Forever Free By Frederick Douglass

Wendell Berry’s past is more than just his own in “My Great-Grandfather’s Slaves,” but his past is intertwined with the slaves that grew up with. A quick reading of this poem by Berry would not give the reader that he was connected with the slaves, but rather that they lived separate lives. Berry says he sees the slaves and their activities but does not ever write about how they are connected until the very last stanza. After reading the final stanza it gives the rest of the poem a new meaning and if the reader does not take the time to closely re-read the writing they will miss out on what Berry is really trying to portray. Wendell Berry is trying to show the reader how his past is linked with the past of his grandfather’s slaves with his

"Some men know the value of education by having it. I know its value by not having it." –Blessings of Liberty and Education (1894) In Frederick Douglass’ narrative he writes about his childhood memories while he was enslaved including memories from different owners and overseers.He talks about the multiple different plantations he had lived on. He includes his memories of the terrible treatment of his family and fellow slaves as well as memories of being in communications with them. In his narrative, he criticizes many aspects of slavery however he focuses on the inhumanity of slavery. By criticizing the inhumanity of slavery Douglass demonstrates that becoming literate enabled him to discover his self-pride which helped him become a

Many people struggle for change because they believe they aren’t being treated fairly, a certain group of people aren’t being treated equal, or they just want to see a certain change in something. “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July”, “Ain’t I a Woman”, and “Brown v. Board” are all examples that clearly show why people struggle for change. “What to the Slave” focusses on what the Fourth of July means to slaves. “Ain’t I a Woman” discusses the differences between how black women are treated compared to white women. “Brown v. Board” is about how segregation has a lot of negative factors and how they need to change it.

Frederick Douglass is well known for playing a vital role in the abolition of slavery in America. He struggled most of his life trying to break free of the evil chains that were forced upon him by his masters and later to free others from suffering a fate similar to his. Being a brilliant orator and writer, he achieved success in promoting his anti-slavery and equality agendas through his eloquent speeches and through writings in his own abolitionist newspaper “The North Star.” In a significant amount of Douglass’s speeches and writings, he was very prophetic in words as well as in spirit. Throughout his entire life, starting from bondage to freedom, his faith in God was a constant influence on his morals, works and ideas.

The American Dream rejoices with the stories that begin with humble beginnings and end with prosperity and success; the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a story of upward social success and increased affluence and freedom. Douglass narrates his own life and tells of his failures, thoughts, and accomplishments over the span of his life. He began his life at the bottom of society as a slave. Through hard work, an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and the ability to maintain and fight for his beliefs, Frederick Douglass attained the goal of the American Dream and eventually became a free man. Douglass’s transition from uneducated slave to free citizen was slow, and began when he would pay children in his neighborhood with bread to learn how to read. As a child Douglass recognized the value of education and would sacrifice so much to be able to learn to read, in part to spite his slave owners. With this foundation, he knew he could become accomplished. He used his self-taught education to encourage other slaves to learn and become literate. This foundation and bank of knowledge allowed Douglass to escape from slavery and become a free man. The early scenes in Douglass’s life prove to influence and encourage his success throughout his lifetime, which, in turn, provides further support of the value of the American Dream.

“It was not color, but crime, not God, but man that afforded the true explanation of the existence of slavery; nor was I long in finding out another important truth, what man can make, man can unmake” (Douglass 59). In My Bondage and My Freedom, Fredrick Douglass explains in detail the harsh and cruel realties of slavery and how slavery was an institution that victimized not only slaves, but slave holders, and non-slave holding whites. Fredrick Douglass could not have been more right with his observation of slavery. In my opinion, slavery is not only an institution, but is a prime example of a corrupt business model that thrives on free labor, ultimate control, and wealth.

Almost Free is a story about a slave by the name of Samuel Johnson. Johnson was a mixed slave that lived in Warrenton, Virginia and worked to free himself and his family from slavery in the late 1700s and the early to mid-1800s. He was not like most slaves. Johnson’s father was white which gave him a lighter complexion than other slaves. His owner, as well as other town folk, took to liking him more because they believed he was a smarter, more capable slave than the rest. His owner, and a few other men with authority, helped Johnson become free and even stay in Warrenton. Though these men did help him, one must wonder if it was for an ulterior motive. It could have been to make things not seem so bad for the slaves, and thus ending a feud that would ultimately lead to the division of a nation.

