from Pike's sermon ('the depravity of your hearts!'), but a slightly weaker excerpt than the ten chosen.

facetious: Good academic word — the doctor's 'facetious mood' before his jeers — but an incidental excerpt kept it just below the line.

intimated: Useful verb sense ('hint'), distinct from the adjective 'intimate'; lost a slot to words with stronger excerpts.

exulted: Vivid, ironic use — the low whites 'exulted' in brief authority — but a more familiar word than the chosen ten.

inculcated: Solid academic verb — principles 'inculcated by my grandmother' — edged out by words with stronger excerpts and themes.

countenance: Literary word for face/expression with a nice feeling-versus-show contrast, but lower importance to comprehension here.

avowal: Marks the chapter's pivot (the 'avowal' to Dr. Flint), but narrower academic reach than the chosen words.

insolence: Recurs in the doctor's tirades, but a fairly familiar word in an ordinary excerpt.

fortitude: Good Tier 2 word shown by its absence ('had not fortitude to endure'), but less central than the ten.

blighted: Vivid figurative verb that recurs, but more familiar and less academically central than the chosen words.

The word names the cramped attic where Jacobs hides for years - the section's defining space and one of the book's most famous images. Essential to following the narrative, and the passage doubles as a vivid reading-review anchor.

A high-value academic word a target-grade student will meet often, and genuinely uncommon in this sense of guessing from incomplete clues. Recurs in the section ('no means of conjecturing'), giving repeated, supportive context.

Strong Tier 2 value and uncommon enough to be worth teaching; the uncle who 'had contrived' the trap-door makes the sense of clever devising concrete. Recurs in the section, so the reader sees it work more than once.

A strong academic word, uncommon for a target-grade student, with rich connotation. 'As a matter of prudence no names were mentioned' models caution in a tense, secretive moment - clear context for the meaning.

A high-value academic word, uncommon in this sense; 'comparatively devoid of hardships' shows the meaning of being entirely without, inside a striking, ironic sentence worth reading closely.

Strong Tier 2 value with rich connotation; the 'despicable' duties of the constable, set against his one shred of honesty, sit in a pointed contrast a target-grade student can unpack. A well-rounded, teachable choice.

A valuable, uncommon word rich in connotation; 'repaid by such grievous wrongs' underscores severity at a charged moment. Strong academic value, though the excerpt is solid rather than pivotal.

Strong Tier 2 value and uncommon for a target-grade student; the swelling that 'did not abate' makes the sense of lessening or subsiding visible from context. A useful, transferable academic word.

Names the unnamed woman who shelters Jacobs for months - central to following this section, and the excerpt is emotionally charged ('kissed the feet of my benefactress'). The gendered '-ess' form narrows its academic reach a little, but comprehension value here is high.

A rare, high-value word that rewards a target-grade student; 'the irascible old man' captures Dr. Flint exactly. Narrower academic recurrence than the strongest picks, but vivid, precise, and rich in connotation.

coveted: Strong academic word with craft - a constable's whipping 'privilege to be coveted.' Just edged out by deeper or more comprehension-central picks.

malice: Strong Tier 2 value and a vivid opening ('restrained his malice'); a defensible quiz-word that lost its slot to harder, rarer words.

speculator: Central to the children's sale, but the tested sense (slave-trader) is text-specific and less transferable than the chosen words.

stupefied: Rare and vivid - 'stupefied me with drugs.' A good word that just missed against stronger academic picks.

monotony: Solid Tier 2 value; relief from 'the tedious monotony' of confinement is clear, but the excerpt and difficulty are middling.

exasperated: Useful Tier 2 word capturing Dr. Flint's mounting rage, but fairly well-known and set in an ordinary excerpt.

cunning: Anchors the iconic aphorism on slave 'cunning,' but the word is common and its plain gloss would teach a target-grade student little.

aperture: Uncommon and tied to the hiding-place, but low in connotation and overlapping the stronger 'garret' material.

loathsome: Connotation-rich - a 'loathsome jail' holding her children - but lower Tier 2 value and a solid rather than pivotal excerpt.

perseverance: A pervasive academic word, but well-known to a target-grade student in this sense; set aside mainly for being too easy.

Builds on a precise older sense students rarely know — unselfish, not 'uninterested.' 'This disinterested kindness' lets a target-grade student see the distinction worth teaching; a rich, often-confused word with strong reuse in academic writing.

A strong academic word for a pang of conscience, set in the notable Aunt Nancy burial passage where the slaveholder's staged grief sharpens the irony. Uncommon enough to teach, and the excerpt doubles as a memorable review moment.

A high-value word for careful moral honesty; the excerpt shows its exact sense — William's refusal to take money 'on false pretences.' Uncommon enough to be worth teaching and broadly useful across academic reading.

A pervasive academic word for a pretended excuse, clear in Peter's ruse to catch the vessel. Broadly useful in analytical writing, and uncommon enough that most target-grade students gain from learning it.

One of the most pervasive academic words here — students meet 'ascertain' across every subject. The excerpt shows it cleanly in use; modest nuance, but its sheer reuse value in academic reading makes it a strong pick.

