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Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Narrative Essay

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From reading the Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass. Slaves were terrified of thinking about escaping from their slave owners. They didn’t want to think about what might happen to them if they were caught. The slaves in the South during the 1800’s were precluded from thinking about escaping because they feared what might happen to them if their master found out. Some slaves who ran away from their slave owners were not happy when their slave owner found them because they would receive punishments they don't even want to think about. “A slave who ran away once would receive a terrible beating, punishment by their slave owners.”(melyjanex3.blogspot.com.,2011) The South had security all over the place, it was watched by many police and many slave catchers. So any slaves who escaped their slave owners would usually get caught in less than two days considering how much security they had in the South. Especially if the slaves had no place that they can hide at, they were easily caught and brought back to their slave owners. “A slave that had no idea of …show more content…

After the punishment, they were carried to Baltimore and sold to a slave tracker or to Austin Woolfolk to warn other slaves that this will happen to you if you do the same thing. “If a slave was convicted of any high misdemeanor, became unmanageable, or evinced a determination to run away, he was brought immediately, here, severely whipped, put on board the sloop, carried to Baltimore and sold to Austin Woolfolk, or some other slave-tracker , as a warning to the slaves remaining.”(Douglass,1845) Slave owners were very careful and always had eyes on the slaves. “Slave owners observed every move, every motion slaves made.”(melyjanex.blogspot.com,2011) Therefore, any slaves that try’s to run away from their slave owners would either get caught or escape if they’re

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Aspects of the law were applying to slaves, those who owned slaves, all white people who either do or do not own slaves, and servants. It shows how all different groups of people in the society have to do their part in order to maintain the economic system. In the Slave Code of South Carolina, it begins stating rules of slaves paying off debts to their owners by saving and paying off with money or goods, or being sold and their profit being given to the original owner. It continues to talk about runaway slaves and the process in which someone must go through if they find one. The document states “ no person whatsoever, except the sheriff or gaoler, shall keep any runaway slave or slaves above four days… employ any of them, or suffer him, or her in custody”, this shows the idea of ownership of slaves in the fact that they must be returned quickly, having done no work for the capturer, and there is a small reward upon return.

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Slaves knew that running away from their master would be hard, due to the lack of trust they were given. As time passed, slaves became wiser, and more determined to be free. Many slaves set up plans, and met with men that would help them escape the horrible lives they faced. Many slaves decided to create plans that would help them get out of their lives as servants, knowing that the consequences would be brutal. According to Dr. Bryan Walls, “Henry Box Brown” from KQED he says “a White sympathizer.

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When they were getting ready to be sold, they would have marches for several miles and some of them would be shackled around the neck. Once they reached the coast of where they would board ships, the slaves would be put into cages just like animals are today. After boarding the ships, they were cramped in so tight that hundreds of them would die because they would not being able to breath. Inhuman conditions like these went on for thousands of year. Incidents such as running away or sleeping with a black slave would appear during this time.

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He describes how slaves were treated like property rather than human beings, and how they were subjected to brutal physical and emotional abuse. Douglass vividly depicts the psychological impact of slavery, describing how it robbed slaves of their sense of self-worth and identity. Another significant issue that Douglass addresses is the hypocrisy of the slave owners and the wider society. He notes that many slave owners claimed to be Christian and yet saw no contradiction in owning slaves. Douglass also highlights the injustice of the legal system, which allowed slave owners to commit crimes against their slaves with impunity.

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Living conditions for slaves were dreadful, with long work hours and low wages. Slave masters separated families and sold off children from their parents, or vice versa. Slaves were prone to severe punishment for even trivial offenses. Whippings and beatings were prevalent. Running away allowed them to get away from all the hostility, if only for a while.

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