The Power Of Education In Frederick Douglass

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10 October 2012 The Life of Frederick Douglass Throughout the narrative of Frederick Douglass, he shows many encounters of injustice of slavery, especially among his slave owners. “If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but obey his master-to do as he is told to do...if you teach that nigger how to read, there would be no keeping him”. (160) This is just one of many quotes from the Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave that portrays the many injustices stowed upon slaves regarding education. This narrative describes all the injustices of slavery and all of the personal experiences that Frederick Douglass encountered throughout his lifetime as a slave. Frederick…show more content…
Frederick Douglass believed that acquiring enough knowledge could lead to some kind of freedom. Douglass acquired enough knowledge to escape from being a slave to dying a free man and becoming one of the important figures throughout history. In today’s society, Douglass’s theory that education could lead to some kind of freedom could be true if people used the resources around them. If people used the resources around them, they could achieve anything they wanted. With having the power of education comes the power of having more and more open doors full of…show more content…
According to House Bill 225, it requires that “children stay in school longer, increasing the mandatory attendance age from 16 to 18. Now, students can drop out of high school at the age of 16 with parental permission.” (Mink) In the state of Kentucky in 2009, nearly 6,000 students dropped out of high school and that 26% of adults did not have a high school diploma. Also, the No Child Left behind Act that was signed in 2002 was “aimed to make sure that all children achieve academic proficiency and gain the educational skills necessary to succeed later in life. The act intends for all students to graduate within four years of starting high school…” (Mink) In today’s society, people are more worried about other things rather than getting an education and succeeding in life. Everyone has the opportunity to further their education, but it is just a matter of whether they want to pursue an education or not. Some people just do not have the determination to overcome certain obstacles whether it is something small or something on the larger scale like financial
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