Frederick Douglass What it's like to be a Slave and Hero
Frederick Douglass - What it's like to be a Slave and Hero
Frederick Douglass was born with no possessions, not even himself. He knew of his mother and siblings, but was never allowed to form a relationship with any of them. A white man named Captain Anthony, who is assumed to be Douglass' father, owned his mother as a slave. The circumstances under which Douglas was born offered him absolutely no money, no social influence and no political power. Lives of slaves were cruel: they received little or no food, little clothing, and no place to sleep, as well as were overworked and weak from fatigue. Slaves, who broke rules, were often beaten or whipped, sometimes even shot. At the age of seven Douglass was shipped off to Baltimore to work for Hugh Auld, a relative of the family.
Sophia Auld, Hugh's wife, was not used to being a slave owner. She was disturbed by Douglass' inability to act independently, so she began to teach him to read. Douglass quickly learned how to read and write. He read everything he could get hold of which led him, eventually, to his freedom. He was still black, but using his writing skills to share his intelligence with the world once he was free took Douglas from the bottom of the social ladder to a much higher ring increasing his overall success. Eventually, Sophia started to act like a slave owner and treated Douglass as other slaves were treated. He learned from reading the newspapers about the abolitionists. From reading and learning about the abolitionists, he became determined to escape to the north.
Due to the death of his owner, Captain Anthony, there were many property disputes. So, Douglass was transferred back and forth between Baltimore and the South. He ended up as a slave to a man by the name of Thomas Auld, who sent him to a slave breaker, Edward Covey. Douglass barely lived through the experience, but his desire to escape allowed him to out last any task. He devised an escape plan with a couple of other slaves, but Auld, feared that Douglass would be killed which would make Douglass of no value to himself, so he shipped Douglass back to Hugh and Sophia in Baltimore.
When he got back to Baltimore, Douglass was granted permission from Hugh Auld to hire out the extra time trading, and caulking after...