In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass talks about his life as a slave and how masters wished to keep their slaves ignorant (Douglass 19), to a point where they did not even know how old they were. Douglass also talks about how religion in the South is used as a covering for the barbarity how the masters towards the slaves; “religious slaveholders are the worst. I have ever found them the meanest, the most cruel and cowardly, of all others”(Douglass 87). He also talks about how as a slave he learned about to abolitionist movement. “Instead of spending the Sabbath in wrestling, boxing and drinking whiskey, we were tying to learn how to read” (Douglass 74). Even though he was a slave and work tremendous hours in the fields, he managed to teach himself how to read and write. He realized that his only way to freedom was through knowledge. Douglass thought about escaping for a while before he actually ended up doing it. He thought of leaving as painful because he did not want to leave his friends (111). Around the age of twenty, Douglass escaped, and became a southern expatriate. He describes the escape as escaping a den of hungry lions (112). At the age of thirty-four, Douglass lived in Massachusetts and New York as an abolitionist, and also as a freedmen’s speaker. He then moved to Washington, DC, because he was so committed to the South’s reconstruction. Douglass had a great concern for the abolition of slavery as well as racial equality. In his fight against slavery, Douglass got to speak to a lot of abolitionist organizations.
In his narration, Frederick Douglass reveals that knowledge was the only way to freedom, and that they had to find time to teach themselves how to read and write. He finally escaped after many years as a slave, and as he saw people getting hurt by their masters because of the smallest mistakes they could have made. Douglass used his education to try and abolish slavery, and become a speaker for freedom and equality.
Ramsey, William M. "Frederick Douglass, Southerner." Southern Literary Journal 40.1 (2007): 19-38. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.
Bailey, Tyshawn, and Calil Yarbrough "Frederick Douglass: A Light in Darkness." Black History Bulletin 69.2 (2006): 4-7. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.
Prioleau, Rachelle C. "Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist and Humanist." Howard Journal of Communications 14.3 (2003): 177. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.
Douglass, Frederick. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave. Signet Classics, 2005. Print.
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In class yesterday, we talked about how slave owner, in order to control, they restricted slaves education. The slave owner fear that if they get educated, they can revolt. Not only that, slaves where said to be incapable of learning. Because he was committed to learn how to read and write, we are able to see, in depth, how the daily lives of slaves where.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you; however, during their leisure time, if they had time given to them, instead of playing or being together, they would try and teach themselves to read and write without their masters knowing about it, because it was obviously not allowed. Douglass understood that it was the only way to escape, by outsmarting his master. We got to see how committed he was by learning so fast, and escaping slavery.
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