Title: Frederick Douglass. Identity Is One Of The Most

Picture this going through life without the ability to read or write. Without these abilities, it is impossible for a person to be a functioning member of society. In addition, imagine that someone is purposely limiting your knowledge to keep a leash on your independence. Not only is an American slave raised without skills in literacy, he cannot be taught to read unless someone breaks the law. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the reader is given a detailed explanation of why slave masters keep their slaves ignorant and the effects such a strategy has on the slaves’ lives. In his autobiography, Douglass describes how the knowledge he obtains has substantial positive and negative effects on his psyche. He is given renewed passion and hope for freedom while struggling with the burden of enlightenment of his situation. Ultimately, however, education shapes his fate, and he achieves freedom and prominence as an advocate for abolition.

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.

America’s history will be scarred forever by the evils of slavery which once existed here. Slaves lived lives of pain and hardship. But some, like the slave and later abolitionist Frederick Douglass, rose up from the tribulations of slavery and led the way for progress and change in America. In his autobiography “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Douglass tells his inspiring yet harrowing story of his life as a slave in Maryland and his escape to freedom in New York and later Massachusetts, where he eventually became an abolitionist. Douglass masterfully uses ethos, pathos, and logos to craft his powerful narrative that exposes to his audience, the American people, the horrors, absurdity, and hypocrisy of slavery.

In a Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave written by himself, the author argues that no one can be enslaved if he or she has the ability to read, write, and think. Douglass supports his claim by first providing details of his attempts to earn an education, and secondly by explaining the conversion of a single slaveholder. The author’s purpose is to reveal the evils of slavery to the wider public in order to gain support for the abolition of his terrifying practice. Based on the purpose of writing the book and the graphic detail of his stories, Douglass is writing to influence people of higher power, such as abolitionists, to abolish the appalling reality of slavery; developing a sympathetic relationship with the

“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.

Frederick Douglass was an African American social reformer, abolitionist, and writer. Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland on February1818 and he died on February 20, 1895. And was named by his mother, Harriet Bailey. But the exact date of Douglass birth is unknown. After escaping from slavery, he becomes a leader of the abolitionist movement. He know that as a living counter is a example to slave holders augments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to the function as independent American citizens. He was known as the narrative of the life of American slaves. His dialogue was “I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it”. He was of mixed race, which included Native American on his mother side as well as African and European. He is author and narrates of the Narrative. Douglass has always thinking about views regarding the slave owner’s interpretation of Christianity. He is the rhetorically skilled and spirited man is a abolitionist movement. He talks about the religion, Resistance, Coming of age, the importance of friendships, the poverty of slavery, and the abuse of women.

Since slaves were not allowed schooling, illiteracy was very common for African Americans slaves. For many people not accustomed to slavery, it was believed that slavery was simply a state of natural being. People believed African Americans were inherently incapable of residing in their society and consequently should live as laborers for white slave owners. Enforcing illiteracy among children deprived them of their necessary morality and ethics. Southern slave owners used this to their advantage control how the remainder of the country viewed slavery. If slaves were illiterate, they were incapable of telling their side of slavery. Douglass is saying that knowledge is key to winning against slavery. His quote, “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man” (Douglass) describes his transformation as a slave with little knowledge and education to a man who has become very knowledgeable and educated to beat slavery. Douglass uses knowledge as the road to his freedom. He seeks knowledge and education to help slaves voice the wrong doings slaveholders are bringing upon blacks. Douglass helps slaves discover their selves not as slaves but as men instead.

In The Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave, written by himself the author asserts that the way to enslave someone is to keep them from learning at all. Douglass supports his claim by, first, when Frederick was small he was never able to tell his age or the date, and secondly, they were never allowed to be taught how to read that was something always hidden from him as a young child. The author’s purpose is to inform the reader that as a slave there were so many things they were not allowed to have that we may take for granted, in order to make it very clear that we should not take our education and opportunities for granted. Based on The Life Of Frederick Douglass An American Slave, Douglass is writing for the white people who believed that slavery was right, he wanted to make it very clear that the slaves and Douglass had nothing handed to them.

