Category: Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass: An escaped slave, he is in his mid-twenties, but the first twenty years of his life were from 1818 – 1838. The last few have taken place in the 2010s. He is headstrong, confident, traumatized by slavery, and adamant about how Black people are truly not free until everything is 100% equal. He is now an upcoming artist who tells his story through music.

Phillis Wheatley: She is also in her mid-twenties, she is a former slave, who lived her first 20 years from 1753 – 1773. She believes that she was rescued from Africa and that Black people are cursed because they have not found God and once they find Him, they will truly be free. She is religious, intelligent, confident, and unapologetic.

It is 2017. Frederick Douglass is preparing for a collaboration song with Kendrick Lamar. Douglass has remixed one of his songs to express his feelings while he was enslaved by a cruel master and communicates his feelings after being “free”. Phillis Wheatley, who is Douglass’ friend, calls him talks about her faith, and why Black people are cursed.

Phillis Wheatley called Douglass earlier, Douglass doesn’t answer, so she left a voicemail, he is pacing around and checks his voicemails:

WHEATLEY: “What’s up, Fred?

Man, it’s just me Phillis, just givin’ you that call

We both know you’ve been through a lot And you know, I– I know you feel like

Nobody been prayin’ for you

But you gotta understand this man, that we are cursed people

Deuteronomy 28:28 says, “The Lord shall smite thee with madness And

Blindness, and astonishment of heart”

See, Fred, that’s why you feel how you feel

Kinda like you got Lucy on your back

Until you follow His commandments you– you gonna keep feeling that way”

*Douglass paces around his room and rehearses his verses*

*Kendrick Lamar Chorus*

Why God, why God do I gotta suffer?

Pain in my heart carry burdens full of struggle

Why God, why God do I gotta bleed?

Every stone throw at you restin’ at my feet

Why God, why God do I gotta suffer?

Earth is no more, won’t you burn this muh’fucka

*Douglass Verse*

I beat yo’ ass, keep talkin’ that

I beat yo’ ass, who got you that

You stole it, I beat yo’ ass if you stop workin’

I beat yo’ ass you fight it, I beat yo’ ass if you writin’

I beat yo’ ass if I beat yo’ ass twice and you still here

I’m talkin fear, fear of losin’ freedom

I’m talkin fear, fear of my people bleedin’

I’m talkin fear, fear of losin’ sanity for pride

Cause I can’t survive in the light of God

I’m talkin fear, fear that it’s wickedness or weakness

Fear, whatever it is, both is distinctive

Fear, whatever happens on Earth stays on Earth

And I can’t take these feelings with me

So hopefully they’ll disperse among the tracks, carried out over wax

Searchin’ for resolutions until somebody gets back

*Douglass next verse*

I’ll prolly die anonymous, I’ll prolly die with promises

I’ll prolly die because my color stands out

I’ll prolly die sneakin out from massa’s house

I’ll prolly die forgotten, I’ll prolly die alone,

I’ll prolly die far from a place called home

Or maybe die for lookin’ the wrong way

Or maybe die from not doing what the massa say

When I was 20, I got used to living in fear

Accumulated 20 times over throughout the years

The shock value of being free put locks on me

All this freedom, is God playin’ a joke on me?

Is it for the moment, and will he see me as Job?

Take it from me and leave me worse than befo’?

At 20 years old my biggest fear was losin’ it all

Scared of goin’ back and being beat wall to wall

*Douglass is interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing, he goes and answers it*

Douglass: Hello?

Wheatley: Hey Fred, it’s me again, I was just wantin’ to tell you

Galatians 5:1 says “ It is for freedom that Christ has set us free

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”

So until y’all understand that y’all gotta accept Him—

Y’all will be under this curse

We’re gon’ keep feeling this way

So thy God, chasten thee, like you would chasten your own, God is gon’ chastise you cause’ he loves you

He chastises us, cause’ he loves us

Until we find our way back to his laws and commandments, and do

What the Lord told us to do, these curses are gon’ be upon us

We’re gon’ stay at a lower state in our life that we live in today, in today’s United States of America.

I love you Fred—

And God bless you.

*end*

I chose Douglass and Wheatley because I feel like they have major differences in their beliefs, specifically on the state that black people were in. I think Wheatley used God as a tool to explain why many White people were so cruel, and it helped her find a way to shift blame off of oppressors. I believe that calling them “lost” or “misguided” is a very, very soft way of expressing evil. I feel that Douglass was blunter in his depictions of the evil and describing the horrors that his people endured.

I expressed dialogue between Fredrick Douglass and Wheatley in the format of a play. In the play, I represent Wheatley as a person who believes freedom is a state-of-mind, a religious experience, and embodiment. Conversely, I represent Douglass as someone who believes freedom is a status in society, someone who hasn’t wholly abandoned religion but does not separate his spiritual journey from his journey on earth.

A big part of my motivation was the genre of hip-hop/rap; it is an outlet for many artists to talk about their past and their views on social issues. One of the most influential artists that do this is Kendrick Lamar. In the song I sampled from, he talks about why he isn’t free and his own personal problems. Setting the play in 2017 allows me to use a time where the Black Lives Matter movement gained a significant amount of traction, in a society where a president, whose views are oftentimes at the expense of minorities. In addition to that, 2017 was a year where many hip-hop artists spent their time creating songs about injustice towards the Black community. I think that the context setting and context allows a reader to see my interpretations of Phillis Wheatley and Fredrick Douglass and help bring out some of their differences.

Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without thunder and lightning”. This quote summarizes Frederick Douglass’s trials and tribulations throughout his life. Frederick Douglass impacted American Literature tremendously throughout his life with powerful writings and speeches. He’d change many views of slavery throughout America about slavery in the 1800s. Abolitionist Frederick Douglass’s life didn’t start like many other popular authors. His most popular work, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, describes in great detail the hurdle’s the famous author overcame to get into his current position. He was born without knowing of his own age, and never saw an authentic record containing it. Frederick was separated from his mother after birth like many slaves and wouldn’t really develop a great relationship with her as a result. He states that he only saw her four or five times in his life. His father is presumed to be a white man, although never being confirmed. You slowly begin to realize how dark and horrific his life was on a relatable level as a child through the author’s simplistically blunt way of writing as it goes on. A great example of this is when he tries to understand the slave owners’ mindset of separating families, “I do not know unless it is to hinder the development of the child’s affection towards its mother and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child.”

He states himself that their relationship was as if they were strangers. Another thing to note from his traumatic childhood is his Aunt Hester. After committing an offense she was stripped naked, tied her hands on a rope, and whipped as she screamed (Douglass narrative) Douglass himself watched this situation with his own eyes. Douglass learns how to read from Sophia Auld, the wife of his current master, Hugh Auld. She teaches him the alphabet until she is told to stop. Afterward, he learns how to read and write from his neighborhood. Expectantly he learns how wrong slavery is and wants to escape from it. However, we see Douglass himself lose his spirit after being whipped to a certain extent by a man named Edward Cover. This visualizes how easy it is for a person in this predicament to lose themselves. He fights Edward for two hours and regains his drive. Returning to the starting quote of, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress” it summarizes his early life in this narrative. He attempts to educate blacks and form an escape. That plan gets exposed and they are arrested. Afterward, he’s sent to learn caulking with Hugh Auld. Since he was just a slave and an apprentice, Douglass would be forced to deal with angry white people as he worked with them until he switched shipyards. After this apprenticeship, he prepares to escape from his bondage by saving money. Douglass escapes to New York and gets to free soil. This did not mean he was safe, packs of slave catchers roamed the streets of New York searching for fugitives. An anti-slavery activist keeps him safe from this until he can marry a free black woman named Anna Murray. Crowds didn’t originally treat Douglass with the respect he gets later in his life. Douglass would be forced to leave Massachusetts for a set time to avoid recapture and spoke in Ireland and Britain on slavery. Even though he could have easily broken his ties with America, he returns a free man After Douglass finally settles in Massachusetts, he becomes an abolitionist.

One of his speeches now called The Hypocrisy of American Slavery when he was invited to speak on the Fourth of July is not just a huge mood change from the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass but proves how educated of a man he truly was. He was fully self-aware that asking a former slave to speak on a day all about independence is a joke in itself. He discusses how freedom isn’t really a thing when slavery is happening in America. A quote filled with irony paints this picture, “I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us”. Douglass was well known for being a supporter of the abolition of slavery, but he also supported women’s rights as well. Frederick Douglass would be one of the few men to attend the first woman’s rights convention. He would have disagreements with them though, mostly due to suffrage discrimination. Later in his life, he meets Abraham Lincoln before the Civil war broke out after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect. Even though it claimed to “free” slaves, Douglass still wouldn’t support him due to his lack of enforcing African-American rights to vote.

Slaves who had been through the middle passage explained it as torture and there was no way to escape except death. While most slaves were brought, sold, and worked others attempted resistance. “The first recorded revolt in the colonies was in 1663, an event involving white indentured servants as well as black slaves.” (History.com) Also “in 1672, there were reports of fugitive slaves forming groups to harass plantation owners. The first recorded all-black slave revolt occurred in Virginia in 1687.”(History.com) In these revolts, slaves risked their lives and could have been killed easily if they were caught after a revolt.

The African Americans of colonial times faced hardships as they were forced away from their homes, lives, and families to work on plantations in the new colonies. They were put through long hours of labor with little to no rest and were treated as property. The African Americans didn’t let this stop them from losing their natural born rights, so they resisted both quietly and with force putting them a little closer to freedom each time they revolted.

The Revolutionary Era was a time when the colonies began defying and declaring a separation from Great Britain. The Revolutionary War helped African Americans during the Revolution because they could have a chance at being free by fighting for America. The roles of black people in the Revolutionary War were jobs such “as wagoners, cooks, waiters or artisans. Several all-black units, commanded by white officers, were also formed and saw action against the British” (Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation). Widespread talk of liberty gave thousands of slaves high expectations, and many were ready to fight for a democratic revolution that might offer them freedom. Allies of the African Americans were the Quakers who stopped and realized the morality of slavery. Quakers George Keith and John Woolman strongly spoke out against slavery but were constantly ignored. Due to the ongoing battle for independence and liberty, some colonists began to speak out because it made no sense to them that slaves couldn’t be free, but the Colony was fighting for Liberty.

Slaves were no longer alone in their fight for civil rights as some Quakers and colonists realized that slaves were people too. From the 1750s, several Quakers in the American colonies began to oppose enslavement. They visited the slaveholders and lobbied the English Headquarters for action. “By 1761, Quakers had come to view abolition as a Christian duty and all Quakers, on both sides of the Atlantic, were barred from owning slaves. Any members that did not conform were disowned.”(The Abolition Project)So now African Americans aren’t alone in civil rights reform.

