The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave

The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass gives readers a detailed overview of the life of a slave who share his own personal experiences and struggles from a slave to a freeman.  Frederick Douglass was born in Talbot county, Maryland. He was the son of Harriet Bailey and his father was a white man  (Douglass 1). After living with his master for nine months, Frederick was sent to stay with Mr. Covey, a man who is known for “breaking down young slaves” (Douglass 34). But while he was at Mr Covey’s Douglass faced many struggles.

Slavery was an embarrassing time in America’s history. In 2016, slavery has become a distant memory. It’s easy for us to admit that slavery is wrong but, in Frederick Douglass’s time no one thought that it was. Frederick Douglass went on to write books and give speeches in hope that one day all slaves would be free. In the book called “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, he attempts to shine light on the American Slave system in the 1800’s.

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, more commonly known as Frederick Douglass, was born around 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland (Hagler). Douglass was one of the most influential human rights leaders and one of the most renowned abolitionists. By learning to read and write around the age of 10, Douglass was able to develop a greater understanding of the world that didn’t revolve around slavery, along with the desire to become a free man and civil rights activist (Hagler). Douglass is now well known for his famous autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, in which he recalls his many experiences in slavery and the ways he dealt with the daily suffering. In his autobiographical narrative, The Narrative of the Life

Everyone would agree that education helps develop us into who we are and what we can become. We are able to explore new ideas and concepts, which leads to more knowledge. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass is thrown into a new world of knowledge and opportunity, once he learns how to read and write. Through his knowledge, he learns more about his situation and potential. Douglass discovers that a slave was set free by persuading his master, and as a result, this information makes Douglass an avid learner. He understands that education is his only way out of slavery. Education empowers people to make good decisions and paves a future that provides opportunities. An education can open doors that were once closed.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” This famous quote is from a speech given by one of America’s most influential abolitionist speakers, Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery, this great American leader led a life many of us would find impossible to bear. After gaining his freedom from slavery, Douglass shared his stories through impressive speeches and vivid autobiographies, which helped America move forward as a country liberated from racial inequality. Although Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave allows readers to understand what life was like for slaves in antebellum America, the most important and relevant lesson to take away from this narrative today is the importance of perseverance. Douglass’s courage to resist and learn paired with his determination to keep his faith and ultimately find himself, is something to which people from every culture and time period can relate.

Frederick Douglas is a former slave, abolitionist, writer, editor, and orator. He was born in 1818 and died in 1895. Throughout Douglass’ early years he suffered physical abuse, deprivation, and tragedy. Although he had a rough start he overcame every obstacle thrown his way and became a great spokesman for his people. Douglass didn’t really know who was as a person all he knew was what people told him. Throughout his early life he looked at the life of the white kids and judge his life based on theirs and he felt that his life was totally unfair because he was not afforded the same privileges as his Caucasian peers. In 1835 Frederick Douglass overheard his master say that he was 17, and this was the first time he ever heard anything of his age (1).

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.

Frederick Douglass believed that all people were born equal, but he also believed that humans were not just automatically born free. He deduced that man has the innate instinctive ability to mold themselves into whoever they wanted to become. So, naturally self-improvement and education were two crucial aspects of Frederick’s life. To Douglass the most horrific thing about slavery was the fact that slaves were totally and completely precluded from and form of education, which prevented them from improving themselves. Douglass worked exceedingly hard to obtain an education in order to ultimately become a free man. Although he still had to physically escape slavery his education played a vital role in his journey to freedom.

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave was written by Frederick Douglass himself. He was born into slavery in Tuckahoe, Maryland in approximately 1817. He has, "…no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it" (47). He became known as an eloquent speaker for the cause of the abolitionists. Having himself been kept as a slave until he escaped from Maryland in 1838, he was able to deliver very impassioned speeches about the role of the slave holders and the slaves. Many Northerners tried to discredit his tales, but no one was ever able to disprove his statements.

“My mother was of a darker complexion than either my grandmother or grandfather. My father was a white man. He was admitted to be such by all I ever heard speak of my parentage.”

Being a slave in the United States was not uncommon in the 19th century. There were many brutalities of being a slave including physical and spiritual abuse. Slaves were considered property and not as human beings. They were mistreated and kept illiterate. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is a autobiography written by Frederick Douglass himself that told of his experiences of being a slave in the United States. He expresses the brutality the slave owners and how he struggled with running away to become a free human being. The themes of his story include: the ignorance of slaves, the treatment of slaves as property, religion used as justification, and the victimization of female slaves.

Frederick was born in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough. He wasn't sure of his age, most slaves did not know their age, slaves didn't go to school, didn't have an education or know how to read or write. It was a tough life for slaves, some days he never had any piece of food.

The living condition for slaves were determined by the size and nature of the agricultural unit on which they lived in. the conditions of slaves in these circumstances were grouped into the experiences of field slaves and house slaves. The majority of plantation slaves worked in the fields though a few were selected to work around the owner’s house. The slaves that worked on the fields lived in small shacks with a dirt floor and usually no furniture. The slaves that worked in their owner’s home had better living conditions then the captives that worked in the fields. Their weekly food rations consisted of corn, lard, some types of meat, syrup, peas, greens and flour. The slave’s morning meals were often prepared at daybreak in the slave’s

most of them did not have any furniture at all. The fireplace was in the middle of the cabin and there was no chimney, so you would have to have the door open in order for the smoke to clear out. They lay around the fire on two or three boards, lifted above the ground. Plaited mats served as mattresses. They used a block of wood for a pillow. Some slaves used a hammock instead, but only a few would have been able to afford such a luxury, because these had to be bought from Indians and cost about 25 guilders -a fortune for the average slave. Most bondsmen also owned a couple of iron and earthenware pots, calabashes and a chest to store their Sunday finery in. Some fortunate plantation slaves lived in comfortable cabins depending on how much money they make and what their owner will give them or let them build. some slaves could enjoy a proper bed, curtains, tables, chairs and even

The slaves lived on the plantations and only had the things their masters provided them with, which that was not a lot. For the plantation slaves they did not have a nice house to live in like the plantation owner, they lived in “small shacks with dirt floors” with a small amount of furniture (“Slave Life and Slave Codes”). They were not provided with a large amount of clothing. The slave's clothes were made by a woman slave that had to spin and make them at home. For the month that Christmas was in they got five or four yards of cloth for their clothes according to how good they were. You would wear the clothes made from that cloth during the summer and winter until the next year (Michael Brinkley). Furthermore, slave’s food supplement was not a high quality. For one day on a large southern plantation a slave was given at the most a pint of grain and half of a rotten fish, if they wanted more than that they had to find a way to obtain it themselves (Samuel Wood). However, on a small farm a slave may not get fed at all one day (“Slave Life and Slave Codes”). (need ending)