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How Did Frederick Douglass Use Of Unfair Punishment

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Frederick Douglass was a man of immense courage, whose clear-cut auto biography convinced white Americans of the horrors of slavery, and gave them the ambition to abolish it. Slavery in the states had become a necessary evil to the whites, in which free labor meant growth and development of their home. Frederick Douglass’ expressions of his abhorrence for slavery are apparent in his detailed descriptions of the cruel treatment of masters to all slaves, and their forced illiteracy. The various acts of punishment towards slaves was a common gesture to all with the intentions of teaching the blacks their place in a white man’s world, and Douglass experienced this both by first and second hand experience. Frederick Douglass (1845/1995), a famous …show more content…

The white masters would not want to be accused of showing favoritism to their own flesh and blood, but would rather treat him just as badly, or even worse as his other slaves (Douglass, 1845/1995, p.2-3). Nothing seemed to give a master more pleasure than the satisfaction of his whip. Countless recordings of gruesome punishments are documentedby Douglass himself of both male and female, young and old who became fatalities, due only to their color of skin. Two men, old Barney and young Barney, are examples of unfair punishment due to inabilities to control the matter (Douglass, 1845/1995, p10-11). They were given the task of taking care of their master Colonel Lloyd’s horses, and if the horses moved in a wrong manor or did not look the way it should, their caretakers would be to blame, and penalized for (Douglass, 1845/1995, p.10-11). Henny, a slave girl subject to being crippled, was seen as a waste of money and waste of space, and her master would release his anger onto her, a victim to whom had no control in her ailment (Douglass, 1845/1995, p.33).Even though physical abuse was the most common method to rebuke slaves it was not the only way.Starvation, privation of sleep, …show more content…

All slaves have once had the dreams of freedom and a plot for escape, but the pathway to this freedom could come only with the ability to read and write. It was said by master that instructing a Negro how to read and write would ruin them as a slave (Douglass, 1845/1995, p.20). Once they learned these things then they would have the same knowledge as a white men, and the next thing they would want is their freedom. If slaves had this capability then their chances of escape would be much greater and white slave owner could not make a living without them. Frederick Douglass had his own way in succeeding to learn, he was first taught by his master’s wife, until her husband caught her in the act and forbid her to ever proceed in her actions (Douglass, 1845/1995, p.20). He then devised a new way in which to learn by trading his bread with white children in return for a quick lesson (Douglass, 1845/1995, p.23). In doing this Douglass was able to get a full education that he later would pass on to his fellow slave members. Frederick was now considered a teacher in his black community and spent what little spare time he had to instruct others and take them out of the hole of illiteracy (Douglass, 1845/1995). The skills acquired by taking the few minutes of free time in order to read and write were the key to freedom in which Frederick Douglass would later use to

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In many cases slave-owners, o even overseers, were not concerned with a slave’s wellbeing. The death of a colored man is described as unimportant and easy to settle with money, sometimes just an excuse, “… that killing a slave, or any other colored person, in Talbot county, Maryland, is not treated as a crime, either by the courts or the community. ”(Douglass 34). It’s a striking fact that helps us understand the author’s undeterred determination to escape slavery and abolish it later in his

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Many of us take education for granted and don’t learn to our fullest potential, but Fredrick Douglass soaked in every piece of information up because he knew it was his way out. “Learning to Read and Write” is a famous article based on what Fredrick Douglass went through to earn a valuable education while being enslaved. Author Fredrick Douglass, wrote “Learning to Read and Write”, published in 1845. Throughout the article, he takes us through different events he goes through while being enslaved. Douglass begins building his credibility with personal facts and successfully demonstrating logic and pathos appeal.