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

Frederick Douglass is the most famous African-American abolitionists and the greatest American orators. Throughout American history, African-Americans were victims of American governmental policies of harsh slavery. However, Frederick Douglass transforms the way people should understand slavery. He takes charge of upholding slavery to himself and defends the freedom for those in slavery. While other African-Americans did not have a voice, he became the voice for African-American slavery. In this way, Frederick Douglass is a mental and physical hero because of his courage and achieving freedom from slavery through his strength of character and education.

Panic struck the people of New York City. Black, billowing smoke began to rise. The beloved Twin Towers had been destroyed. During the chaos and madness that occurred on the day of 9-11-01, some people acted and did all they could to help those around them, even though they knew obstacles stood in the way. Those people are true heros. Heroism is acting in times of need when obstacles may stand in the way, being willing to sacrifice everything, and not letting setbacks keep from achieving goals and being an inspiration to others.

Frederick Douglass was a young slave with an aspiring dream to learn and further his life of knowledge and education. There was only one thing stopping him: his lack of freedom. The ability to read and access to an education is a liberating experience that results in the formation of opinions, critical-thinking, confidence, and self-worth. Slave owners feared slaves gaining knowledge because knowledge is power and they might have a loss of power, which would result to the end of cheap labor. Slave owners made the slaves feel as if they had no self-worth or confidence. If the slaves got smarter they could potentially begin to learn how unjust and wrong slavery was and they would have enough reason to rebel against it. Douglass was learning how to read and write from his slave owner’s wife. Unfortunately, both of them were told how wrong it was for him to be learning because a slave was not to be educated and was deemed unteachable. There was also another fear that the slave owners had. They feared that slaves would have better communication skills which would lead to escape and ways to avoid slavery. Reading opens your mind to new ideas and new knowledge one has never had the opportunity of knowing.

The laws of the United States at the time stated that the children would hold the status of their mother and that slave parents didn’t own their children. This meant that a slave woman would give birth to children that would become slaves to the mother’s owners and the mother couldn’t control what happened to the child in the future. Those laws enforced an emotional abuse in which the slave owner could threaten to separate families if slaves were to try to do something such as escape. To prevent slaves from gaining power through access of books, it was illegal to teach slaves how to read or write. This stems from the belief that Mr. Auld sums up as “It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master…It would make him discontented and unhappy” (Douglass 531 par 3). Reading and writing would lead to slaves becoming unhappy in their situations because they would learn about other opportunities of work that would be more beneficially such as being able to be paid. Slaves would be able to learn of laws that they could challenge in court and try to declare them as unconstitutional. Slaves were unable to be present in court. There were many slaves that witnessed slave owners raping and killing slaves but because they had no power in court, they could do nothing about it. Reading and writing could potentially lead to them gaining power in court and ultimately lead to many slave owners being jailed for rape and/or murder. Slaves were considered property and consistently reminded of their status through a variety of ways. One was when property had to valued when someone passed away. Douglass’ master Captain Anthony passed away when Douglass was in another household and the property had to be valued because Anthony didn’t have a will. Douglass had

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

Whenever Abraham Lincoln heard “anyone arguing for slavery” he would “feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally”. Experiencing slavery first hand would definitely give someone an opposing view towards slavery. Despite the quick fix for slavery this option offers, it is not one of the more humane or reasonable choices. Slavery has a long history as something that will ruin a person’s life. One of the most horrific outcomes of human nature, slavery becomes recognizable not only as an outward and physical bondage, but as something that controls people’s emotions and financial statuses. Enslaved people are often pitied, and treated as if they have no control over the matter. Several notable works, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston focus on varying aspects of slavery. The main characters in these books all undergo some form of slavery. Whether enslaved physically, economically, or mentally, perseverance, knowledge, and a mind open to change will most often result in freedom from one’s bondages.