Frederick Douglass - 1 Thomas Gebauer Mr Kolasa AP American...

1
Thomas Gebauer
Mr. Kolasa
AP American History
10:32 August 20, 2015
The Relations of Frederick Douglass
A young man by the name of Frederick Douglass became the quintessence of slavery during the 1800s
in the South after he wrote a narrative, in which he illustrated the brutality and dehumanization that was
inflicted upon the average African American slave. Frederick Douglass (originally known as Frederick Bailey)
was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland where he was assigned to work on farms. Unable to fulfill an
ordinary life, Frederick did not know the year he was born nor his own mother. Frederick’s father was a white
male who was a slave owner and had evidently had an affair with one of his slaves. Despite a few visits from
time to time, Frederick was completely separated from his mother and his family. He tried explaining the
purpose for this separation, “For what this separation is done, I do not know, unless it be to hinder the
development of the child’s affection toward the mother, and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the
mother for the child.” (5) 1 When is mother passed away, Frederick described the emotions as identical as the
death of a stranger. Frederick worked all seasons with ‘just enough food to get by’ and was only given new
trousers and a shirt once a year. It was known that, “slaves might also be expected to clear land, build a fence, or
perform other odd jobs…” (6d Online Textbook) 2 Frederick’s first master was known as Captain Anthony, cruel
and abusive just like every other slaveholder. One of the most eye-opening scenes in the book involves Captain
Anthony whipping Aunt Hester, which thoroughly describes the abuse towards women. “…after rolling up his
1
Douglass, Frederick. "Chapter I." Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave . Simon and
Brown, 2012. 5. Print.
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"Slave Life on the Farm and in the Town." Ushistory.org . Independence Hall Association. Web. 20 Aug. 2015

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sleeves, he commenced to lay on the heavy cowskin, and soon the warm, red blood came dripping to the floor.”
(8)
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When moved to Colonel Lloyd’s plantation, Frederick experiences how cold the human heart can be. Slaves
were whipped for almost anything, especially when it came to the horses. If any horse showed an excessive
amount of energy, lack of energy, did not have his/her head held high, etc. then the slave would be whipped. Mr.