Seeds Of Destruction Frederick Douglass Summary

Douglas’s work represents historical truth and understanding. His autobiography serves as a first-hand account of the horrific events slaves were subjected too. His words should be taken seriously as a historical accurate account of the lives slaves had. To question his honesty in the experiences, emotions, and events seems to be arbitrary. Fredrick Douglas bared his soul in his writings and the re-living of the traumatic experiences he went through. Accounts such as this serve a greater purpose. His words help readers understand what it meant to be a slave and the struggle against such an oppressive system. He dispels ignorance through his truthful work which seeks to educate those who not only at the time believed slavery was justified but

Harriet was the first woman to publish Incidents in the life of a slave girl, a narrative of an African American who escaped the chains of slavery. She used her work to honestly depict the harsh life slaves had. Harriet was born a slave in North Carolina. Though teaching a slave to read and write was unlawful, her first master taught her both skills which would later give her a literary voice. Harriet became a house slave under her master named Norcom. From her experiences in his home, she began to understand that if a female slave was beautiful it was a ‘curse.’ Being an attractive female slave could lead to a master’s attention which would lead to sexual harassment and abuse. Her master began to take a interest in her and made it his daily reminder to tell her how she belonged to him. He constantly whispered vile sexual comments in her ear and waited incessantly for her to submit to him. Norcom had a history of sleeping with his slaves which led to many interracial children. He sold off most of the children due to the belief that interracial children were not citizens but slaves. At that time, raping a black woman was not considered ‘rape.’ In the legal system, rape only applied to white women. Harriet disregarded her master’s harassment and understood the curse female slaves