Essay on Fredrick Douglas - 730 Words

Fredrick Douglas Imagine yourself at the mercy of another human being. You are dependent upon this person for food and shelter. This person controls your life in every way possible. You are told when to wake up, what to do, how to do it and when to stop doing it. If you do not cooperate you will be beaten severely and possibly killed. Imagine a society of people that live like this! How would human character be affected by this power? How would religion be influenced by this institution? How would family life be affected by these activities? I will attempt to answer these three questions in the following essay. Fredrick Douglas was born in Maryland, he does not know the date of his birth, as did most slaves. He never†¦show more content†¦The institution of slavery gave these men a good reason. That is an extreme of slavery can cause. Most slave-owners were not so brutal, but they were not distant from the behavior. They had to become fairly evil to keep the slaves in line. Bruta lity had to take the place of consent in slaves and without limitations man was bound to exercise the power. Slavery not only affected the male slave owners but the women also. Mrs. Auld wasnt raised with slaves, She has been in a good degree preserved from the blighting and dehumanizing effects of slavery. (Page 46) When she first married into the family she began to teach Fredrick the ABCs. Soon after, Mr. Auld found out and put a stop to it. To his belief it was unsafe to teach slaves to read. Before long Mrs. Auld changed, The fatal Poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. (Page 46) Religion teaches us to be kind to one another, perhaps to make us more humane. But Douglas found religion to have the opposite effect on slaveholders. They, found religious sanction and support, (page 65) for the cruelty they showed their slaves. I could not believe that religion could or would support slavery. Didnt they know God sees no c olor? This could only come from men who preached liberty and practiced slavery. The fear of losing slaves must have been so great a burden on their minds they would look forShow MoreRelatedEssay on Fredrick Douglas1115 Words   |  5 PagesFredrick Dougalas Is it possible for one of our times, living in the free United States, to be bonded in the institution of slavery? One hundred and fifty years have past now since slavery was abolished. The institution of slavery kept the deprivation of women legal and the learning of the mind illegal. Among the slaves, there could be no men, or else that slave would not be a slave. Frederick Douglas existed among slavery only to later on escape and gain his freedom from those who oppressedRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglas, By Fredrick Douglas1601 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the enslavement of Fredrick Douglas, he began to educate himself in the field of language and writing. Quickly this became a burden as well as a blessing, as Fredrick had to duck and hide at every turn to ensure that no one who could be a threat to his being found out that he possessed the ability to read. As Fredrick slowly grows with each piece of new material he can acquire, it becomes more evident that Fredrick has also consecutively began to become depressed. Though gifted with the abilityRead MoreThe Enormity Of Slavery By Fredrick Douglas859 Words   |  4 PagesThe Enormity of Slavery â€Å"Slavery is the great test question of our age and nation. It, above all others, enables us to draw the line between the precious and the vile, whether in individuals, creeds, sects, or parties†, as stated by Fredrick Douglas in the mid 1850s. Slavery can be stated as a civil relationship in which one person has absolute power over the life, fortune, and liberty of another. The term slavery emerged during the early 1620s when the first known Africans were dropped off by aRead MoreFredrick Douglas and Harriet Jacobs1757 Words   |  8 Pageson to the immorality and injustice of slavery on black people. Another problem slave owners had with literate slaves was the potential for them to educate other slaves and give them thoughts of escaping or helping other slaves escape. Frederick Douglas and Harriet Jacobs both wrote of this in their books. Douglass was separated from his mother at an early age in order to prevent any feelings of attachment to her. His father was a white man, he might have been the man responsible for separatingRead MoreFredrick Douglas : The Inhumane Institution Of Slavery1179 Words   |  5 PagesFredrick Douglas: The Inhumane Institution of Slavery The definition of a slave in Merriam-Webster dictionary is â€Å"someone who is legally owned by another person and is forced to work for that person without pay.† Fredrick Douglas would narrate his encounters of slavery by depicting a mental image of what slavery was through his eyes. In his autobiography, Douglas refers to the whippings slaves were treated to, if they did not obey the strict restrictions set by their masters. Douglas accidentlyRead MoreA Narrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglas, An American Slave1747 Words   |  7 PagesFreedom, According to Douglas During the nineteenth century, slavery widely accepted in the United States. Although the freedoms of â€Å"all men† were supposedly given in America by the Declaration of Independence, these rights did not expand to blacks who were free or under the confines of slavery. At the time, it was illegal for colored people to learn to read and for anyone to teach them. Because of this, very few people who were enslaved could read or write. Fredrick Douglas, who was born a slaveRead MoreFredrick Douglas : A Man Who Escaped From Slavery1611 Words   |  7 PagesFredrick Douglas is a man who escaped from slavery in Maryland at age 21. He was born 1817 and was a slave since he was a young boy. Fredric Douglas died in 1895 but his story is nonetheless invigorating. While in slavery, Fredrick managed to educate himself. He learned to read and write by any means possible. He became enlightened on how his and the other slaves lifestyle is something that is unjust. He then started spea king on his experiences as a slave at age 24. He was hired to lecture for theRead MoreNarrative of Fredrick Douglas Essay1058 Words   |  5 Pagesslaves, leaving physical and physiological trauma on both the slave and the slaveholder. The relationship of the master and the slave is criticized and questioned continually as it is both wrong and unjust in society. The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave optimizes this accurately; documenting the distressing treatment inflicted upon the slaves by their owners. Douglass also illustrates the slaveholder exploiting their powers and its detrimental effects on the slaveholderRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglas, American Slave2104 Words   |  9 PagesNarrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas, and American Slave I. Conflicts A. Internal Conflict 1. The lack of identity always troubled Douglas. At the time, he had no knowledge of his age or his father because he has not seen his records. 2. Quote: â€Å"A want for information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege.† (17) B. External Conflict 1. The struggleRead MoreEssay about Fredrick Douglas And Harriet Jacobs1717 Words   |  7 Pageson to the immorality and injustice of slavery on black people. Another problem slave owners had with literate slaves was the potential for them to educate other slaves and give them thoughts of escaping or helping other slaves escape. Frederick Douglas and Harriet Jacobs both wrote of this in their books. Douglass was separated from his mother at an early age in order to prevent any feelings of attachment to her. His father was a white man, he might have been the man responsible for separating