In this blog post , i will be writing about an abolitionist
speaker Frederick Douglass. He is a very descriptive and emotional
writer, when reading " Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass" it
was difficult to read how human beings were treated. Slavery labor in
places change overtime and dependent upon advances in the plantation
development and diverge in common labor or skills. Douglass expresses
his story in such a emotional manner in the environment he grow up in
and lived when being a teenager. He lived in a environment in where he
was controlled , disciplined , and where human rights were invisible.
In a controlled environment, Douglass was born on a
plantation in Maryland ,who was separated from his black mother and
white father (who was a master) ; an orphan boy who did not know his own
birthday because it was not allowed to know their age. Douglass parents
was an example of the cruelty of slaveholders actually profit from this
practice of rape, it gave slaveholders a chance to increase the number
of slaves they own. You see owning slaves according to the white was
profitable it was a agriculture revolution , and because of this slaves
were controlled the moment their born. For many of us we would be
devastated with the passing of a mother , because of course the moments
growing up along your mother as she molded you to the person you are all
these years it was you cherish forever; and sadly for Douglass he did
not experience what most of us have. Douglass has no pain when hearing
the devastating news of his mothers passing "I received the
tidings of my mother’s death with much the same emotions I should have
probably felt at the death of a stranger" those heart felt words made me
feel such sadness on how the moment you are born you are a slave and
obey orders, Douglass did not have a childhood every child should
experience, but this comes to show that enslaved men and women where
controlled and treated inhumane from birth till death ; because the
health and financial conditions of their owners depended on it. Douglass
first master Captain Anthony gives him the introduction of the slavery
world when he whips his aunt Hester in front of him. Douglass give his
readers a sense of what it was like being a young african american boy;
he writes about enslaved men and women get whipped , separation of
families and friends , the loss off knowledge and being conscious
brining suffering. In this autobiography, Douglass speaks in a tone of
irony at times , and a person who is emotionally overcome he engages in
this book. His point is to exactly express his struggle to free
himself, mentally and physically, from slavery. Because it was a young
boys life there was no other voice needed in this book , it was Frederick Douglass own voice and opinion uncut.
Douglass explains how he educated himself and even
thought he had help he learned the alphabet and his determination was
there to learn. In class we discuss the power in knowledge that literacy
would lead to question the rights white keep slaves. I learned by my
classmates slave owners committing adultery , rape , corruption , an
irresponsible power of slaveholding. What i found very sad to hear is a
classmate telling a group how parents hid children in the woods so they
were not taken , and the way slaves resisted control by rebelling
against slaveholders , slowing down work , and the songs that would be
code words. I learned that slaves were fighting back and i loved hearing
this , because enslaved men and women were aware o retain their
humanity.
I do want to hear more about why slavery was a
making of America , why in such an inhumane manner. Why did our own
founding father preach freedom but own slaves of their own. Why did
innocent men and children have to experience this?