Frederick Douglass was a former American slave who was one of the first blacks to hold a high position in United States government. Hugh Auld was Frederick’s first master; he was then sold to Mr. Covey, who was known to be a “slave breaker.” Frederick Douglass states this in his autobiography:
“I was somewhat unmanageable when I first went there, but a few months of this discipline tamed me. Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me. I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute” (55)!
On the contrary, there were masters who treated their slaves fairly. For example, John Pinney was a
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This is shown by the regulations he sets up for slavery. One that has already been stated was that after working for a certain master for six years, it is law to free the slave on the seventh year. Along with this, Deuteronomy 15:14 declares, “Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you.” Masters are expected to not let their slaves leave empty-handed (McDowell). The Mosaic legislation was set up to protect the poor. With the slaves allowed to voluntarily choose their course of action and never leave a job empty-handed, the poor were successfully protected (Copan, 126). In Genesis 15:13-14 God foretells to Abraham about his descendants. God says that they will be serving in a land that is not their own, yet when they are freed they will have many great assets. This came true with Egyptian slavery. The commands God set put a negative light on slavery (Hodge and Taylor, “Doesn’t the Bible Support Slavery”). Adding rules to slavery showed that God cares; yet, He also showed His love by making sure slaves were treated