The Revolutionary Era gave black people a chance at being free by fighting in the war, it wasn’t always a possibility, but if they got lucky or did a significant job in the war they could be freed. This era got better for black people because they were now being assisted by Quakers and Christian colonists who believed slavery was wrong and everyone deserved freedom. Reform continues to progress and African Americans continue to get closer to freedom and achieve their goal of civil rights.

The final era is the Antebellum Era. Many African Americans began gaining their freedom in the North and they could travel, fight in the war, could even own land. This was also the era when emancipation was released ending slavery and making black people free citizens in the North. Ways African Americans gained their freedom before emancipation through revolts, running away, or working to buy themselves out of slavery. In this period the North and South were split due to beliefs on slavery. So slaves would escape to the North from the South where they were declared free. Running away was not easy, slaves were usually followed by their slave masters, it was running through the dark woods and trails. Leaders like Harriet Tubman led many people to freedom, this was called the Underground Railroad, and Harriet Tubman a “conductor” freed about 300 people. Leaders who led revolts like Nat Turner weren’t as successful because sooner or later the troops would arrest and hang the slaves if they were caught. In the North free slaves began prospering as they started owning their land, and businesses, and paid taxes. For the South it wasn’t as great, there was still a big shadow of slavery it was not as easy as living up north.

The African Americans in the Antebellum period were the most productive and most prosperous than they have been in America ever. Many African Americans wrote about the struggles and talked about how they prospered in the dark time of slavery. Frederick Douglass a former slave wrote about what slavery felt like and how it affected him. Douglass said “It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason. He must be able to detect no inconsistencies in slavery; he must be made to feel that slavery is right; and he can be brought to that only when he ceased to be a man.”(Fredrick Douglass)Nat Turner the leader of a four-day rebellion against his plantation believed he was destined to rebel said “And my father and mother strengthened me in this my first impression, saying in my presence, I was intended for some great purpose, which they had always thought from certain marks on my head and breast.”(Nat Turner)

The Colonial, Revolutionary, and Antebellum eras were very important periods of reform for African Americans. The reform that African Americans achieved was Freedom and being civilians. They made big steps towards full civil and equal rights. With the amazing role models throughout these periods like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Nat Turner more African Americans can build better lives and create better communities.

Jacob Lawrence was an African-American artist that was well known for his series of creations that provided a representation of the African-American life. Born September 7, 1917; Jacob Lawrence became one the best African-American painters amongst the 20th century. Constructing breathtaking work based on living life in Harlem, historical events, and important justice such as, social realism, and the African-American experiences. It is clear as to why he achieved so much success in the early parts of his career. Jacob Lawrence used many important aspects of life to paint a story, but the importance of each piece lies in each brush stroke. From the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, to his Harlem life; Jacob Lawrence had many stories to tell, such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Toussaint L’Ouverture. The African-American life is an essential part of history, but the importance in others mistreatment was just as vital. Jacob Lawrence not only provided beautiful art to view but he also displayed a story to be read.

Lawrence has multiple series that reflect on the history of African-American’s past. This is Harlem, is a painting that does a fantastic job conveying that. This painting is full of geometric planes to recreate a community that so many called home. Lawrence’s use of colors are helpful to get an understanding of Harlem. Red and yellow rectangles and triangles are used to create the rooftops in Harlem, while the colors black and brown are used to display the abstractions of each building or object painted. Jacob Lawrence seems to use the same colors (black and brown) to create the community to represent the lack of acknowledgement they were given during this time. The people blended into the community as they did during Lawrence’s era, however, in the painting they also stand out in the way they were intended to. In the same way, Lawrence used the colors red, blue and yellow to highlight the windows of the Harlem’s community church. This tells me there is a sense of importance when it comes to the church standing out in the painting. With the church painted mostly white, it displays a sense of harmony within the African-American life. As I view this painting, I am noticing a bit of repetition when it comes to the geometric shapes along with colors that are repeated within this painting that corresponds with the religious iconography. Faith and religion is a constant rotation in Harlem’s’ daily lives. For example, the red blue and yellow triangular shapes that were used to recreate the church’s windows are also used within the community homes and or apartments. The cross on top of the church is also found to be recreated as the top of the roof. Viewing these subtle repetitions, it is clear that religion was a way of life for those who lived in Harlem. It was not just a Sunday thing. Lawrence does a great job writing Harlem’s community. Each shape is repeated within each building or image. It displays that Harlem is not a town, a city, or a block. It is clear within the red, blue and yellow colors and the triangles, squares, and rectangles, that Harlem is a family. A community that fights to stay up and they do so together. This is Harlem, presents the viewer an idea of what black life in Harlem represented through the lens of one of the most talented African-American artists. Lawrence, tells the important story of Harlem; the history behind his childhood. His upbringing. His life. Lawrence presents the viewer an understanding of American’s history.

Jacob Lawrence used his life experiences and the lives of those around him to paint a vision of significance. While living in Harlem, Jacob used his experiences combined with others to reach his community and on the struggles they endured. His life as a young African-American was a major influence when creating beautiful masterpieces. With every piece Lawrence created he provided his audience with personal stories. He used his artistic platform to bring not just America’s but African-American Stories to the light. His paintings not only convey understanding of a significant time in history but they provided individuals with hope and determination over their life struggles and difficulties that they faced. Paintings such as Escape, by Jacob Lawrence, not only painted Harriet Tubman’s struggle through slavery, but more importantly, it shines a light on her escape and successful life after. It was during this era, that it was not uncommon to find history books that excluded not only Harriet Tubman, but other heroic African-Americans as well. It was the painful past of his culture that pushed and inspired him to create works of art that highlighted the mistreatment. All his series did an amazing job at telling all humankind’ aspirations. In the time of his education, Jacob Lawrence had learned the history of his culture through research on his own time. With the lack of black history being taught, Lawrence used powerful stories to enlighten the word. For instance, Jacob Lawrence’s series were designed to draw attention to African-American everyday struggles in his era. It is clear that he found his art was a great way to draw attention to the acceptance of cultural experiences. Although his work might be seen as straight to the point or forceful, it is making the statement that art can have the ability to create social change. By presenting his era with the important change that needs to happen by displaying art that not only has affected his culture but those around him, Lawrence’s paintings were the visual change the world needed to see. His childhood and life experience has helped him develop beautiful stories that needed to be seen and heard. This was a huge importance during his era, when they lacked the acknowledgement of any equality and diversity.

