“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.
“A business is only as good as its workers.” It’s a common
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Greed is the undertone upon which Douglass states that slavery “corrupted souls” and “turned good people into bad people.” The institution of slavery was based on the ultimate control and power over a human to whom he is stripped of all of his identity and becomes sub-human. Consequently, the institution forces slave holders had to buy into this concept in order to justify any and all cruelty toward slaves. Douglas states “Slave holders resort to all kinds of cruelty” and later describes various ways of torture and punishment “all are in requisition to keep the slave in his condition as a slave in the United States” (Douglass 272). Slave holders showed no mercy when reprimanding slaves. The brutality and cruelty of these punishments were more of a statement of power and control and often times the punishment was worse than the offense.
“Racism was used aggressively to divide poor white southerners from slaves. The relationship between the wealthy and the poor was aggressively exploited by the rich white slave holder to ensure the poor whites non-slave holder that they had a similar cause” (Shaping America: Lesson 16). This caused non-slave holding whites to have a similar view as latter. Non-slave holding whites were in direct competition with slaves and more often than not were forced out of work due to the free labor slavery had offered.
In conclusion, “Slavery is always slavery; always the same foul, haggard, and damning
Everyone has the right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every man has these rights but unfortunately slaves and women do not. Women do not receive the same rights as men do. They get paid less and don't get hired as often as men do. Slaves do not get any rights to do anything and get punished for their actions. Women at least have some rights as men do but Slaves however, Man or Women, are not given any rights at all. I believe that all women and slaves should be given the same rights as men and everyone should be equal. Today's society is still not perfect but is still better than what it used to
The life of a slave was an unfair and unjust degrading way to live. "I was often awakened at the dawn of the day by the most heart-rending shrieks, the louder that they screamed the harder they got whipped. Where the blood ran the fastest, there he whipped the longest" (Douglass, 3). Slaves were classified as property; they were inferior
gives insight on how slavery negatively affected slaves and slaveholders. The “poison of irresponsible power” that the slaveholders have, can turn innocent people into dehumanizing, power hungry devils (Douglass 39). Douglass shares these experiences with us by using profound characterization,and flashbacks throughout his book.
The willingness to murder a slave for not wanting to be whipped for hours should not be a thing in a country with “liberty and equality.” “Mangling her person in the most horrible manner, breaking her nose and breastbone with a stick. killing him by knocking his brains out with a hatchet” (Douglass 15). These two murders are examples of how Douglass used the motif to show the insane violence that is conducted during slavery. All these murders point to a clear pattern: slavery is not just bad morally, but is dangerous to human life and is solely based on racism.
Douglass argues that slavery corrupted slaveholders, debunking what the Northerners thought, that slave holders didn’t change. “That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage.” (Excerpt 3 Paragraph 3) Douglass had lived with a kind woman who
It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason” (10). He puts a lot of emphasis on the ideas that slaves need to be tricked into accepting their enslavement. Since no person in his right mind would ever accept such a condition, it is the intent for the master’s to destroy the slave’s minds. Douglass expresses how slaves aren’t the only victims and how it corrupts all of those who are involved in
A man of hope and undying perseverance, Frederick Douglass escapes the shackles of slavery into the safety of the North, where he achieves the ultimate dream of the southern slave: freedom. He overcomes his struggles with his identity and knowledge of his past. In his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the cruelty and inhumane ways of slaveholders are depicted in their truest forms through the personal accounts of Frederick Douglass. Douglass is fearful of having to stay as a slave for life and experiences different work under the several masters he served. When Sophia Auld, the wife of Douglass’ master, tries to teach Douglass how to read and write, she is told to stop by her husband because according to Mr. Auld, a slave who reads will develop a desire for freedom. Hearing this, Douglass is determined and hopeful that his ability to read and write will determine his future in slavery or freedom. After many thoughts of doubt, experiences of betrayal, and whip lashings, Douglass finally decides to embark on his escape to freedom on September 3, 1838. Finally in free land in the North, Douglass is filled with distrust and fear of being captured by slaveholders; however, the kindness of Mr. Nathan Johnson allows him to live the rest of his life in freedom.
