He educated himself and became determined to escape the horror of slavery. He attempted to escape slavery once, but failed. He later made a successful escape in 1838. Frederick's life as a slave had the greatest impact on his writings. Through slavery, he was able to develop the necessary emotion and experiences for him to become a successful abolitionist writer. He grew up as a slave, experiencing all of the hardships that are included, such as whippings, scarce meals, and other harsh treatment. His thirst for freedom, and his burning hatred of slavery caused him to write Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and other similar biographies. In his Narrative, he wrote the complete story of his miserable life as a slave and his strife to obtain freedom. The main motivational force behind his character (himself) was to make it through another day so that someday he might see freedom. The well written books that he produced were all based on his life. They all started with Douglass coping with slavery. He had a reason to write these works. As a die-hard abolitionist, He wanted to show the world how bad slavery really…
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery in February 1818, in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot County, Maryland. Frederick would later change his name to Frederick Douglass after his escape from slavery in September 1838, and settle in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He did this to protect his identity, as he was a fugitive. He never saw his mother, Harriet Bailey, no more than four or five times in his life. Frequently, before a child reached his twelfth month, its mother is taken from it. She is hired out on a farm a considerable distance off to hinder the natural affection of the mother for her child. His father was white. He never knew him; but, it was whispered that it was his master. His mother died when Frederick was about seven years old. He was not allowed to be present during her illness, at her death, or burial. Later in life, he came to realize that slaveholders had ordained, and by law established, that the children of slave women would follow the condition of their mothers. In his opinion, this was done to administer to their own lusts to make a gratification of their wicked and evil desires profitable as well as pleasurable. Such slaves would suffer greater hardships and cruel punishment because…
“A new world had opened upon me.” (6) Within this new world, Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey became Frederick Douglass (8, 6). He borrowed this name from a character in a book he was reading at the time as an effort to avoid being captured (5). One of the first things Frederick took with his new identity was to subscribe to the Liberator, a newspaper edited by William Lloyd Garrison, a famous outspoken leader of the American Anti- Slavery Society (5). Inspired by Garrison’s paper, Douglass became involved in the abolitionist movement and regularly attended lectures for the AASS (5). He also served as a preacher at the black Zion Methodist Church where Frederick became involved in a battle against white southerners who forced blacks to…
Frederick Douglass was a significant figure because once he was free from slavery, he became an anti-slavery lecturer, an outspoken supporter of women’s rights, and in 1863 he talked to President Lincoln about the treatment of black soldiers. He also became President of the Freedman’s Savings Bank and as a Chargé d'Affaires for the Dominican Republic. Frederick showed that no matter what happened, people should fight for what’s right.…
His autobiography caused eyes to open to the true nature of slavery and greatly impacted the awareness of the public. Being a firsthand account of slavery, A Narrative of the Life... tugs at a reader more deeply than any fictional account, such as Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (although another influential book) ever could (Kohn 509). In addition, Douglass was the first to make a published account of his earlier life’s story and his descriptions of the emotional effects of slavery are evident of the careful thought and observation he took in writing it. Douglass’s Narrative of the Life... sold 30,000 copies in a few years and had a very large impact on American society due to the wide acceptance of the ideas he posed -- the general public seemed to appreciated his blaming of the institution and not its founders (Goldstein 470). Douglass ought to be given credit for the majority of the public shift from fighting against other humans to fighting against the corruption of an…
To quote the famous Frederick Douglass, “if there is no struggle, there is no progress…” and I assure you, there was struggle that resulted in not only progress for him, but for the nation as a whole. Frederick Douglass did many things that were deemed as impossible during his time period under the circumstances which the nation was under. To tell you more about this man I will be giving you a brief introduction into his personal life and into his remarkable achievements as a world renowned American abolitionist, author, and orator. Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born in February of 1818, although no one knows the exact date, was born on the eastern shore of Maryland to a slave woman.…
Battle of Boykin’s Mill Frederick Douglass * Born in February 1818 (no day is known) * Born as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey * Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts * Died February 20, 1895 (about 77) * He was an abolitionist, author, editor, and diplomat…