Jacob Lawrence was a young individual that had an interest in history. However, during his education, black history was not a subject that was viewed as important. Growing up in Harlem, Lawrence found ways to educate himself about black history; whether it was attending history club or the neighborhood public library, Jacob Lawrence became well acquainted with America’s history. “It was this absence of black stories and black history… that inspired his life’s work.” (Diamond, 2017). Jacob Lawrence created readable art. Each painting told an important story. From Harriet Tubman to the everyday life of those who lived in Harlem, Lawrence put it upon himself to tell the story that many were not willing to tell. Every subject and style of paintings he created was a purposeful choice. For instance, Jacob Lawrence’s series focused on some of black history’s most historical figures: Frederick Douglass, Toussaint L’Ouverture, and Harriet Tubman. Each story held a high level of importance, and each story was painted with a tremendous amount of respect and honor of the life they lived and the pain they endured.

Looking through Jacob Lawrence’s series of painting was a little bit confusing. Each painting had an overwhelming amount of detail. Trying to understand the narrative was complicated. I was not sure what to look at and or if I was looking at the piece of work correctly. Once I began to dive into his history and learn the inspiration for his paintings, it helped me to gain a better understanding on how to read each piece. Even though I still find his painting to have an overwhelming amount of detail, Jacob Lawrence’s inspirations to each piece provides the viewer a lens to look through. It provides the observer a map to better understand the piece and how to read the story he intended on sharing. I cannot say my opinion changed after learning his history, but I can say I respected his work that much more. To learn that he taught himself the critical parts of black history was incredible. When he lived in an era that refused to teach children the African-American facts, he made a conscientious choice to paint those stories for the world to see.

1. Diamond, Anna. “Why the Works of Visionary Artist Jacob Lawrence Still Resonate a Century
2. After HisBirth.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 5 Sept. 2017, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-works-visionary-artist-jacob-lawrence-still-resonate-century-after-his-birth-180964706/.
3. Duggleby, John, et al. Story Painter: the Life of Jacob Lawrence. Chronicle Books, 1998
4. Wheat, Ellen Harkins. “Jacob Lawrence and the Legacy of Harlem.” Archives of American Art Journal. Vol. 26, no. 1, 1986, pp. 18-25.
5. “Jacob Lawrence.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/artist/jacoblawrence-2828
6. Benson, Richard, and Carl Van Vechten. “Jacob Lawrence, from the Portfolio ‘O, Write My Name’: American Portraits, Harlem Heroes.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/jacob-lawrence-portfolio-o-write-my-name-american-portraits-harlem-heroes-1839

The purpose of this paper is to discuss nationalism and its connection to Frederick Douglass. Is Frederick Douglass a nationalist? In order to answer this question, we must go back to the beginning and explore Douglass’s childhood. It is here that he develops some understanding of the world that he lives in. As Douglass gets older, he begins to see the world for what it truly is. What he sees and experiences is not right, and he knows that. He must do something. Frederick Douglass joins the abolitionist movement. It is no surprise that he experiences backlash and is presented with numerous challenges and threats. How does he respond to these challenges? If he was not a nationalist before, is he a nationalist now? If he is a nationalist, what kind of nationalist is he? It is important that we explore Frederick Douglass’s life, starting from the beginning, to get a better understanding of what led him to become the man we know him to be.

Frederick Douglass was born in Talbot County in Maryland sometime in February 1817. Because his mother was a slave, he was born a slave. For the first few years of his life, he lived with his grandmother. For a while, he thought that the home in which his grandmother lived was her own. He learned that not only did the house belong to someone else, but his grandmother did as well. Up until this point, Frederick Douglass had no knowledge of slavery. I can only imagine how he felt learning that his grandmother, her children, and himself included were slaves. His grandmother was very dear to him. Learning that one day he would be separated from her had to be heartbreaking. I believe that the day his grandmother was taken from him, was the day that he became acquainted with the true reality of slavery.

Frederick Douglass went to live on a plantation owned by a man named Colonel Lloyd. He was left under the supervision of a woman referred to as “Aunt Katy,” who happened to be a slave herself.” Aunt Katy had her own kids that she favored and often neglected the other children when it came to food. Frederick Douglass recalled being hungry often during his first summer on the plantation. “Aunt Katy” would give her children the majority of the food, leaving very little for the rest. Douglass would be so hungry that he would hurry to get the crumbs that had been shaken from the tablecloth for the animals to eat. It saddens me that a child was treated like this. But this was only the beginning. Over the course of his life, Frederick Douglass would experience many more *hardships.

