Frederick Douglass Resistance To Freedom

Douglass resisted oppression at an early age and was able to use his education to escape the South; however, he did not stop using this form of resistance once he achieved freedom. Once Douglass safely reached the North, he used his knowledge to help the entire slave community resist oppression. Douglass began to openly write and speak in anti-slavery meetings about his experience as a slave and his journey while escaping. The first time Douglass “felt strongly moved to speak” was “while attending an antislavery convention at Nantucket, on the 11th of August, 1841.” Since that time, he became “engaged in pleading the cause of [his] brethren” (Douglass 100). Since slavery was still considered legal in the South at the time Douglass was freed,
Although the act of teaching a slave how to read or write appears somewhat small and insignificant, subtle actions like these portray the resistance that helped pave the way to freedom. These subtle actions geared toward educating each other allowed slaves to eventually compose a more powerful community and fight for their rights. Those that were able to escape slavery and later detail their experiences to the general public also aided in the emancipation of the entire slave population. By speaking and writing of their experiences as slaves, African American individuals not only exposed the horrific circumstances of slavery, but also proved to be knowledgeable human beings, as opposed to mere pieces of property that were only good for generating a large economy. Along with other African American runaway slaves, Jacobs, Douglass, and Bibb, challenged the dominant ideology of “white supremacy” through exhibiting their intelligence. Their participation in meetings that focused on the abolition of slavery raised awareness and eventually attracted a large portion of the white community in the North. Overall, with education, white Americans could not resort to calling slaves uncivilized or savages when they demanded justice, and as a result, slaves were one step closer to achieving
Since these government officials, most notably President Lincoln, altered the structural components which initially barred numerous African Americans from gaining freedom, today’s society often credits them for freeing slaves, and the work of slaves done for themselves and by themselves consistently goes unnoticed. School systems repeatedly focus on the metanarrative, or single perspective, that solely details Lincoln’s role in the emancipation of slaves. However, teaching students that the slavery ended because of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation is inaccurate, as slave masters frequently implemented techniques, such as sharecropping, to maintain their wealth. The process of sharecropping took place immediately after the Emancipation Proclamation. Even though slaves were considered free, many did not have places to go, and were therefore stuck on their masters’ plantations. Instead of working for no pay, slave masters offered their slaves food and shelter in return for the work that they did, which slaves often felt obliged to accept, as they believed that they would not be able to survive in any other circumstance. This system’s almost identical resemblance to slavery raised concerns, as no true change had taken place. Therefore, African Americans continued to push for reform until Congress