Frederick Douglass Education

The years of slavery as we all may know, were tough times for African American individuals. The hardships that they endured, physically, mentally and emotionally, can be seen as unimaginable by some of us and can leave us wondering how some of these people made it out alive. During that time, author Frederick Douglas, became a prevalent voice for slaves everywhere. Presenting the truth behind what he endured as a slave and what many other slaves can see as relatable as well. Amongst all truths he was making relevant a the time, Frederick Douglas’ idea of knowledge and education being the unseen path to freedom for slaves, does in fact present itself as a tool of freedom into his own life. As an African-American slave who worked in the
Understanding that the life of a slave was closely monitored and was restricted to many things, Douglass knew that any slave caught of any wrongdoing, was to be severely punished. The stench of fear and death roaming across the plantation has turned slaves into a broken and fragmented race, for they have accepted that work and death was to be their way of life. However, in Douglass' case, he was fortunate and lucky enough that his treatment was different when he lived with the Auld family. Up until this moment, Douglass' life was filled with misery, despair, and pain when he was separated from his mother, saw his aunt suffer at the hands of a white man's whip, lived in poor living conditions, and wept that there was no justice in this world. Fortunately for Douglass, his life with the Auld family was the first stage to his
Douglass continued to express his passion and enthusiasm for learning even though this would get him punished. He didn't care; he just wanted to be treated as an equal in the eyes of the white race. If not for Douglass' education, he never would have read "The Columbian Orator", where he discovered a philosophical dialogue between master and slave, where eventually, the slave was set free. Also, he discovered a speech where it discussed Irish emancipation and human rights. Slaves fighting for their freedom were no different than the Irish fighting for theirs, for both groups were trying to achieve the same goal. Having read this speech, the struggle of slavery helped Douglass articulate his true feelings. "The moral which I gained from the dialogue was the power of truth over the conscience of even a slaveholder" (Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, pg. 412). It was this moment where he discovered the term "abolition", meant "antislavery", and the idea of escape came into mind. With time and patience, Douglass eventually accomplished a feat that no slave could have done in the