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In his autobiographical work Frederick Douglass presents to us a period of the American history that virtually every citizen of the United States is ashamed of. The author in such a way that it horrifies the reader expresses a revealing picture of American slavery. Douglass way of narrative allows the reader to feel authors pain and pity of terrible past, the life experience of the writer is an example of great will and serenity of soul. Douglass writing is an attempt of the author to express his personal point of view on the deeds of the past time. Frederick Douglass views his past through the prism of wisdom, which comes only with life experience. The author does not blame anyone in his work; he is rather concerned with the idea of why did all of that happen?
What are the drives of the society that were present at those times? Douglass begins to examine the hatred of the slavery by introducing the reader to the structure of the society of those times, and living conditions of slaves. Slave owners, often referred to as masters, simply did not have to provide adequate food and clothing because there was no enforcement of it by law or any other authority regulator. In general, consideration and generosity for slaves were at the discretion of their beholders. Within these tragic lifestyles, ties between biological family members within the slave community were very rare. Most slave children new little, if anything, about there parents.
The slaveholders instructed the elderly to care for young children and often broke the bonds between parents and their children to keep unity suppressed and ignorance high. Although Douglass too had been separated from his mother he knew of her whereabouts and was able to make contact with her prior to her death relatively early in his adolescence. We see that Douglass persistence to keep his first name shows us he still values his heritage and family. Education was another matter that Douglass deeply valued. He believed education was the pathway from slavery to freedom. (p. 49) Douglass had learned this as a boy from one of his masters.
Little did his master know of the significant information he had implanted into the mind of such an ambitious and courageous young man. In the South, slave education was forbidden and in some cases punishable by death. Slaveholders believed that if educated the slaves might possibly rebel and / or even run away. This was quite the contradictory perception to their teachings to their slaves as being incapable of learning, fear kept the slaveholders from educating their slaves about the truth they consciously new. Douglass became convinced that the only way men can be enslaved is by remaining ignorant. This idea would pave the pathway to one of the greatest slave escapes of all time.
The violence slaves endured was the most vivid representation in Douglass portrayal of slavery in the South. No emotion or rage was held back by slaveholders and no pity or sympathy was put forth either. Cruelty and abuse were the only means of control the slaveholders believed would keep order. The pain inflicted upon these individuals, even to the point of death in some cases, fueled the typical masters obsession with domination and power. However, throughout Douglass turmoil, his religious faith remained exceptionally strong. At times he found himself questioning how might his God allow him to endure such grueling circumstances, but he never let his curiosity hinder his faith.
He also questioned how a man could call himself a Christian and yet treat another human being in such a humane manner. Douglass could never comprehend how the slaveholders were able to justify slavery through their faith and church as some of his owners did. It might leave one to believe it was a search for an interpretation that would ease there restless minds so that perhaps they would not feel as guilty and be able to sleep better at night. Slavery had such a catastrophic affect on America during this century that it finally lead to the division of the North and South and brought about the Civil War. Politically and morally slavery separated the northerners against the southerners. American slaveholders of the south believed it should be no concern of the North to involve themselves in the Souths business.
Americans who lived in the north and were commonly referred to as abolitionist fought for the abolishment of slavery and justice of mankind. Slavery also created a terrifying evilness and greediness nature within the slaveholders. They found that more money came with more slaves and more slaves meant a higher social and financial status. It was a vicious cycle that was stimulated by money and the obsessive desire for it.
Frederick Douglass narrative proved to be quite the learning experience for me. I was blind and unaware of the malicious and gruesome conditions slaves had to endure during this unforgettable time in our history. Some of the intense and graphic accounts that Douglass describes in his life story were all too realistic in contrary to the typical facts and statistics one is usually accustomed to learning in a traditional textbook. There was a face and name behind the stories Douglass told, which made it personal and easy to relate to. Douglass narrative of his life could definitely correspond with todays society. Even today slavery and civil right movements are a main concern and cause controversy in our communities and towns across the nation.
Some Americans with black heritages still experience racial discrimination and hate crimes for the color of their skin. Although slavery is now abolished and illegal in the United States, we still see how our country has not completely moved on from its past. There is still a tie between slavery and racial discrimination that affects individuals, societies, politics, and our country as a whole. America is still to this day repaying the debt to the families whose ancestors endured slavery so many years ago. The autobiography of Frederick Douglass My Bondage and My Freedom is one of the major abolition works that influenced the views of Douglass contemporaries.
Frederick Augustus Washington Douglass (Bailey) was one of the most prominent American abolitionists of nineteenth century. He was born in in Tuckahoe, Maryland approximately in 1817. Being born in slavery, Frederick Douglass escaped from his owners, moved to New York and changed his surname from Bailey to Douglass. In New Bedford, Massachusetts, Douglass participated in Anti-Slavery meetings and became an abolitionist and human rights orator. My Bondage and My Freedom was written in 1855. This work is one of the three autobiographic books, written by Frederick Douglass.
It exposes the harsh reality of slavery. Frederick Douglass served in many government positions as U. S. minister and consul general to Haiti, using his power to defend human rights, including slaves and woman All of his life as a free man Douglass dedicated to the idea of abolitionism and on his own example he showed enslaved people that they should not bear the horrors of their situation. "What was possible for me is possible for you. Do not think because you are colored you cannot accomplish anything. (Douglass, Americas Story Website) The main purpose of writing My Bondage and My Freedom was the authors aim to draw attention of society to the problem of slavery.