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was the first of the three autobiographies that Frederick Douglass wrote himself. It’s a story about slavery and the meaning of freedom of the antebellum America. According to The Free Dictionary, Slavery is defined as the state or condition of being a slave; a civil relationship whereby one person has absolute power over another and controls his life, liberty, and fortune (freedictionary.com). Frederick Douglass’s book is about a bondage he obtained since birth; a slave for life. He was separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey, at birth and knew his father was white male. He lived on the “Great House Farm” plantation for his younger years; this is where he saw his first violent act towards a slave. Douglass went through many ups and downs. At the age of seven, he was moved to another house where he first learned reading and writing. However, He was beaten brutally so he can be “broken” into a good disciplined slave. Douglass describes many elements in his narrative; Douglass explains how slaveholders were able to sustain themselves with their actions. Frederick describes the ways the slaves stayed where they were and did not attempt to escape. He also addresses a number of myths created by slaves and slaveholders that he wishes to prove wrong. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Frederick Douglass describes the ways a slaveholder sustain their actions, ways a slave was kept from escaping and proves the myths of slaves and slaveholders wrong.…
The great civil rights activist Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on a Maryland Eastern Shore plantation in February 1818. His given name, Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, seemed to portend an unusual life for this son of a field hand and a white man, most likely Douglass's first master, Captain Aaron Anthony. Perhaps Harriet Bailey gave her son such a distinguished name in the hope that his life would be better than hers. She could scarcely imagine that her son's life would continue to be a source of interest and inspiration nearly 190 years after his birth. Indeed, it would be hard to find anyone who more closely embodies this year's Black History Month theme, "From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas." Like many in the nineteenth-century United States, Frederick Douglass escaped the horrors of slavery to enjoy a life of freedom, but his unique personal drive to achieve justice for his race led him to devote his life to the abolition of slavery and the movement for black civil rights. His fiery oratory and extraordinary achievements produced a legacy that stretches his influence across the centuries, making Frederick Douglass a role model for the twenty-first century.…
Fredrick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe in the late 1810s, he never truly found out when his real birthday was or found any records that would inform him of it. He was born to Harriet Bailey and all he knew about his father was that he was a white man. Despite the rumors of Douglass’ father possibly being his master in a way his story is similar to the stories of Mary Prince and Gustavus’, all slaves tied down by the forces of slavery and trying to find a way to break free and receive their freedom. Douglass’ constant determination and perseverance to strive for a better future rewarded him with a life that was filled with meaning and lessons meant to be shared with the world. Douglass said it best when he expressed knowledge is power and the key to set slaves free.…
During the 1800’s, slavery took over the South, making it a time of sorrow for the United States. White southerners bought African Americans so that they could work for them. Frederick Douglass was a slave that achieved freedom through hard work. In Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass talks about his experience during the 1800’s. Frederick Douglass was a field slave; however, he became one the most educated and literate slaves during those times. His knowledge of the events happening around him made him stand up for his rights and the right of his fellows. Even though he was brutally punished by his master, he never gave up on his goal. Douglass wanted the North to be aware of the terrible…
I believe that Frederick Douglass put his life as a slave into words that inspired people all around the world. His Autobiographies explained the heartaches of a slave that he was forced to live through for half of his life. Although most people believe in equality today Frederick Douglass didn’t have that right, people took that from him because they believed they were doing the right thing. Douglass was a kind and determined man and didn’t give up until he got the right result. He was not afraid to get his hands dirty in the process even when people doubted him and told him he was wrong.…
Frederick Douglass was born a slave on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1818.Frederick Douglass hardly knew his mother because he was a slave and he even knew less about his father . While he was growing up as a slave his master would starve him to the point in order to survive he would have to fight for scraps of food such as bones and meat fat. This began Fredericks' life as a slave. He suffered all the deprivations of his fellow slaves; constant hunger, sleeping on the ground, and barefoot, dressed only in a long shirt.…
The memoir The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave was written in 1845. In Frederick Douglass’s book, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave, the author criticizes the American Society through the use of Christianity, Slavery, Ignorance, Inhumanity and Humanity. The memoir recounts his life from birth to his arrival in New Bedford in 1838 as a slave fugitive and a married man.…
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery. He had a strong hatred toward slavery; not just because he was a slave, but because he thought it to be inhumane and cynical. Douglass knew from a young age that he was an abolitionist. He believed slavery was a disease that needed to be eradicated. He ran away from his slave life in Maryland and headed to New York to be with other abolitionists where he could look into politics. Here Douglass met the Garrisonians whom invited him to join them. He started preaching against slavery their way. They were Pacifists and didn’t believe in fighting, The Republican…