Frederick Douglass Sociology

This paper uses a historical and sociological lens to examine how the ways in which the slavery experience differed based on gender. This paper argues that the slave experience varied greatly on the basis of gender. More specifically, how the experiences portrayed in two different narratives reveal different elements of the slave experience. Ultimately, this paper reveals how female slaves were more likely to be subjected to sexual harassment and emotional distress, meanwhile male slaves were more likely to receive physical punishments. For male slaves, the idea of resistance and eventual escape was much more tangible than it was for their female counterparts. In “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” Douglass openly resisted his situation as a slave by learning how to read, getting an education, and teaching fellow slaves how to read. In chapter 5, Douglass describes a particular instance when he was talking to a fellow slave making a plan to escape and he describes their “determination to run away” as “more than Patrick Henry, when he resolved upon liberty or death” (Douglass, 1845, p. 51). In this specific quote, Douglass makes an allusion to Patrick Henry’s declaration during the American Revolution, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Here, he suggests that the bravery shown by him and his fellow slaves is more impressive

Compared to Jacob’s journey, Douglass faced few barriers on his path to freedom. He essentially buys his own freedom when he receives permission from Hugh Auld to hire out his extra time, and eventually makes his escape to New York (Douglass, 1845). For Jacobs, she had to take into account what would happen to her children if she were to leave as escaping to the North with two young children would be impossible. Instead, she hides in the attic crawl space in the house of her grandmother, and after seven years, she finally flees to the North by boat (Jacobs,