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Douglass learned to read and write when he was living in the Auld’s household for seven years and being tutored by Mrs. Auld who taught him how to spell (Douglass 259). A lesson that we can all learned from Frederick Douglass enduring the Legacies of slavery in today's society is being able to face the world and to do what he did to fight for what we believe in as people of color. Instead of letting people use us as property and dehumanize colored Americans, because Douglass spent his life trying to get end slavery so that the world would be better off without colored people being held in captivity. It seemed like Douglass did not want others to go through what he went through as a slave not being able to be

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He states, “Every moment they spent in that school, they were liable to be taken up, and given thirty-nine lashes. They came because they wished to learn… I taught them, because it was the delight of my soul to be doing something that looked like the bettering the condition of my race” (Douglass 88). Therefore, while white readers may not agree with slaves being educated, through his courage to risk himself by teaching not only himself but others how to read and write, readers can depict his humanity in his selflessness and thirst for knowledge, which is a common desire amongst

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The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass shows the imbalance of power between slaves and their masters. In his book, Douglass proves that slavery is a destructive force not only to the slaves, but also for the slaveholders. “Poison of the irresponsible power” that masters have upon their slaves that are dehumanizing and shameless, have changed the masters themselves and their morality(Douglass 39). This amount of power and control in contact with one man breaks the kindest heart and the purest thoughts turning the person evil and corrupt. Douglass uses flashbacks that illustrate the emotions that declare the negative effects of slavery.

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When Douglass was given a simple education by Mrs. Auld, Douglass “prized it highly” and believed that he “understood the pathway from slavery to freedom” (Douglass 20). By receiving the gift of education Douglass was ecstatic and this probably

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The most dehumanizing experience of a slave, as introduced by Douglass, includes: humiliation, emotional trauma, inequality, and physical abuse. Douglass, a man of wisdom, character, and determination; fought liberally and strategically, to surmount the odds of being deprived of his humanity while enslaved. Douglass, along with many other slaves, experienced the most gruesome epidemic that America was granted in history. Slaves were treated badly, and often seen as an epitome to society in the south. In the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” he foreshadows his experience as a slave, and explains some of the most dehumanizing experiences, from blood bashed beatings to intense emotional trauma.

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Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a first hand experience into the imbalance of power between a slave and a slaveholder and the negative effects it has on them both. Douglass proves that slavery destroys not only the slave, but the slaveholder as well by saying that this “poison of irresponsible power” has a dehumanizing effect on the slaveholder’s morals and beliefs (Douglass 40). This intense amount of power breaks the  kindest heart and changes the slaveholder into a heartless demon (Douglass 40). Yet these are not the only ways that Douglass proves what ill effect slavery has on the slaveholder. Douglass also uses deep characterization, emotional appeal, and religion to present the negative effects of slavery.

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African-American slaves were forbidden to obtain the knowledge of being able to read or write, stemming from the fear of white masters that educated slaves will overpower them. Douglass managed to learn to read by bribing poor and hungry white boys into teaching him in exchange for bits of bread. Douglass illustrates his thirst for literacy through “[The] bread [he] used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give [him] that more valuable bread of knowledge” (pg 23). This reveals how much Douglass valued education and took advantage of all the knowledge he had access to. Today’s youth, especially the ones belonging to a minority

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Although Frederick Douglass was not expected to be literate, he taught himself how because he believed that education should be for everyone, not just a few privileged children. Frederick Douglass was a slave for life in the southern United States before the Civil War. He had no regular teacher because, at that time, most slave owners did not believe that their slaves should be taught to read and write. White slave owners thought that if slaves knew how to read, they would go against their owners and fight against slavery.

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Because of this, he successfully creates a contrast between what the slave owners think of and treat the slaves and how they are. Douglass says that slave’s minds were “starved by their cruel masters”(Douglass, 48) and that “they had been shut up in mental darkness” (Douglass, 48) and through education, something that they were deprived of, Frederick Douglass is able to open their minds and allow them to flourish into the complex people that they are. By showing a willingness to learn to read and write, the slaves prove that they were much more than what was forced upon them by their masters.

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PAGE 2 In the Narrative Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, he uses this text to explain his purpose in “throwing light on the American slave system”, or show it for what it really is, as well as show his position on how he strongly believes slavery is an issue that needs to be addressed and how it differs from those who defended slavery, with experiences from his own life to support his argument. Douglass uses experience from his early days as a young slave to throw light on the aspect of physical abuse. According to his narrative, Douglass states, “Master, however, was not a humane slaveholder.

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In the Frederick Douglass 's "Learning to Read and Write," Douglass explains his experiences in slavery and how he overcame those obstacles. He wanted to battle racism against black people, so he decided to study. He thought his knowledge would make him escape from that horrible place. He “consoled [himself] with the hope that [he] should one day find a good chance [to escape]. Meanwhile, [he] would learn to write" (Douglass).

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