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The transition of Frederick Douglass to become a free man

The transition of Frederick Douglass to become a free man

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The transition of Frederick Douglass to become a free man

Frederick Douglass is a former slave and a renowned orator especially during the times of

the abolition campaign .It is ridiculous that Douglass does not know the date of his birth.

Although his mother passed on when he was 7 years old, he ought to know date of birth. His

youthful period is full of slavery of his own people. For instance, he witnesses his aunt, Hesler

being whipped, which depicts the cruelty of the slave masters during this period. The other vital

aspect is that it was fatal for the slaves to defend truth given that the slave masters were cruel and

brutal dictators (Gates and Nellie, 385).In this regard, the slave masters used threat and violence

to implement their slavery agenda. Literacy was the only secret which was hidden from the

slaves. The ability to read and write was crucial in the understanding of the various

communications of the slave masters. However, the masters endeavored to keep the slaves

ignorant of literacy in order to manage to enslave and manage them in better way. This helped

Douglass understand the whole idea of slavery after he got moved to Baltimore, and the ways of

escaping further enslavement. A slave was considered to be as good as an animal, which implies

that there was no incentive they were given for their good work in slavery. Douglass faced

tribulation in the hands of many masters including Mr. Hugh, Thomas Auld, and Mr. Covey.

However, all the slave masters never treated their slaves in a similar manner.

This is because unlike the rest of Douglass’s masters, Mr. Covey fed Douglass well

although he was known to be a cruel dictator. The experience of the slaves was cruel partly

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because of hard labor weekly whipping of the slaves. For instance, Douglass collapsed after

being terribly beaten by his master. The slaves were required to have courage in order to a face

their masters in order to have a break-through. For instance, Douglass battles his master, Mr.

Covey and wins. This earns him reverence before his master. This makes the master to send him

to an isolated plantation in order to save his ego. Having, learnt the importance of acquiring

literacy, Douglass teaches his fellow slaves on how to read and write. This culminates in their

attempt to escape and be free of enslavement. Unfortunately, this attempt was risky because they

were caught red-handed as they tried to escape. There was a jail for defiant people hence they

were jailed for a period of two years. Douglass was sent to Baltimore for trade after being

released from jail. Slavery was still practiced in this place. Racism was also prevalent and this

led to Douglass assault while working in a shipyard. Gates and Nellie (421) asserts that Sophia

Auld sympathized with Douglas and offered to take care of the injury the white shipyard workers

had caused him in the course of assault. This master takes care of him until he heals of his eye

wound. Douglass secures employment with Caulker Services Company after his recovery. He

works in this place for a while and finds his own job later. This provided him with the best

chance to escape from enslavement. He organizes himself and eventually escapes to the North

and meets his fiancé.

A free slave helped him escape and he kept this to himself in order to protect him from

retribution. In addition, this was to provide his fellow slaves with an opportunity to escape in a

similar manner from slavery. Douglass joins an anti-slavery movement campaign and forges

ahead in a bid to end slavery. The urge to change the status quo was the driving force for

Douglass. The belief that all was possible and that fear was not a viable option set him free. In

fact, he believed that it was of no value for him to live a lie to the detriment of his person.

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Name: Course: Professor: Date: The transition of Frederick Douglass to become a free man Frederick Douglass is a former slave and a renowned orator especially during the times of the abolition campaign .It is ridiculous that Douglass does not know the date of his birth. Although his mother passed on when he was 7 years old, he ought to know date of birth. His youthful period is full of slavery of his own people. For instance, he witnesses his aunt, Hesler being whipped, which depicts the cruelty of the slave masters during this period. The other vital aspect is that it was fatal for the slaves to defend truth given that the slave masters were cruel and brutal dictators (Gates and Nellie, 385).In this regard, the slave masters used threat and violence to implement their slavery agenda. Literacy was the only secret which was hidden from the slaves. The ability to read and write was crucial in the understanding of the various communications of the slave masters. However, the masters endeavored to keep the slaves ignorant of literacy in order to manage to enslave and manage them in better way. This helped Douglass understand the whole idea of slavery after he got moved to Baltimore, an ...
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