In Chapter 5, Douglass recalled an event that “opened his eyes to the cruelties and wickedness of slavery.” He saw the significant impact that slavery had on his master when he would not step in to save a young woman-Douglass’s cousin-who had been severely abused and beaten by the overseer. Douglass felt that the master should have used his authority to protect the woman, and he should have. At the time, Douglass said he did not understand the reasoning behind the brutal treatment that his cousin had received. Once he was older and began writing his autobiography, he understood that the kind of treatment his cousin received was a part of the system. It had nothing to do with the overseer himself. I would say that the overseer was a victim of the system as much as the slaves were themselves. This is a notion that I have seen in previous books that we have read this semester. This leads one to wonder, where did the system come from? How did it become so deeply embedded in the minds and hearts of the slaveholders?

Frederick Douglass had begun to wonder why he was a slave. He had been told that that was just the way God had intended for things to be. Douglass knew this was not right, for it went against this image of goodness he had in his head. After learning that many other slaves were brought over from their home country of Africa and learning that his Aunt had escaped, he knew that he wanted to escape too. Because of all that had happened and what he had learned, Douglass said that “I was already, in spirit and purpose, a fugitive of slavery.”

Frederick Douglass eventually began learning how to read. Shortly after he learned that the key to freedom was knowledge. Douglass strived to gain as much knowledge as he could. He would listen in on people’s conversations about slavery and heard the term abolitionist for the first time. He sought out to learn more about the abolitionists. He was enthused by what he found in his search because he and the abolitionists had something in common: their hatred for the cruelties and brutalities of slavery. As Douglass continued to search, he needed something more. He needed someone he could go to in confidence, a friend. Through the teachings of a minister, Frederick Douglass was led to develop a relationship with God. He came to love all mankind, slaveholders included, but he still hated slavery. He did not believe it was the will of God. He sought spiritual guidance from a man he called “Uncle Lawson, who told him that God had a special work for him to do. Frederick asked “How can this be? I am a slave and I will be for the rest of my life.” Uncle Lawson told him that the Lord would set him free.

Frederick Douglass escaped slavery on September 3, 1838. He went to New York and there he got married. Shortly after getting married, Douglass and his wife traveled to Newport, Rhode Island. From there they went to New Bedford where Frederick Douglass felt safe at last. While in New Bedford, Douglass was given a copy of the Liberator, a newspaper edited and published by William Lloyd Garrison and Isaac Knapp. Douglass loved the content in the newspaper! He was inspired by the work of William Lloyd Garrison and began attending antislavery meetings. Frederick Douglass was asked to speak at an antislavery convention held in Nantucket. This was the first out of many times that he would speak publicly.

After joining the abolitionists, Douglass experienced backlash from his colored counterparts. Not only was it rare that the people of the town encountered a fugitive slave, but it was even more so that they encountered a “fugitive slave lecturer.” Many people did not believe that he had ever been a slave. Eventually, he had no choice but, to tell the truth about his experiences as a slave. He continued on with the abolitionists “preaching and teaching” to all who would hear. At one of the meetings, Douglass and some others were attacked. But he did not let this stop him. He continued his journey.

So, looking at the course of Frederick Douglass’s life thus far, was he a nationalist? In a letter to William Garrison, Frederick Douglass wrote, “I have no end to serve, no creed to uphold, no government to defend, and as to the nation. I belong to none. I have no protection at home or resting-place abroad. The land of my birth welcomes me to her shores only as a slave and spurns with contempt the idea of treating me differently; so that I am an outcast from the society of my childhood, and an outlaw in the land of my birth.” He also wrote, “If I ever had any patriotism or any capacity for the feeling, it was whipped out of me long since by the lash of the American soul drivers. When I remember that all is cursed with the infernal spirit of slaveholding, robbery, and wrong when I remember that with the waters of her noblest rivers the tears of my brethren are borne to the ocean, disregarded and forgotten and that her most fertile fields drink daily of the warm blood of my outraged sisters, I am filled with unutterable loathing, and led to reproach myself that anything could fall from my lips in praise of such a land.”

After reading this statement, I do not think Frederick Douglass was an American Nationalist. I do not know if I would call him a nationalist at all. How could he pledge allegiance to this country when all it has done is oppress him and thousands of others like him? How could he support and promote this country’s values, when he was at one point a slave? He was not proud of his homeland and the things that had taken place there. He was an American citizen by birth but was treated as an outsider. So, no he was not an American Nationalist. He was, however, a huge supporter of antislavery. He hated slavery and the slave system and worked tirelessly to do away with it. In this sense, maybe he was a nationalist. I think he was a just firm believer in the truth and doing what was right. He wanted better for his people. If that makes him a “Black Nationalist,” then so be it. I think he may have been one of the greatest “Black Nationalists” in history.

In the excerpt of learning to read and write, Frederick Douglass describes the struggles he faced to read and write and the power of knowledge, which he used to escape from slavery. He describes the situations he had gone through for being an African American slave. His writings show is the cruelty of the slaveholders towards their slaves and the inhuman conditions they have faced. Douglass describes that the slaveholders were cold-hearted towards the slaves. All at once, Douglass needed his readers to understand that slavery is a cruel and vicious act.

Douglass described his mistress was a ‘pious, warm, and tender-hearted,… comfort to every mourner in her reach'[37]. Initially, his mistress tutored him alphabets illegally because slaves were not allowed to go to school. Later, he described that his mistress was influenced by her husband and turned violent towards the slaves. During this excerpt, Douglass describes how his mistress modified from a warm-hearted, helpful woman to a cruel and mean person. His mistress never tutored him again besides, she used to get mad if she saw Douglass with a book.

