Frederick Douglass Slave Rebellion Essay

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave written by Himself provides a vivid and intimate glimpse into the world of slavery. Douglass illustrates in his narrative the various forms of retaliation slaves engaged in to assert their humanity. The various forms of slave rebellion depicted in Douglass’s narrative reside in the oppressive system of slavery. By exploring Acts of physical and intellectual retaliation readers can understand the empowering effects it had on enslaved people to fight against injustices and gain their autonomy.

Physical rebellion was a prevalent form of retaliation for enslaved people. Frederick Douglass, when a slave, would violently rebel against those oppressing him. Acts

Rebellion through literacy was one of the most influential forms of salve retaliation. Douglass, with the assistance of his mistress, Mrs Auld, and poor white boys, learned to read and write. Educating enslaved people was considered dangerous because it empowered them to think beyond the bounds of a slave and rather a free individual. Mr Auld, one of Douglass’s slave masters, said “if you teach that nigger (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave.”(Douglass, Frederick. “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.” (33)). Douglass discovered his literacy is a threat to the systems of slavery. When Mr Auld mentions there is no keeping a slave if he learns to read— it indicates knowledge is a weapon of empowerment because it can level intellectual hierarchies between a slave and his master. If a slave and his master are deemed equal, intellectually, it serves problematic for a slaveholder because it strips them of their power and permits slaves to have their own autonomy. Douglass demonstrates the dangers an educated slave poses to the institution of slavery when he first attempts to escape. “The week before our intended start, I wrote several protections, one for each of us…"THIS is to certify that I, the undersigned, have given the bearer, my servant, full liberty to go to Baltimore” (Douglass, Frederick. “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.” (86)) Writing his own protections is an example of the power slave masters are stripped of when attempting to hold dominance over their slaves. Douglass’s literacy was essential in attaining autonomy because it allows him to write his own passage to freedom. Douglass furthers his intellectual retaliation when he teaches other enslaved people to read and write. “They came because they wished to learn. Their