"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom," declared George W. Carver. This quote to me means that without an education you have freedom but it is limited freedom only because without knowledge you miss out on half of what the world has to offer. In the book Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington, Washington is born into slavery in Malden, Virginia and then freed at the age of nine. He struggles through poverty, racism, and many other obstacles to obtain an education but never loses his determination . An education is beneficial considering all the opportunities it has to offer.

Today in our modern great nation, we have the freedom of speech, the right to your own life, and the opportunity to change the way we live. At least to some extent. In the other parts of the world, people do not always have the freedoms we have. In the story of anthem, by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 lives in a country where freedom does not exist. But rather controlled by a higher power. Equality 7-2521, lives in a communist country.

Concepts, techniques, and ways of thinking can last much longer than their creators. The philosophy of Plato is an example of that. Its ideas can be found in a speech written thousands of years later. In “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Frederick Douglass, a former slave, addresses an audience of white abolitionists on July 5th of 1852. He focuses on the disparity between the American values celebrated on the Independence Day and the issue of slavery. To do so, Douglass raises the question of to whom those values apply and explains why and how it should be different. Analyzing Douglass’ effort, we see that he is using arguments that trace back to the ancient Platonic ideas to support his stance on the equally ancient question of citizenship.

At whatever point injustice appears in society, it turns into the obligation of others to venture forward with regards to the persecuted. On the off chance that this activity does not happen, at that point the foul play will remain and honest individuals will endure. So as to protect equality, in some cases individuals must go out on a limb so as to uncover reality and maintain equity. People all through history, for example Martin Luther King, Jr., have confronted this risk in the quest for ultimate freedom.Both the matrix and FDN embodies this, a quest for ultimate freedom and truth. What is ultimate freedom? Ultimate freedom is the ability to be free in mindset, body, spiritually and to control destiny. In the year 1845, Frederick Douglass

Imagine living a life in slavery, where you have a limited freedom and society constantly looks down on you. If you had the opportunity to be a free man, would you take it or would you come running back to becoming a slave? Two of Thomas Jefferson’s slaves, James Hemings and Sally Hemings had to make this decision in 1789. James and Sally are part of a family that held various high positions at Monticello, Jefferson’s plantation. Martha Jefferson, Jefferson’s wife, was step-siblings with James and Sally. When Jefferson was called to be the U.S. minister in France, he called upon James to come with him to serve as his servant. Two years later, Sally followed accompanying Jefferson’s youngest daughter, Polly to France. While in France, James and Sally were considered free due to the “Freedom Principle.” This states that any slave who sets foot in France is now considered a free man. Jefferson chose James specifically to come with him to France because he knew that James wanted to be chef and France was the perfect place to enhance his culinary skills. Not only did Jefferson pay for James’ training but he also gave James a salary that was more than the average salary of anyone in his profession. There are those who believe that James’ loyalty to Jefferson was a valid reason to stay; however, I believe James unwisely chose to leave behind the booming city of Paris and his personal freedom. This paper will explore the factors that James considered to make his decision. First, I

Humanity thrives on a variety of fundamental aspects in society, however the way each aspect is perceived can be debated on which is more paramount. H. L. Mencken, an american essayist wrote, “ The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” While this is considered correct for many people, it disregards the fighters and heroes who sacrifice their lives and safety for the freedom of others and the united states.

Langston Hughes’s “Let America Be America Again” is a poem that could be endlessly applied to where America stands today. This poem illustrates the morals, ideas, and visions set forth by those who found this country and how America has begun straying from those principles. The poem expresses that America is made up of all walks of people and that no man should be crushed by those above him, but rather be given the same opportunity as those above him. Hughes desire to make America great again can be shared in some way or another by most Americans making this poem everlasting. “Let America Be America Again” has the personalization, the language, the connection shared by every American, and the rhyme to allow readers of every race, gender, or religious belief to be brought together as not only people but as Americans.

"Long Walk to Freedom", released in 1995, is a biographical story about the revolutionary and former South African President Nelson Mandela. The book narrates how Mandela becomes a remarkable leader in the construction of a democratic South Africa. It chronicles his early life, growing up, education and his 27 years in prison before becoming President and working to rebuild the country 's segregated society. Mandela begins his book with a description of his ancestry and later goes on to talk about his early childhood, which mainly consisted on herding cattle and practicing a traditional southern South African type of martial art. When Mandela became of age, his father sent him to school, which was a rare privilege for a child in his village. Mandela transcended at school and his uncle decided to invest on Nelson’s school success by sending him to a series of exclusive boarding schools.