Free Essays on Fredrick Douglass

Slavery Effects on the American People By his own accounts, Federick Douglass was born into slavery sometime in 1818.(p170) During the twenty years Douglass would endure the wrath of slavery, he would withstand and observe many different trials and tribulation that ultimately lead him to write about his story. In his story, Douglass not only tells how slave owners treated and mentally abused their slaves, but he also reveals how slavery effected not only the slave but the slave owners as well. Per Douglass, the goal of the slave industry, as a whole, was to destroy the spirit of the slaves. The owners would treat the slaves as if they were a common farm animals. This form of mental abuse would help to ensure that the owners would have authority and control over their slaves. But this was probably not the most damaging form of mental abuse. By preventing the slaves from learning to read or gaining any other form of learning, the owner also hindered the slaves from having any mental leverage against slavery. Douglass believed that learning to read was â€Å"The Pathway from slavery to freedom(974).† To further their control they would separate the young slaves from their mother to hamper the baby from forming a bond with her. Douglass would only see his mother a few times before she died and when he was told of her death he said â€Å"I received †¦ her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger(p971).â⠂¬  These abuses were just the beginning of a long line of atrocities that the slave owners subjected their slaves to. Another form of mental, and physical, abuse was the practice of sleeping with the slave women. As a result, the slave owner was often both master and father of the slave child. Consequently, these children would sometimes suffer more abuse from the mistress. In most cases the mistress would put so much pressure on these children and her husband, that he w... Free Essays on Fredrick Douglass Free Essays on Fredrick Douglass On July 5th 1852, Frederick Douglass gave his speech, â€Å"The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro,† to a group of white abolitionist women in Rochester, New York. It tells a story of the history of slavery, about the barbaric traditions of the American nation. The speech talks about the equality of slaves to the white people in terms of manhood, and in the eyes of god. This writing has deep meaning and also carries a sense of symbolism. Fredrick Douglass wrote this political document to send a word out to the whites and make them think. He wanted to show the whites how the black slaves feel, think, and the many things that were taken away from them, not only physically but also emotionally. Douglass’s goal and purpose for writing this document is the hope to completely abolish slavery. He is hoping to make the whites stop and think about how wrong it is and to unite with one another. This document shows that the blacks or just people in general strongly value freedom and society. They believe that we all should be treated as one. Over the years, history has repaired itself. Blacks did not have the same freedoms and the rights as the whites. Now a day, blacks and whites seem equal to each other. They have the same freedoms and rights.... Free Essays on Fredrick Douglass Slavery Effects on the American People By his own accounts, Federick Douglass was born into slavery sometime in 1818.(p170) During the twenty years Douglass would endure the wrath of slavery, he would withstand and observe many different trials and tribulation that ultimately lead him to write about his story. In his story, Douglass not only tells how slave owners treated and mentally abused their slaves, but he also reveals how slavery effected not only the slave but the slave owners as well. Per Douglass, the goal of the slave industry, as a whole, was to destroy the spirit of the slaves. The owners would treat the slaves as if they were a common farm animals. This form of mental abuse would help to ensure that the owners would have authority and control over their slaves. But this was probably not the most damaging form of mental abuse. By preventing the slaves from learning to read or gaining any other form of learning, the owner also hindered the slaves from having any mental leverage against slavery. Douglass believed that learning to read was â€Å"The Pathway from slavery to freedom(974).† To further their control they would separate the young slaves from their mother to hamper the baby from forming a bond with her. Douglass would only see his mother a few times before she died and when he was told of her death he said â€Å"I received †¦ her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger(p971).â⠂¬  These abuses were just the beginning of a long line of atrocities that the slave owners subjected their slaves to. Another form of mental, and physical, abuse was the practice of sleeping with the slave women. As a result, the slave owner was often both master and father of the slave child. Consequently, these children would sometimes suffer more abuse from the mistress. In most cases the mistress would put so much pressure on these children and her husband, that he w... Free Essays on Fredrick Douglass Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 1817, in Tuckahoe, Maryland. Because his slave mother, Harriet Bailey, used to call him her "little valentine," he adopted February 14th as his birthday, not knowing the exact date of his birth. He knew very little about his mother since she was employed as a field hand on a plantation some twelve miles away, and she died when he was eight or nine years old. Douglass knew even less about his father, but it was rumored that he was the son of his White slave master, Aaron Anthony. Young Frederick was grossly mistreated. To keep from starving, on many occasions, he competed with his master's dogs for table scraps and bones. In 1825, he was sent to serve as a houseboy in the home of Hugh and Sophia Auld in Baltimore. Mrs Auld grew fond of him and sought to teach him to read and write. By the time her irate husband discovered the deed and put a stop to it, Douglass had acquired enough of the rudiments to carry on by himself. His life in Baltimore was interrupted in 1832 at the death of Captain Anthony. Frederick was passed along to the possession of Thomas Auld, Anthony's son-in-law. The lessons he learned about the evils of slavery and his hatred of the institution was deepened during his stay with Thomas Auld. He infuriated the Auld's by his refusal to call his owner "Master" instead of "Captain." Determined to crush the spirit of young Frederick, Thomas Auld hired him out to Edward Covey, a slave breaker who worked and whipped him mercilessly. He endured the mistreatment until one day he could stand it no longer and fought back. Soon thereafter, Fred was again sent to Baltimore, where he met Anna Murray. His love for and encouragement from Anna, a free Black woman, heightened his quest to be a free man. On September 3, 1838, Douglas, dressed in a sailor's uniform and carrying identification papers provided by a free Black seaman, managed to reach New York City. There he met David Rug...