One of his audience were African Americans for most of his companions don’t even recognize the importance of education. He wanted those slaves to understand the power of education. Throughout his narrative, Douglass explained how he used those children to teach him how to read and write in exchange for food. Douglass writes, ‘Have not I as good a right to be free as you have?'[39]. He most likely chose these kids as his audience because he knew that sythose kids could change the future. He used to tell them that they will be free once they flip twenty-one but, he must be as a slave, throughout his life. This event could have been his method of convincing those young ones’ that slavery is a cruel act and to look down on it so that they can change the lives of African Americans.

Douglass opens his excerpt by describing how his mistress changed from a nice-lady to a mean person. She used to get mad whenever she saw him with a book. He also described the white children he made friends with, so that they can help him how to learn to read and write. Douglass slowly started understanding the things going on around him, which he did not like it at all. One day, he met two white men who tried to encourage him to escape to be free. However, Douglass ignored them because he thought that could be a trap led by white people to catch the slaves while running away and return them to their masters. This shows us that Douglass had to go through a lot of trouble to learn to read and write.

Douglass expresses’I would then make the letter which I had been so fortunate as to learn, and ask him to beat that; In this way, I got a good many lessons in writing…’ (Douglass 349). Douglass learned to write by challenging other kids that he knew more words than they do. He finally started making his own decisions, which made him discover who he was. Throughout the narrative, Douglass described that his slaveholders were against the education to slaves, because they believed that a slave should not be educated and independent.

‘I was now about twelve years old, and the thought of being a slave for life began to bear heavenly upon my heart.’ This shows us how difficult it was for a kid to undergo such situations. Douglass and his fellows had to face a lot of problems and inequality by their masters. Sometimes Douglass wished himself dead because he couldn’t bear slavery anymore. .

Frederick Douglass knew that his only way to freedom was possible through education. He made education as his goal and started to work on it. Douglass also said whenever he was in a separate room, he was suspected of reading by his master. He started to lose his hopes until he found the word abolition. He used to pay attention whenever he heard the word. Educating himself made Douglass confident about his decisions and also made him think that he was close to freedom. Sometimes Douglass wished himself dead because he couldn’t bear slavery anymore. ‘Freedom now appeared, to disappear no more forever…[41]’ Douglass was so confident that one day, he will be free from slavery. He started to see a new perspective of life.

Douglass was happy to understand that he was close to freedom, but at the same time, he wanted to revolt against the eduction because he believes that education made him able to understand the horrible facts of slavery.

Conclusion

Certainly, one of the purposes of the narrative is to tell the facts about slavery he faced and wanted people to stand against it. He was one of the few ex-slaves who got an opportunity to speak against slavery.

In the Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass stated, “all of the white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege.” (Chapter I) The quote from the Narrative would hit home to many slaves, this is one of the many ways that slaves were dehumanized and treated more like cattle than human beings. Even though some slaves managed to escape from the south there is proof throughout the Life of Frederick Douglass that slavery never completly leaves the person.

As William Lloyd Garrison, a famous abolitionist, said, “A black man can escape from the South, but he can never escape from slavery.” In the Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass discusses; what exactly life as a slave was like in extreme detail, along with the dehumanization of not only the slave but the slave holder, and lastly what exactly freedom is to Douglass. The three major categories of the narrative work together to tell readers each and every little detail in order to properly tell Frederick Douglass’ story, and how hard it was each and every day. Douglass was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, although his exact date of birth is unknown, he was born into slavery and seperated from his mother when he was only an infant, his mother passed when he was only 10 years old.

Douglass was taught to read and write by his white slave owners wife Sophia Auld, she taught him the alphabet and small words before her husband forbid her from teaching Douglass anymore. “The dangerous position of the use of irresponsible power was already in her (Sophia’s) hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. Her cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became flooded with rage, changed to one of her harsh and horriod disgrard and this gave an angellic face to that of a demon.” (chapter 6) Sophia was not used to being in charge, let alone owning someone, Douglass talks about her “irresponsible power” and how this corrupts her. Douglass refers to her face as angelic but also a demon, she was once so innocent and having complete control over another human made her into a demon.

Among many things that happened while Douglass was enslaved, he experienced the singing sorrows. “I have often sung to drown my sorrow, it was rare that it expressed happiness. Crying for joy and singing for joy were among the uncommon things when in the jaws of slavery.” (chapter 2) The slaves did not sing when they were happy they sang at the worst of times, when things were getting so bad they had nothing else to turn to. They sang in order to get out the emotions that they were feeling without having to stop working, if they were to stop and talk to each other the slaves would be punished or scolded. The dehumanization of slaves was extremely brutal, slaves were forbidden from knowing anything personal about themselves. According to Douglas slaves were not the only ones being dehumanized, the slave owners were also dehumanizing themselves along the way. “I found that making a contented slave, it is necessary to make them a thoughtless one.

Necessary to darken their moral and mental vision and as far as possible, take away power of reason. Must be able to have no inconsistencies in slavery, must be made to feel that slavery is right.” (Chapter10) Douglass make this point in order to prove slaves had to be manipulated into believing that their enslavement is for the right reasons, no person in a sane state of mind would ever believe this. This being the reason the slave owners had to destroy the minds of each and every slave that they owned. Freedom can be classified as many things, just simply being able to say what one wants, go wherever one wants without being told otherwise, or the right to believe in whatever religion one chooses. Frederick Douglass was willing to die in order to gain his freedom, he believed that freedom was the ultimate gift. His slave owner was also dehumanized throughout this process, “Slavery proved to be as injurious to her as it did to me. When I first went there, she was a warm and tender woman.

