Frederick Douglass Adultery

Slavery started in the year of 1619 in the southern part of the United States where Maryland is located and also where slavery was a way of life. Slavery was still a way of life when Frederick Douglass was born. Douglass was born into slavery, although the date of when he was born is not exact. Douglass was one of the slaves that is remembered well by a lot of people because he was a slave that became an abolitionist and wrote a book entitled Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. In his book, Douglass argued that slaves were treated no better than, and sometimes worse than, livestock by telling a story about adultery and how the animals were fed better than the slaves. One way Douglass made his point was by telling a story about how Caroline, a slave of Mr. Covey, was forced into adultery by Mr. Covey. The women in slavery were sometimes bred like animals and “Mr. Covey may be said to have been guilty of compelling his women slave to commit the sin of adultery” (37). Caroline

Douglass was to take the team of unbroken oxen into the woods and be in control of them. While Douglass was in the woods, the oxen took control of Douglass. Douglass said, “I expected every moment that my brains would be dashed out against the trees” (35). After Douglass got out of the woods, the oxen took control of him again. Douglass told Mr. Covey about what happened in the woods and how it happened when he got back. Mr. Covey had told Douglass to go back into the woods and Mr. Covey followed. Mr. Covey then went to a “large gum-tree” and cut three switches (35). Mr. Covey demanded Douglass two times to take off all his clothes and both times Douglass did not listen. Douglass said, “Mr. Covey rushed at me with the fierceness of a tiger, tore off my clothes, and lashed me till he had worn out his switches, cutting me so savagely leaving marks that would be invisible for a long time”