I saw myself wielding my pen, as well as my voice, in renovating the public mind, and building up a public sentiment which should, at least, send slavery and oppression to the grave. (Douglass, p. 278) The author tells that at his time people were well aware of the situation with slavery, they knew the stories of the slave owners mistreating or killing their slaves. The author wants to make the white population of America to acknowledge the problem, to make them understand that slavery is not natural and not human. Douglass exposes the Jim Craws Law and attends restricted public places. Douglass wants the voters and the politicians to accept slaves as humans, not property, and allow them their rights: the constitution of the United States not only contained no guarantees in favor of slavery, but, on the contrary, it is, in its letter and spirit, an anti-slavery instrument. (Douglass, p. 281) The author stresses, that according to the constitution, all people are equal, but this equality does not affect slaves, because they are not considered humans, not considered the citizens of the free country.
Bondage and freedom are key words in the book. Bondage is the reality of slavery institution. Douglass gives day-by-day account of slave life from the moment of birth to the moment of death and reveals that every moment of existence is accompanied with physical and moral sufferings. I have never placed my opposition to slavery on a basis so narrow as my own enslavement, but rather upon the laws of human nature, every one of which is perpetually and flagrantly violated by the slave system. (Douglass, p. 3) According to the law, the children of a slave mother were considered slaves despite the fact that the owners were fathered many slave children. This was the first fact that dissuaded Douglass in deity of the slavery.
The children of the same father could not be slaves and masters, only human legislation instilled such inequity. The life of slaves was the constant hunger, cold, labor and beating. They usual practice was to part slaves with their families and sell members of the families to different owners. The author tells many stories when the owners beat their slaves to death. The perpetrator received no punishment, because killing a slave was not a crime. The common saying of that time described the whole horror of the situation: "worth but half a cent to kill a nigger, and a half a cent to bury him. " (Douglass, p. 89) The last days of the slaves who were not shot or beaten to the death were also very sad.
Douglass grandmother, who labored for all of her life on the farm and gave many children and grandchildren to the owners, was left to die alone in the remote hut. Douglass reveals that slavery corrupted not only the slaves, but their owners too. The power that slave owners held over the lives of another people made their souls dead and turned even the kindest persons into harsh and evil. The author tells the story of his life in Baltimore and his owner Mrs. Sophia Auld, who had never been a salve owner until she married to the family of slave owners. At the beginning, her attitude towards her slaves was kind, she cared fro them and even taught Douglass to read.
I soon learned to regard her as something more akin to a mother, than a slaveholding mistress. (Douglass, p. 100) As the time passed and Mrs. Auld learned the taste of power, her attitude changed. These facts reveal the truth about slavery, which is more impressive them all beating and humiliation. Slaves were commonly considered not humans, the property, and they were treated as such. At the end this situation turned against their owners, it corrupted their souls and robbed them of moral qualities, making them not human. Ironically, slave owners got into their own trap: they tried to deprive their kins of humanity (we should not forget, that many slave owners were fathers and siblings of their slaves) and they were loosing their own humanity.
Douglass also held a strong view on slavery and Christianity. Throughout his book he calls out many slave owners as hypocrites who preached the kind and humane gospel of Christianity. Douglass stresses the danger of slavery for the society, where moral and Christian values crushed under the power of superiority and permissiveness. Conscience cannot stand much violence. It may be broken toward the slave, on Sunday, and toward the master on Monday. (Douglass, p. 107) The themes of corruptive nature of the slavery accent the next major issues of the book, freedom. Every sad fact of slavery pushed Douglass to the idea of freedom.
From chapter to chapter, the idea of escape in the heart of the narrator is more vivid and strong. Every new event in Douglass life, every new encounter pushes him towards the escape. This is ironic that such a great number of people in the free country dreamed of freedom. The author presents himself as a person from the beginning of the book to the end, he reveals, that slaves acknowledge themselves as humans and they are ready to fight for their rights. The book My Bondage and My Freedom was written for attracting attention of people of education and weight who could influence the changes in the political system of the country. Douglass was well aware that white and educated society would look down on his work. "A wood- sawyer" offering himself to the public as an editor!
A slave, brought up in the very depths of ignorance, assuming to instruct the highly civilized people of the north in the principles of liberty, justice, and humanity! (Douglass, p. 279) The low opinion of slaves was wide spread all over the country in the times when Douglass wrote his autobiography, in the North as well as in the South. The author was aware of the fact, that public will not welcome his intrusion into the problems with slavery, especially while he was the recent uneducated slave himself. Still, Douglass believes in his work. I thought that an intelligent public, knowing my early history, would easily pardon a large share of the deficiencies which I was sure that my paper would exhibit. (Douglass, p. 279) The author believes in progressive educated people, among those people were his friends, who helped him to rise money for his liberation.
My Bondage and My Freedom reveals that the recognition of the slaves as people was an irreversible process. On the example of his own autobiography, Douglass showed that within physical and mental constraints slaves could find strength to recover their conscience and fight for freedom. Besides, the enslaved people achieved more and more supporters among educated people who fought for their rights. My Bondage and My Freedom, which had been written not long before the Civil War introduced many facts showing that people would gather against the slavery institution. Douglass successful escape and following liberation was the result of efforts of many people who participated in his destiny. The author calls for the public, for the authorities to give slaves their rights before they came and took those rights themselves.
Bibliography Douglass, Frederick: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick: An American Slave. Yale Univ Press, 2001. Douglass, Frederic. My Bondage and My Freedom. University of Illinois Press, 1987.
Meet Amazing Americans. Americas Library Website. 12 Apr. 2005. < web >
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Research essay sample on Bondage And My Freedom Frederick Douglass
