Frederick Douglass Worst Horror

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave was written by Douglass himself, giving a detailed description of the slaveholders cruelty. Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland, and he makes known that he does not know his specific birthdate, “... no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it.” (47), but it was approximately around 1818. Once being enslaved, and then escaping in 1838 he became known as an eloquent speaker for abolitionists, being able to deliver passionate speeches about the role of a slaveholder and their relationship to their slaves, especially since he was one of them. Douglass even discovered the true meaning of the songs sung by enslaved people, “ I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of those rude and apparently incoherent songs, I was myself within the circle; so that I neither saw nor heard as those without might see and hear.” (27). The book is not an easy read for those who believe in equal rights, as Douglass put into painful words the description of brutal whippings, signs of no mercy, and people being taken advantage of because if they had shown mercy they believed they would have lost their dignity.

As a child, Frederick douglass was unable to form an emotional bond with his mother due to the limitations set by slavery, and was both mentally and physically tortured. By the time he had turned into a teenager he had managed to learn how to read and write, and had been under the service of multiple masters & overseers, most of which had been cruel and unforgiving. Yet, there was an urge in Frederick Douglass’s life that had caused him to fight back, and so he did, and not

At the age of 21, Frederick Douglass managed to escape from slavery, on September 3, 1838, and moved to New York City, where he married Ana Murray, a free woman, also of the black race, whom I had met in Baltimore. Both moved to Massachusetts, where Frederick worked as a day laborer for four years. In 1841 his life had a major change when he went to a convention of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery

Frederick Douglass was so over slavery that he decided to escape from it and become free. Before escaping, he went to work for Mr. Butler who had a shipyard and from there he would try to run away. Mr. Butler never suspected anything bad from Douglass, so he would pay him twenty five cents. Working for Mr. Butler was not a bad experience for Douglass, Mr. Butler was a good master towards him. Douglass loved his friends and was sad he would have to leave them again. When the day came, he was more nervous than ever, since escaping from your

Over the 1800’s many people were against slavery, one of which was Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery around 1817-1818. At age 12, he learned to read and write, taught by his master’s wife. Douglass tried to escape slavery twice before he succeeded. On his third attempt, he had help escaping by Anna Murray, a free black woman. They fell in love, married, and

Douglass' life started off as any other life of a slave. He was born into slavery on a plantation, separated from his mother before he was twelve months old, and taken care of by his grandmother, who was too old to be of any use on a plantation. This was a usual occurrence, taking the child from the enslaved woman at a young age. Being very important in keeping the child enslaved and obedient, the only purpose to the psychological effect of this separation was, Douglass writes, "to hinder the development of the child's affection toward its mother, and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child" (Douglass, 48). Douglass also tells of when he learns that his mother had died, "I received tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger" (Douglass, 49). He states this to further illustrate the effect and purpose of the separation. Douglass feels no different towards his own mother than he does toward a complete stranger, implying what little he knew of, experienced with, and cared about his mother due to their forced separation.

Before Douglass was a free man, he was a slave who worked for a man named Master Hugh. Douglass was well taken care of as a slave and was even taught the alphabet by his mistress. His mistress, Master Hugh’s

Fredrick Douglass was a former slave, talented writer and outspoken abolitionist. Douglass was a slave from Tuckahoe, Maryland who fled to New York and than later on to Massachusetts. He was born into slavery and was officially sent to a plantation to work at the age of seven. Prior to working in the fields he, as well as other slave children, was raised by an older woman. This was commonplace for the slave families, according to Douglass, "it 's a common custom to part children from their mothers at a very early age. Frequently, before the child has reached it 's twelfth month, it 's mother is taken from it, and hired out on some farm a considerable distance off, and the child is placed under the care of an old woman, too old for field labor" (Douglass, 2). A man named Captain Anthony, who was aid to have been Douglass 's father, owned Douglass 's mother. Due to a series of deaths within his family, which would later include the Captain himself, there were a number of property disputes. Douglass was constantly shifted back and forth from Baltimore to the south. After a failed attempt at escaping he was sent back to Baltimore.

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 1818. His time in captivity molded him into one of the most influential people during the nineteenth century. This paper will discuss his life and experiences as a slave and how they compare to other slaves. Douglass’s traveling and education are what makes him very similar, but also very different from most slaves.

[he] understand[s] the pathway from slavery to freedom." (20). Without this understanding he may have been unhappy but he would have contented himself with the fact that it was his fate as a black man, to be a slave for the rest of his life. For the majority of slaves in Douglass's time, there were no kind mistresses to teach them how to read or write let alone a master who would unwittingly reveal the means to becoming free. It is for this reason that many slaves, cloaked in ignorance, were content in their situations and comforted themselves with false beliefs and

Frederick Douglass was an African American slave in the 1840’s who shared his struggles in his narrative in order to show how he succeeded and achieved his goals that were seemingly impossible for a slave. Douglass was one of the few slaves who safely escaped, and was given the opportunity to speak publicly about his experiences. This was a way for him to truly share his horrific experiences he endured as a slave, but to also share his daily struggle of cruelty because of his race. By sharing his story, Douglass has shaped the lives of future generations of African Americans and shown what it means to rise above it and make something of himself, and to never give up.

He wanted to make it harder for his legal master to track him down and take him back to the miserable life of slavery. Douglass legally became free at the age of about 30 when his freedom was officially bought for approximately $700 US dollars from Hugh Auld. This was controversial among his peers; for some felt as if this went against the rights that Douglass was fighting for in the first

Douglass experienced the horrors of slavery in both his childhood and his adult life. During

Douglass’s own personal experiences reveals just how quickly slavery can change a life. On January 1, 1833, Douglass was reassigned to Mr. Covey, a sadistic man who enjoyed catching slaves doing something wrong off guard. In just six months, Douglass was forced to work under all circumstances. He proclaims that “it was never too hot or too cold; it could never rain, blow, hail, or snow, too hard for us to work in the field” (pg 37). The results of this treatment were devastating. Deprived of time to rest and stripped of his dignity, Douglass was “broken in body, soul, and spirit” (pg 38). Eventually, it appears as if Douglass becomes depressed as his “intellect languished”, his “disposition to read departed”, and “the cheerful spark that lingered about his eyes died” (pg 38). From Douglass’s personal experience, readers can see how just minimal exposure to slavery can dehumanize a man into depression. Additionally, Douglass literally says that he was “a man transformed into a brute!” (pg 38). Through Douglass’s experiences, readers can certainly see that slavery dismantles the lives of its poor

Patrick Henry once said, “give me liberty, or give me death.” In the eyes of Frederick Douglass and countless others enslaved, this took on a much deeper meaning to them. “It was doubtful liberty at most, and almost certain death is we failed.” [51] Frederick Douglass was one of the most commonly known slaves to have existed. Slavery has been around since the 1700s, but the subject of slavery is controversial because it not only includes information written from former slaves, but information acquired from historians. The question that has with stood the test of time is, “are these encounters that have been written out, exaggerated or the whole truth and nothing but the truth?” In the early 1800’s Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland, and grew up on Colonial Edward Lloyd’s plantation. Children would be separated from their mothers before they were twelve months in age-Frederick too was separated from his mother. As a result of entering slave-hood at an early age, he did not know his birthdate (like most slaves). Frederick Douglass’s account on slavery could be seen as biased as a result of first hand experiences with being held as a slave. Although, Douglass is able to be direct our thoughts to these experiences in such a light, you feel as if you are witnessing it happen right before you. Because of Douglass’s quest for freedom, his daring attitude, and determination to learn, he shows us the way through American Slavery in his eyes. Douglass provides