Question

abolitionists speak out
frederick douglass was born into slavery in maryland in approximately 1818. after several unsuccessful attempts, douglass escaped from slavery and eventually settled in massachusetts. in 1845, he wrote his first autobiography, narrative of the life of frederick douglass, an american slave, which had a profound influence on the movement to abolish slavery. harriet jacobs was born in north carolina in 1813. like douglass, jacobs was born into slavery. she eventually escaped and settled in new york. also like douglass, she wrote an autobiography, incidents in the life of a slave girl, which revealed the horrors of life under slavery. both douglass and jacobs went on to become vocal supporters of the antislavery movement.
what is the main, or central, idea of the passage?
the antislavery movement wouldnt have existed without autobiographies like frederick douglasss and harriet jacobss.
frederick douglass and harriet jacobs both escaped from slavery in the 1800s.
frederick douglass and harriet jacobs both wrote important autobiographies about their experiences of slavery.

Explanation:

1. Analyze the first option: The passage says their autobiographies influenced the antislavery movement, but it doesn't state the movement wouldn't exist without them. This is an overstatement.
2. Analyze the second option: While they both escaped slavery, the passage also emphasizes their autobiographies and their role in the antislavery movement. This option only focuses on their escape, not the main idea.
3. Analyze the third option: The passage details that both Douglass (with "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave") and Jacobs (with "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl") wrote autobiographies about their slavery experiences, and these were important (influenced the antislavery movement). This captures the central idea.

Answer:

Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs both wrote important autobiographies about their experiences of slavery.