chester , ▁state ▁and ▁local ▁historical ▁soci eties , ▁and ▁the ▁Horn ib low ▁and ▁Nor c um ▁papers ▁at ▁the ▁North ▁Carolina ▁state ▁arch ives , ▁to ▁establish ▁both ▁that ▁Har ri et ▁Jacob s ▁was ▁the ▁true ▁author ▁of ▁Inc idents , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁narr ative ▁was ▁her ▁aut obi ography , ▁not ▁a ▁work ▁of ▁fiction . ▁At ▁the ▁suggestion ▁of ▁historian ▁Herbert ▁Gut man , ▁she ▁contact ed ▁Harvard ▁University ▁Press ▁regarding ▁publication , ▁and ▁her ▁edition ▁of ▁Inc idents ▁in ▁the ▁Life ▁of ▁a ▁S lave ▁Girl ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 7 ▁with ▁the ▁end ors ement ▁of ▁Professor ▁John ▁B lass ing ame . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁publication ▁of ▁Inc idents , ▁Y ell in ▁engaged ▁in ▁further ▁research ▁which ▁revealed ▁that ▁Jacob s ▁had ▁been ▁well ▁known ▁in ▁her ▁own ▁time ▁and ▁was ▁very ▁involved ▁in ▁the ▁abol ition ist ▁and ▁femin ist ▁movements ▁and ▁in ▁southern ▁Re const ruction ▁efforts ▁following ▁the ▁American ▁Civil ▁War . ▁Y ell in ▁decided ▁that ▁a ▁bi ography ▁of ▁Jacob s ▁was ▁needed ▁to ▁" embed ▁her ▁appropri ately ▁in ▁American ▁cultural ▁history ", ▁and ▁Har ri et ▁Jacob s : ▁A ▁Life ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 4 . ▁ ▁While ▁working ▁on ▁the ▁bi ography , ▁Y ell in ▁also ▁conce ived ▁of ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁the ▁Har ri et ▁Jacob s ▁Pap ers ▁Project , ▁a ▁collection ▁of ▁documents ▁by ▁and ▁about ▁Jacob s . ▁In ▁ 2 0 0