fredrick douglass autobiography

7/30/2019 Fredrick Douglass Autobiography

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Fredrick Douglass Autobiography

Frederick Douglass was born in the 1800s in Talbot County, to his mother Betsy Bailey

and a presumed white father, his master. During those days, mothers were separated from their

children before their twelfth day after birth to allow the mothers to resume to their works in the

fields. Betsy Bailey died when Frederick was seven having met his son countable times in his

life before her death. Frederick narrates his story, the encounters and all the things that were in

his life in his personally written books. To cover his times as a child, slave and detachment from

the slavery society, he wrote a book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American

Slave. This autobiography gives and outline of his life and his experiences. It described the

experiences and life of Frederick as a slave, his rebellion and detests against slavery.

Working as a day laborer, Frederick learnt how to read and write with difficult. His

master was advised that it was a bad idea but Frederick had already developed great interest in

knowing the language. With this knowledge, he discovered the significance of communication

and power of knowledge. He soon became famous and respectable in New Bedford because of

his skills and the teachings he gave to the other black people. He made sure that the other slaves

were educated in terms of reading, writing and knowing their rights.


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In his time, slaves were beaten by their masters to the extent of death, which was not

categorized as a societal crime. He witnessed slaves who were killed, their masters reported but

later on released without charges because they were either not served or paid their way through.

After mastering the complete art of reading and writing, he started attending anti-slavery

meetings. He educated willing black people on his findings.

Frederick started working as a reformer through his abolitionist activities in the early

1840s. He made attacks on Jim Crow and lynching in the 1890s. For sixteen years, he published

a prominent black newspaper. Due to this, he became famous internationally as an orator and

writer of great influential power. He levied an irresistible condemnation against slavery and

racism in many speeches and publications. He was an indomitable voice that brought hop to his

people. Fredrick held onto antislavery politics, and propagated for his own brand of American

ideals.

After discovering the abolitionist course Frederick began advocating for it. He travelled

widely to educate the rest of the blacks on this cause. With his appealing stature, eloquence and

past life as a slave, many people listened and believed in him in both the Free states and Europe.

Other people doubted his motive, failed to support him, and believe that slavery was no bad

thing. Writing his first autobiography was one way of making these people understand that his

intentions and aims were realistic and advantageous to the black community.

Through extensive reading of political writings, journals and other literary works

Fredrick improved his knowledge on the ideological opposition. New Bedford, Frederick

continued advocating for the abolitionist ideology. He regularly attended anti slavery lectures by

William Lloyd Garrison, a newspaper editor of the American Anti-Slavery Society. In 1841,


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Frederick was invited by Garrison to address the congregation, his story and the explanation he

gave for his current anti slavery opinion moved the audience. Most people were now able to

understand the concepts and pieces of evidence and experiences that made slavery a societal evil.

In the remaining years of Fredericks life, he specialized in educating people on what

were right and fighting against slavery and advocating for racial equity. In addition, he published

a series of books and newspapers and he become an advisor of both Abraham Lincoln and

Ulysses Grant who viewed him as a fighter and wise. Frederick created a great desire for

freedom, self-reliance for himself and the rest of the community and thus his effort to ensure that

slavery was completely abolished from the society.

During the civil war that was witnessed in 1861, Frederick interpreted it because of a

struggle against slavery. During this time, he wrote and spread propaganda for the union because

through this his intentions were made known. He also did the work of recruiting black troops and

acted as a consultant to President Abraham Lincoln. Some of his hopes were crushed at the time

of Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, but he did not stop traveling widely and lecturing on

racial issues, national politics, and women's rights. In 1870, he edited a newspaper in

Washington and became leader of the ill-fated Freedman's Bank.

He argued that slavery was evil and later on formulated anti slavery movements whereby

he educated people on the effects and experiences of slavery. He said that slavery was to be

abolished because it was against human rights. Fredrick grew up as a slave and he understood the

hardships of slavery and the effects it had on his family. He knew that slavery could affect both

the states that practiced it and those that did not. He also said that slavery easily spread from one

state to another especially in those with minority communities.


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With his rebellious movements, Fredrick was able to reach a great number of people

advocating for ways to stop slavery rather than prevent it. He said that if something was not

going to be done at the appropriate time then slavery could be widespread and it could be hard

for it to be abolished. His initial parties were aimed at minimizing and denationalizing slavery

but it was not a successful campaign with most states and countries opting for slavery and other

slavery actions. Afterwards, he created a party that only advocated for the complete abolition of

this practice. With high hopes of succeeding in the abolition of slavery, Fredric went on talking

about this for periods so that most people could get to understand the sense of his course.

Fredrick was a great man who advocated for anti slavery because he had experienced it.

He grew up in this society but through the kinds of suffering and problems that he underwent, he

decided to formulate parties and movements that could help him in advocating for abolition of

slavery in all states to avoid its spread. Despite the facts that his actions were putting his life and

freedom in danger he went on and on educating as much as a great number of people as he was

able to because he knew through him openly speaking about slavery and the issues surrounding

it, most people could listen and join him in his course.

fredrick douglass autobiography

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