But, slavery soon proved its great abilities to remover these heavenily qualities from her, her tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness.” (Chapter 7) Douglass talks about how slavery had changed his slave owners wife from her sweet “tender hearted” self who cared about the ones who were suffering and made her into a slave master with a hardened heart who became as visicious as tiger. Touching on the quote by William Lloyd “A black man can escape from the South, but he can never escape from slavery.” Slaves feared one thing most in their lives which was their slave owners, living in fear all the time not being able to say or act out of line and if they did they would face the consequences. When a slave escapes from the south successfully, they are not immediately relieved from the pain they previously went through. Forced to live in fear, fear of being found and brought back to where they escaped from and not having the chance to escape again to live the life these people deserve.

In conclusion, Frederick Douglass wrote a very powerful narrative, giving readers almost to much information throughout it. Douglass discussed his terms of freedom, his journey throughout slavery, his escape and small hints about his struggle to keep a positive mindset even after he was free. Douglass knew there was always a small chance that he could be found and taken back to his rightful “owner.” In my opinion the Douglass narrative supports the sentiment by William Lloyd, the reason I believe this is because of all of the quotes and information behind it. I would say Douglass had some sort of PTSD because he could never fully let go of what he went through, he was forced to live in fear that he would be found and brought back. Over all Frederick Douglass was using this as a way to get his story out and also as a way for him to move on with his life and be free from fear.

Knowledge is freedom, and ignorance is slavery. From the autobiography of Miles Davis. To be truly free is not just having your freedom, but is having the ability to learn and know more.

The narrative, explains how white slaveholders maintained their slaves by keeping them ignorant and how it was a federal offense to teach a slave to read and/or write. “I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday.” (Douglass, p. 1) The entire time, Douglass and his fellow slaves thought it was natural to be slaves. As they grew up, their masters kept them from learning to read because this ability would give them self-empowerment. “Massa” knew that an intelligent slave was a questionable slave, and was truly afraid of the effects of one. Since slaves could not read or write, it was almost impossible for them to tell their stories. Because slaves couldn’t tell their stories, no one truly cared.

However, slave women and men needed knowledge and had no way of getting it. It is necessary to gain their freedom. Douglass learned this during his time with the Auld’s. When Mr. Auld caught Mrs. Auld teaching him to read, he told her that, “if you give a mouse a cookie, then it will seek more and more.” In other words, giving a slave intelligence would ruin the way of the plantation. “If you give a n****r an inch, he will take an ell. A n****r should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best n****r in the world. Now,” said he, “if you teach that n****r (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave.” (Mr. Auld, p. 29) Even though Douglass was forbidden to learn, he took it upon himself to continue to do so. Through this way, he can gain his “freedom.”

Knowledge helps slaves realize that they are just as human as the white overseers. Once they realize the truth about everything, they will take power for themselves, which will further bring greatness to the lives of many. When oppressed people learn of the real in life, they will want to change it. Douglass has also dedicated himself to educating fellow slaves because he sees it as a way to stop everything. His intelligence proves that slaves are human as well as everyone else and have capabilities, besides picking cotton, making beds, cooking, etc.

Not just affecting slaves, but even the slaveholders themselves. The way they treated slaves has put many a temptation on them. Many white men would rape female slaves, and their wives would feel jealous. The adultery threatens slave owner families. Thomas Auld, for example, committed such “sins(one could call them)” that he became unknown when he was doing them. The book continues to share examples such as Sophia Auld, and many others. Douglass knows for a fact that slavery should be deemed illegal, not just for the sake of slaves, but for the sake of all living.

From knowledge being the key to power, aka. Freedom, to having effects on slaves and slaveholders. Life today would never be the same without the events of the past.

Knowledge is freedom, and ignorance is slavery. From the autobiography of Miles Davis. To be truly free is not just having your freedom, but is having the ability to learn and know more.

The narrative, explains how white slaveholders maintained their slaves by keeping them ignorant and how it was a federal offense to teach a slave to read and/or write. “I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday.” (Douglass, p. 1) The entire time, Douglass and his fellow slaves thought it was natural to be slaves. As they grew up, their masters kept them from learning to read because this ability would give them self-empowerment. “Massa” knew that an intelligent slave was a questionable slave, and was truly afraid of the effects of one. Since slaves could not read or write, it was almost impossible for them to tell their stories. Because slaves couldn’t tell their stories, no one truly cared.

However, slave women and men needed knowledge and had no way of getting it. It is necessary to gain their freedom. Douglass learned this during his time with the Auld’s. When Mr. Auld caught Mrs. Auld teaching him to read, he told her that, “if you give a mouse a cookie, then it will seek more and more.” In other words, giving a slave intelligence would ruin the way of the plantation. “If you give a n****r an inch, he will take an ell. A n****r should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best n****r in the world. Now,” said he, “if you teach that n****r (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave.” (Mr. Auld, p. 29) Even though Douglass was forbidden to learn, he took it upon himself to continue to do so. Through this way, he can gain his “freedom.”

Knowledge helps slaves realize that they are just as human as the white overseers. Once they realize the truth about everything, they will take power for themselves, which will further bring greatness to the lives of many. When oppressed people learn of the real in life, they will want to change it. Douglass has also dedicated himself to educating fellow slaves because he sees it as a way to stop everything. His intelligence proves that slaves are human as well as everyone else and have capabilities, besides picking cotton, making beds, cooking, etc.

Not just affecting slaves, but even the slaveholders themselves. The way they treated slaves has put many a temptation on them. Many white men would rape female slaves, and their wives would feel jealous. The adultery threatens slave owner families. Thomas Auld, for example, committed such “sins(one could call them)” that he became unknown when he was doing them. The book continues to share examples such as Sophia Auld, and many others. Douglass knows for a fact that slavery should be deemed illegal, not just for the sake of slaves, but for the sake of all living.

