Ideologically deformed; American slavery

Frederick Douglass was an extremely articulate orator, and writer. It is no wonder why he was a great influence of Abraham Lincoln during the civil war. His words blended a perfect harmony between heart and head. He carefully constructed his arguments with perfect logic, and then completed them with emotional accounts of the dire structure within the slavery establishment. Perhaps no argument rings truer throughout the slavery era then his account of the distortion of religion. With this argument the modern reader can most realistically articulate the distortion of values that lead to the acceptance of such a vulgar practice to begin with.

Religion is still a primary driving force during the period in which Douglass attempts to make sense of the society that surrounds him. Religion created a starting point from which the society as a whole could most easily relate. Many metaphors or argumentative comparison are most effectively communicated through the use of a common background. It is with this background that Douglass uses religion to show how accepting a societal role makes an individual rationalize, and justify actions that may be morally questionable, on the grounds of social acceptance.

Douglass uses the analogy of true and false Christianity in regards to the treatment of the salve population. He argues that the reasoning behind religious justification is the same disease that has corrupted his current social system of equality. The true Christians accept the fruitful teachings throughout the bible of kindness and equality. Were as the false Christians take the same scripture to interpret, and manipulate the words into justification that Douglass coins “the Religion of the South”

The primary conclusion to be drawn from such an analogy is the complete alteration of the social structure that affects both the whites and blacks. When an institution is established on a false social structure, societal advancement as a whole is impossible. In fact the institution of slavery only encourages the deprivation of society as a whole. With mistrust, miss-feelings and guilt issues that have plagued American society to this day. Just as twisting Christianity changed its meaning, and destroyed its purpose; slavery not only hurt the American social structure, but fundamentally destroyed the American ideology. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all men is still a definition that American culture is struggling to achieve due to the structural warp produced by the darkest days of American freedom.

works cited:

Hollis, Melinda. "A Change of Persona or a Change of Heart: Frederick Douglass's "Brothers"." Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, Spring 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 2009. .