Deborah White uses various examples of situations involving these characterizations from other works such as "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" by Harriet Jacobs, interviews, and other historical references. Through these examples, Deborah White is able to effectively convey, through historical context, how these women struggled with the assumption that all Black slave women were "Jezebels" until proven otherwise. Considered highly sexual women, what were classified as "Jezebel" women initially began due to African traditions that predate their slavery and also excused "miscegenation, sexual exploitation of black women, and the mulatto population." Deborah White argues that these women faced a truly unique situation because their sexual behavior could lead to them being treated better or worse, depending on the situation and the master; since population growth was inevitable, white men seemed to believe this demonstrated their “lewd and licentious behavior.” Furthermore, the conditions in which these women lived “helped imprint the image of Jezebel in the minds of whites” even though this environment was created by these men “which ensured that the slaves' behavior met their expectations.” In contrast to the “Jezebel” figure, white men also created the “Mammy” figure who was a faithful servant of the white family and a surrogate mother for both white and black children. This position for a black slave helped “support the service of black women in Southern households” (61). Therefore, both of these characterizations had to justify the treatment of black