It was ‘Maryland’ beside of Chesapeake Bay. Frederick’s mother was a slave like the little boy of Deriki. As the son of a slave a trader bought Frederick for slavery. Frederick wanted to escape from the very beging. His first attempt was failed. His master thought if Frederick escapes, thaen he would face a big loss. For that his master sold him to another person. Frederick tried to escape again. But his second attempt was same as first. After few days Frederick Douglass met a lady who was five years elder than him. He fell in love. The lady was a free person. Frederick thought that his demand to be a free man would get some strength if he could marry that lady. There was a rule if a slave marry a free person then he could claim him as a free man. But fact was different. The rullers responded negatively aganist the marriage proposal. Finally after
When the United States was first established it was hard for everyone to get on their feet in a “new world”, but for some people it was harder than you would think. I do not know how we get away with slavery, but somehow we did and I hope we never have to go down that road again. One of the most famous people you hear talking about slavery is Frederick Douglass he is significant because he was once a slave who learned how to read and write and eventually stood up for what he believed in. Frederick Douglass ended up with his own views and he had a lot of different influences throughout his life to make these opinions and views. There are two sides to slavery and they have completely different views on governments and how to handle that situation. Frederick Douglass wrote a narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave in this he sides with Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, in this he makes his own views on the political ideals that are significant like natural law, and on the other side the slave holders would agree most with Machiavelli’s Prince in the aspect of how to run government.
Authors often exaggerate or revise small details of their own books in order to produce an emotion in the reader instead of a factual representation. However, this does not make authors to be liers, only fabricators. In times or social unjust it is necessary for the oppressed to voice their opinions for the purpose of gaining equality. As it may seem immoral to twist truths, if done correctly it will strengthen the author's message, without compromising the authenticity of the plot. One can see this in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, along with his, My Bondage and My Freedom. Both novels are accounts of Douglass’ troublesome journey from a slave to a freeman. These heroic accounts served as prominent and respected
How did slavery continue to exist despite its inhumane practices? Many of these owners employed the ideas of dehumanizing slaves and religion in order to perpetuate their actions. Dehumanization demoted the societal status of slaves, therefore deeming blacks inferior to their white counterparts. Moreover, although directly opposing religious principles of kindness and avoidance of sin, plantation owners used Christianity as a mechanism to mask their inhumanity and encourage their cruelty toward slaves. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass develops themes of dehumanization and religion, which helps readers understand the techniques slave owners utilized to alleviate their guilt, condone malice toward slaves, and preserve supremacy over colored people in Southern society.
Douglass confirms that slavery dehumanizes mankind. Douglass’s narrative confirms that slavery does take a dehumanizing toll on slaves and their masters.
Slavery is a humongous topic involving both slaves and former slaves. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Story is one such story. Douglass suffered punishments, and watching others get punished, he uses those experiences to make his argument against slavery.Douglass’ tone in the narrative is sarcastic and dark. Frederick Douglass successfully uses vast quantities of rhetorical devices, illuminating the horror and viciousness of slavery, including the need to eliminate it.
What the average person does not know about slavery is all of the inhumane behavior that was tolerated. To describe these acts as cruel would be an understatement, Douglass does not hold back on the tragedies he witnessed and he does not hold back on sharing them with the world. For so many years slave owners comforted themselves in the thought of the romantic image of slavery, claiming it was God’s will to let these people suffer, claiming that it was not an extreme environment. The only
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave details the progression of a slave to a man, and thus, the formation of his identity. The narrative functions as a persuasive essay, written in the hopes that it would successfully lead to “hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of [his] brethren in bonds” (Douglass 331). As an institution, slavery endeavored to reduce the men, women, and children “in bonds” to a state less than human. The slave identity, according to the institution of slavery, was not to be that of a rational, self forming, equal human being, but rather, a human animal whose purpose is to work and obey the whims of their “master.” For these reasons, Douglass articulates a distinction