From knowledge being the key to power, aka. Freedom, to having effects on slaves and slaveholders. Life today would never be the same without the events of the past.

Utilitarianism and deontology are two of the main ethical systems known and used today. The former suggests that the moral value of actions is determined by their consequences. In other words, an act that as a result maximizes benefits for the majority can be deemed ethical even though it harms certain individuals. At the same time, deontology proposes that an action is right only when it is performed consistently with ethical principles and codes regardless of whether its consequences are favorable or unfavorable. It is valid to say that Frederick Douglass’s perspective on the moral value of individuals and their duties is in line with the deontological rules of ethics. The author of the autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was convinced that one has a moral responsibility to treat others not just as a means for attaining certain goals, either economic or religious, but as ends in themselves. I tend to agree with Douglass’s ideas and, in the present paper, I will aim to demonstrate why they must be considered valid.

The present-day world provides a plethora of examples of when individuals are treated as means and when duties are performed merely as instruments. The number of such examples is especially large in the business and economic spheres. For instance, a corporation may strive to generate greater profits by reducing labor costs and increasing daily work hours. In this situation, the management does not view workers as individuals and human beings but merely as tools by utilizing which it is possible to gain more revenues.

The profits that are generated through the use of employees as instruments maximize goods (wealth and happiness) only for a small group of people: managers, leaders, and other parties in the position of power. Besides, the well-being of workers is not considered in this situation. They may not only be deprived of a chance to access the economic benefits produced through their labor but also suffer serious inconveniences during the work process. Such a treatment of individuals cannot be considered ethical and just even from the utilitarian perspective since it does not maximize goods for the majority. However, it was regarded as a norm for a significant period in the United States since law and accepted social norms sanctioned slavery. During the times when slavery was legal, the value of every person was more than ever determined not only by their social-economic status but by their racial background as well. African Americans and some other ethnic minority groups were deprived of basic human rights. To respect the rights of those individuals and provide them with freedom was, in fact, against the law.

In the past, the idea that people of different races and ethnicities could have similar intrinsic qualities was inconceivable for some. Nowadays, we know that every person, regardless of their background, can attain similar degrees of success and benefit other people and society providing he or she is given a chance to thrive, develop skills, learn, and pursue various personal goals. It is possible to say that the respect towards those intrinsic potentials and rights of individuals was imperative for Douglass. To mistreat others and use them to satisfy personal goals while being aware that everyone has the same interests and needs for respect, thus, means to act immorally.

Readers can find many examples in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass of how its author treated others with the utmost respect to their intrinsic values and approached them and himself as ends in themselves. A good one is when Douglass was mistreated by his mistress but did not become hateful towards her. Douglass wrote that she was “a kind and tender-hearted woman” by her very nature and, at first, she started to treat him “as she supposed one human being ought to treat another” (35). However, when the mistress commenced performing the responsibilities of a slaveholder, her attitude had changed drastically. She began to believe that to treat a slave “as a human being was not only wrong, but dangerously so” (Douglass 35). It is valid to say that when one becomes mistreated by another, despise towards the latter is often seen as a normal reaction, and hatred frequently becomes an only response to endured violence. However, this was not the case with Douglass since he not only felt sorry for the mistress but also understood that the change in her behavior was due to external forces.

When the previously pious and warm-hearted woman succumbed to external pressures and began to treat others as instruments, she seemed to lose her moral qualities. Douglass wrote that “slavery proved as injurious to her” as it was to him and that, under the influence of slavery and law, “the tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness” (35). Douglass’s reflection of the mistress’s change indicates that it was the law and her greater engagement in the regular activities of slaveholders that made her behave unethically. However, he implied that even though she commenced doing wrong, she remained the same tender-hearted woman with “heavenly qualities” (Douglass 35). In other words, her intrinsic moral values did not alter and, therefore, Douglass was not able to mistreat the mistress back or show even the slightest hint of dislike towards her.

Based on the case of Douglass’s mistress, it is valid to say that it may be demoralizing to blindly comply with a law that requires individuals to treat others as instruments. Thus, to preserve personal integrity and own dignity, it is pivotal to disobey such regulations and the very notion that some people are intrinsically better than others. It is valid to say that Douglass indeed went against these laws and stereotypical perspectives on race held by many of his contemporaries since he was in the upfront of the abolitionist movement and educated his fellow slaves about it. Besides, by treating his mistress kindly even though she constantly mistreated him, Douglass adhered to his moral duty, which seemed to be based on the Christian principles of equality and brotherhood to a substantial degree. In Douglass’s view, every person, whether they are a slave or a master, has the same intrinsic qualities but they seem to manifest to a varying degree depending on the external circumstances. Such a perspective emphasizes the necessity to treat everyone well since it is the only way to preserve one’s dignity and elevate the moral status of all others.

In conclusion, it is appropriate to note that a clear answer to the matters of moral and instrumental values of human beings. There are situations in which it would be justifiable to use certain individuals, put them at risk, and sacrifice their well-being to minimize harm to the majority or maximize benefits for the community. However, the cases of abuse during slavery do not belong to this category. There is no justification for mistreating people who have the same rights and needs as everyone else and, as the example of Douglass’s mistress indicates, by treating others wrongfully, a person does a lot of harm to themselves.

Work Cited

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave: Written by Himself, Critical Edition. Yale University Press, 2016.