The Narrative Life Of Frederick Douglass written by the former slave himself, Frederick Douglass, was published in 1845. Douglass published his narrative to elude his past experiences and to share the evil side of slavery that most people do not discern. In his narrative Douglass mentions how his life was and what he experienced in his lifetime of being enslaved and when he was free. He uses these experiences to rebuke the so called, “romantic image” of slavery in the 1800’s.
During the 1800’s slavery was very common, especially in the Southern states such as, Missouri, Delaware and Maryland. Douglass was born into slavery, in Tuckahoe, Maryland. As a young child Douglass was separated by his mother, he was at least twelve miles away from her, and she would do her best to visit him while it was dark outside. Douglass states “It was a common custom in the part of Maryland from which I ran away, to part children from their mothers at
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It was uncommon for slaves to trust one another. For the slaves own benefit, they do not encourage the beating of each other, but they are usually isolated and try not to get close to one another. Douglass trusted Sandy Jenkins to join him and the other slaves in their escape, but when they were all captures except Sandy, Douglass knew he could not trust anyone. Sandy has just merely conformed with being a slave her whole life because that is the way all slaves were raised. Sandy, unlike Douglass had not witnessed the truth of slavery. Douglass later admits he cannot even trust his own color. “I saw in every white man an enemy, and in almost every colored man cause for distrust.” Douglass does not only reproach the whole concept of slavery and the distrust slaves have for one another, but he also depicts the intellectual capabilities that were believed to be “non existent” to not only the slave owners but the slaves