Frederick Douglass: Abolishing Slavery

Ashley Gianibas American Literature 1 9:30 Paper# 1

What does the American Dream even mean well, The American Dream can mean many different things. For some it can mean the classic dream of a white picket fence, a dog, some kids, and a quiet life. For Frederick Douglass it meant abolishing slavery. Frederick Douglass American Dream was about abolishing slavery and overcoming obstacles and reaching one's goals. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland around 1818. He was born "Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey" to a slave mother and a father that he never knew. He spent years upon years in slavery hoping there was a way out. As a slave, Douglass was not allowed to have much of a childhood. At an young age he was
Douglass was hired out to be a skilled slave breaker, he needed to beat and abuse the slaves. He spent weeks getting whipped around, eventually he attacked back. The Northerners that he lived with brought him back to Baltimore where he was put to work in shipyards. Douglass came across an African American sailor where he then burrowed the sailors identification papers. He had to carefully planned his escape, he disguised himself as a sailor and carried papers that showed he was a free black seaman, successfully he was able to escape to New York by faking himself off as a
Douglass tried to escape from slavery twice before he succeeded. He first tried to escape from Freeland but it was unsuccessful. In his final attempt he was supported by Anna Murray, a free black woman in Baltimore. In 1836 he tried to escape from his new master Covey, but failed again. "I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until i prayed with my legs." - Frederick Douglass, Autobiographies. The quote means only through action you can reach your goals, his dream of running away from slavery by doing. "Escape From Slavery, 1838, " EyeWitness to history, www.eyewitnesohistory.com(1999) In his Narratives Douglass strongly argued against slavery. Douglas always striving to educate himself, continues his reading, he reveals several ways in which African Americans suffered from in slavery. Frederick put a stop segregation and slavery in America. He told a group of African American students from a school , "What was possible for me is possible for you. Do you think because you are colored you cannot accomplish anything. Strive earnestly to add to your knowledge. So long as you remain in ignorance, so long will you fail to command the respect of your fellow