Abigail Kaufmann Dr. Wachter English 209-320 11 November 2014 Freedom “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves” (Abraham Lincoln, Complete Works - Volume XII). Harriet Jacobs’ autobiography tells her painful story growing up as a black female in the south and shows one woman’s personal account of racial discrimination, sexual harassment, and enslavement. Not only does this story illustrate an African American’s struggle to gain personal freedom, but it also demonstrates the lack of freedom present between the white communities as well. After six years of being happy and naïve, Harriet Jacobs, known in her book as Linda Brent, is thrown into the harsh game of slavery accompanied by years of abuse. In her book,
and of course are and ought to be slaves to the American people and their children forever“ ( Walker 792). He uses this tone to depict just how silly the notion of slavery is when he says these things that are blatantly not right. Walker seems to use this method of speaking throughout his writing to get his point across. Walker compares the American way of slavery to the way it was under the Romans and comes to a very interesting point. “The world knows, that slavery as it existed among the Romans was, comparatively speaking, no more than a cypher, when compared with ours under the Americans” he stated (Walker 792).
The first time Douglass fully understands this is when Hugh Auld gets mad at his wife for teaching Douglass how to spell some small words. Hugh tells his wife that, “If you give a nigger an inch, they will take an ell” (Douglass 78), which expresses his view on how quickly things would turn around if a slave were to learn how to write. Hugh doesn’t realize, but by saying this, he gives Douglass a clear vision of what is really going on with slavery. Douglass then understands that by keeping the slaves illiterate, the slaveholders are actually manipulating slaves into thinking that there is nothing for them but slavery. With this vision, Douglass begins to pursue the idea of knowledge.
They first petitioned and later fought for the independence of our nation. In the middle of his speech, he brings up the topic of slavery. The passages that follow “There are seventy-two crimes.....” ( Frederick Douglass, 266) emphasizes his beliefs of why the slave is a man. He starts off by saying that Virginia has punishments for slaves if he commits a crime. This shows that a slave is responsible for his own actions.
Mary P. O’Malley HIST 365 Prof. Nation June 22, 2008 Essay Exam 3 What was the basis of the pro-slavery defense in the South? In the early to mid-1800’s, white southern leaders began to defend themselves against what they perceived as attacks against their way of life and the “peculiar institution”, which facilitated it. As the abolitionist movement grew, Southern leaders defended slavery citing, Biblical, historical, sociological, political, and economic justifications, which were all ultimately tied to race. The Bible was commonly cited in pro-slavery arguments. In the Old Testament, God’s chosen people, the Israelites, were slaveholders, and it was argued that Africans were descendents of Hamm, whose curse was to live in servitude to his brothers.
I do not like to get reminded of how dark and terrible slaves spent their pure life suffering by their cruel punishments like whipping or getting killed to stop the problem right away. Masters were so cruel. I do not understand what kind of heart God had them at birth. I wonder what thoughts masters had in mind during a torture of slaves. It was money and power that took over their minds.
The author uses great and wonderful details to describe the way a Negro slave looks at himself. “One ever feels his two-ness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.” (Page 45). He really had a very sad tone when describing the American Negro slave. He starts off the statement by asking “One ever feels his two-ness.”. He was trying to explain how hard and harsh for a human being to feel not just a slave, not just what we see, but its like two persons in one.
Behind every story lies a bittersweet message that sheds light on a shady subject. We remember his narrative as our glimpse into the depths of the unspoken truth. So in the effort to make his statement, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was a way to expose the dehumanization of slaves to an insensible society, and to fuel the approaching, national abolition. Douglass wastes no time in his vivid description of his early life. He states that, “I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it,” (Douglass, L. 3).
He valued freedom very much and made the point if there is no struggle than there is no progress. Douglass’s element of freedom was by educating the people in displaying the horrors of slavery and the harsh treatments. He made it his mission to exhibit how white slaveholders extend slavery by keeping their slaves oblivious. During the time when Douglass was writing, a lot of people really believed that slavery was something that was normal. They had the belief that blacks were integrally powerless of contributing in civil society and therefore would need to be kept as workers for whites.
Daniel McCormack History 1100-04 William G. Lewis 16 April 2012 Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass The life of a slave was excruciatingly difficult; they dealt with cruel, numerous whippings; they were separated from loved ones; they had to endeavor hours of harsh work for such little pay; and above all, slaves were denied freedom. These barriers causing slaves to suffer were caused by the mindlessness of white slave owners. However not all whites made slaves lives miserable, some whites helped blacks even if they weren’t abolitionists. Frederick Douglass’ Narrative is an excellent source of exemplifying the genuinely austere relations between whites and blacks and even abolitionists and slave owners.