Names the chapter's theme of wit-as-survival ('match my cunning against his cunning'), with high comprehension value and an iconic excerpt. Many students know the word, but its connotation of crafty deception still rewards attention.

A common-in-reading word for righteous anger; Benny's reaction to being called a negro gives a clear, memorable context. Reliable Tier 2 value and a strong fit for a target-grade student's growing vocabulary.

An uncommon but useful word for anything money-related; rare enough that few students know it, and the chapter supports it with repetition ('pecuniary embarrassments,' 'pecuniary troubles'). Good difficulty and clear context.

A useful academic word for prompting an action; 'a tremendous risk at my instigation' shows the meaning and Jacobs's guilt over Peter's danger. Solid Tier 2 value and reasonable difficulty for a target-grade student.

A solid word for unwise or rash conduct; the family deems Jacobs's storeroom visit 'very imprudent,' a clean in-context use. Reliable Tier 2 value and useful across academic writing, if less vivid than the chapter's stronger words.

remonstrated: Strong academic word for earnest protest, recurring in the chapter; just edged out by higher-reuse picks.

supplicant: Vivid word for one who pleads humbly ('supplicant for my children'); narrow reuse kept it just below the line.

convivial: Rich, ironic word at Dr. Flint's bribe-dinner, but low comprehension stakes and narrow reuse held it back.

rapacious: Vivid 'rapacious slaveholders' ties to the chapter's indictment, but low comprehension value kept it out.

dismal: Names the seven-year hiding hole in a strong excerpt, but most students already know the word.

fervent: Good word for intense feeling with an emotional excerpt, but low comprehension stakes left it just short.

exhilarating: Carries the first taste of open air, but most students know it and it matters little to comprehension.

decoyed: Recurs as the abolitionists 'decoyed him away'; serviceable but middling on every measure.

A high-value academic word used in its surprising sense - to officially permit - the opposite of what students expect: 'the laws sanction and enforce the theft.' That meaningful twist, plus its frequent return in academic reading, makes it the section's strongest teaching word.

Anchors a widely-quoted line - 'There are wrongs which even the grave does not bury... his memory is odious now' - whose repetition drives home the sense of arousing intense hatred. A strong, memorable excerpt and a useful word for a target-grade student.

An excellent, rich Tier 2 word most target-grade students won't know: 'the sanguine, happy little fellow' who is 'mistaken' models the cheerfully over-optimistic sense and its gentle irony in one stroke. High vocabulary-growth value.

A broadly useful word central to Jacobs's danger: 'my precarious situation placed me in their power' makes the dangerously-insecure sense clear and ties it to her vulnerability. Strong Tier 2 value and likely to recur in students' reading.

A vivid word for anxious dread; 'never go out... without trepidation at my heart' shows the fearful-anticipation sense cleanly. Uncommon enough to be worth teaching, with strong Tier 2 value for a target-grade student.

A rich teaching word with two senses students confuse: here it means to dread ('apprehend any unkind treatment'), while the same letter uses it to mean seize. Teaching the fear sense here builds awareness of both. Strong and broadly useful.

Models the figurative sense - permanent, impossible to erase - in a clear context: 'made an indelible impression.' A broadly useful word with strong Tier 2 value that a target-grade student can readily learn from this excerpt.

Closes the memoir in its most memorable image - 'not altogether without solace... like light, fleecy clouds floating over a dark and troubled sea.' A strong Tier 2 word in an iconic passage worth re-surfacing for its comfort-in-sorrow sense.

The contrast of the 'most destitute' English peasant with the 'most pampered American slave' makes the extreme-poverty sense vivid and pointed. A broadly useful word with strong Tier 2 value for a target-grade student.

A useful word for grossly unjust or wicked, anchored to the section's central outrage - 'the passage of this iniquitous law' (the Fugitive Slave Law). Strong context and thematic weight; recurs as 'City of Iniquity.'

incongruity: Strong academic word in a pointed line - 'a slave in New York... Strange incongruity in a State called free' - but the context nearly hands the meaning, lowering its urgency as a quiz-word.

ameliorate: A clean, high-value academic word a target-grade student will meet in nonfiction, but its excerpt is incidental and the field offered richer passages.

deportment: Uncommon 'conduct, bearing' sense in the famous England passage; a strong close call edged out by words with broader academic reach.

galling: Vivid Tier 2 word for bitter humiliation tied to Jacobs's resentment at being bought, but it sat just below stronger picks.

ape: The verb 'to ape' - to imitate slavishly - is a meaningful twist in a thematic line, but narrowly edged out of the ten.

relinquish: Broadly useful word in a charged legal line, but its excerpt and difficulty sat just under the selected words.

discern: A perceptive sense anchored to the mother-daughter reunion, but a fairly familiar word that lost to richer picks.

cupidity: A rare, useful word for greed, but its excerpt was less striking than the selected passages.

subterfuge: A valuable word for deceptive evasion, but the context nearly defines it and the excerpt was ordinary.