Frederick Douglass The Rise of a Slave Essay example

he Rise of a Slave Frederick Douglass is a former slave who made great effort in order to obtain freedom. He is born into slavery in the state of Maryland and he barely knows his parents. Douglass is unique compare to other slaves because he learns how to read and write. He found a way to escape from his master and settles in Massachusetts. Frederick Douglass writes his text to abolish slavery and to change it as well; he plays an important role in securing the equal rights of African-Americans and the abolition of slavery. Frederick Douglass went through tough and undeserved treatment from the majority of his masters which took him through trials of slavery that enabled him to gain his education, gain his manhood and gain his freedom.†¦show more content†¦Douglass starts his own Sabbath school which he devotes his Sundays off to teach the slaves how to read and write. He holds the Sabbath school at a free colored man’s house. He has over forty slaves in his Sabbath s chool, men and women who has great desire and devotion to learn. Douglass said â€Å"I had at one time over forty scholars, and those of the right sort, ardently desiring to learn. They were all ages, mostly men and women† (Douglass 553). Douglass effort in being literate started under injunction and secrecy. He learns to read and write when he was still a slave and that directly puts him in a very dangerous position because to teach a slave to read is illegal and forbidden. Douglass is taught by Sophia Auld, the wife of his owner at the time. Mr. Auld discovers that his wife is teaching Douglass how to read and write. He immediately rebukes her teaching a slave how to read and write is a crime and it is unwise to do so. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Mr. Auld explains why it is unwise to teach a slave how to read and write and says, â€Å"If you teach that nigger how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy† (Douglass 531). Mr. Auld’s words proves prophetic, Brian R. Warnick agreesShow MoreRelatedNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1351 Words   |  6 Pagesperiod English 1/4/16 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Research Paper Frederick Douglass positively influenced the United States politically and peacefully, as reflected in the literature of the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass. His work described slavery and provided key information to show the world how slavery really was. Frederick Douglass showed America how terrible the life as a slave was. Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland. He was unsure aboutRead MoreFrederick Douglass, An American Slave1114 Words   |  5 Pages Frederick Douglass is well known for many of his literary achievements. He is best known, now, as a writer. As a writer, Frederick Douglass shined. As a speaker, he was the best. There was no abolitionist, black or white, that was more for his speaking skills. (McFeely, 206) So impressive were Frederick Douglass’s oratorical and intellectual abilities that opponents refused to believe that he had been a slave and alleged that he was a impostor brought up on the public byRead MoreEssay Frederick Douglass and Slavery1448 Words   |  6 PagesFrederick Douglass and Slavery Frederick Douglass the most successful abolitionist who changed America’s views of slavery through his writings and actions. Frederick Douglass had many achievements throughout his life. His Life as a slave had a great impact on his writings. His great oratory skills left the largest impact on Civil War time period literature. All in all he was the best black speaker and writer ever. Douglass was born a slave in 1817, in Maryland. He educatedRead MoreAn Analysis Of Frederick Douglass s The Light Of Anti Abolitionism 941 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July† was brilliantly written by Frederick Douglass in the heat of anti-abolitionism. The speech was well written and executed by using imagery and language, using emotional tones to garner sympathy and understanding, and the overarching idea that slavery was wrong. The tone all through the speech shows the passion and fervor Mister Douglass was feeling that day and really goes to show why this speech is fantastic. To start, Frederick Douglass uses heavy andRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1243 Words   |  5 Pages Frederick Douglass slave owner was his dad. This book is Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The author is Frederick Douglass of his narrative. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery he was working on the farm by age 7. His dad ( Fred’s slave owner ) whipped him as well as Fred’s mom. He was born in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough, and about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot county, Maryland. â€Å"I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containingRead MoreFrederick Douglass And Slavery.1438 Words   |  6 PagesFrederick Douglass and Slavery Frederick Douglass the most successful abolitionist who changed America’s views of slavery through his writings and actions. Frederick Douglass had many achievements throughout his life. His Life as a slave had a great impact on his writings. His great oratory skills left the largest impact on Civil War time period literature. All in all he was the best black speaker and writer ever. Douglass was born a slave in 1817, in Maryland. He educatedRead MoreTranscendentalism In Emersons The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1735 Words   |  7 Pageswith great ease and alacrity; after all, vague ideals seem easy enough to adopt when merely on paper. We experience difficulties, however, when forced to translate these beliefs into actions. In Frederick Douglass’s 1845 The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, the self-agency Douglass utilizes to escape the bondage of slavery seems similar to the actualization that comes through trusting one’s own interior instincts Ralph Waldo Emerson urges readers to cultivate in his 1841Read MoreFrederick Douglass Should Be Considered A Maryland State1471 Words   |  6 PagesFrederick Douglass should be considered a Maryland State Author despite the deplorable societal conditions that constrained lives of African-Americans. Frederick Douglass managed to rise above them, and as cended from the society’s lowest conditions of slavery and racism, to become an important, and a strong proponent of change in the ancient American society. Because of his enthusiasm to work towards achieving change for himself and for society, he has received tribute of admiration from variousRead MoreCompare and Contrast Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass740 Words   |  3 Pages sermons, speeches and memoirs of slaves. Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass were two abolitionist writers. They were similar in some ways and different in others (â€Å"Abolition†). Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Connecticut in 1811 as the daughter of Reverend Lyman Beecher who was active in the anti-slavery movement. She wrote articles for the newspaper as means to support her family. Harriet saw the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 (allowed escaped slaves to be re-enslaved) to be immoral.Read MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1730 Words   |  7 Pagesthe most well-known slavery narratives was lived and written by Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was a civil rights activist who was born into slavery on a plantation in eastern Maryland in February 1818. His exact birth date is unknown, he states in his narrative, â€Å"I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it.†2 His birth name was Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, which was given by his mother Harriet