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Fredrick Douglass Argumentative Essay

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Americas Sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln once said, “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” That would be viewed as a fair statement to almost anyone. If you deny freedom, you do not deserve it. Maybe people view that as a fair statement only because of the modern times. So, a frequent question that might be asked about history might be, is it fair to judge events or people based on modern times? Abe Lincoln was not always loved by his people in America (especially the south) during the pre-civil war, or as some might know the times of slavery. So, to answer that question one might say it is fair to judge events or people in the past based on modern values. Some things have never been looked as “okay” per se. Things …show more content…

Fredrick Douglass, a slave who escaped into the north and started a life for himself, wrote a narrative called “The Life of Fredrick Douglass” (1818-1895) about his life as a slave. In his narrative Fredrick Douglass says, “There was very little said about it all, and nothing done. It was a common saying, even among little white boys, that it was worth a half- cent to kill a “n****r,” and a half-cent to bury one.” (Douglass 4) Whites thought slaves were worthless. Southerners treat slaves as property when they are human beings. Slaves and slave owners during the time of the pre-civil war had laws. Whether they actually followed them, no one can be certain. "The Universal laws of Slavery" made in 1849 by George Fitzhugh is an article which advocates for slavery. In Fitzhugh's article racism is a key detail by discriminating against the people of color saying that they couldn’t provide for their family even if they wanted to. "She unites in her person, the offices of wife, mother, mistress, housekeeper, and sister of charity. And she fulfills all these offices admirably well. The rich men, in free society, may if they please, lounge about town, visit clubs, attend the theatre, and have no other trouble than that of collecting rents, interest and dividends …show more content…

having no moral standards, restraints, or principles; unaware of or indifferent to questions of right or wrong. Slave owners had a lack of morals during the Pre-Civil War, slaves had horrible conditions, and were treated like animals. No one in modern times would ever treat a human being in the way that Slave owners did in the south. John Holmes, a Maine politician who supported the Missouri Compromise, wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson regarding slavery. In the Letter of John Holmes, Holmes states, "The cession of that kind of property, for so it is misnamed, is a bagatelle which would not cost me a second thought, if, in that way, a general emancipation and expatriation could be effected; and gradually, and with due sacrifices, I think it might be." (Holmes 1) Treating a Human being in an unmoral manner, like an animal is viewed as very wrong in any view. There is no reason to treat a living, breathing human like an animal or a piece of property. Many people do not know the fact that Slaves and Slave Owners had laws that they were required, and if they didn't follow them there would be consequences. In the Alabama Laws governing Slaves 1833, there are many laws against slaves not to be able to do certain things. Rule number 31 is quite immoral, "Anyone who attempts to teach a free person of color, or slave, to spell, read or write (if convicted) be fined between

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Because under the capitalist system, the slave is the private property of the southern slave owners, which is as same as the northern capitalists’ private property like land, machinery. Thus, both of them should not be violated because they are sacred; therefore, the abolition of slavery is a contravention action. The reason is that slave was regarded as a chattel rather than treated as a man. In conclusion, Constitution did respond slavery through the three-fifths clause, slave-trade clause and fugitive slave clause.

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The issue of slavery was a significant “thorn in the side” of America from the very inception of our nation. Despite the fact that slavery was an accepted legal phenomenon in the eighteenth century, it also invoked significant controversy. Many Americans, typically those denizens of the southern states, felt that slavery was an indispensable economic necessity. Alternatively, others opined that slavery was an inherently immoral and unethical institution which denied certain races basic human rights, and as such warranted abolition, no matter the consequences. Although the Constitution never mentions the word “slave” once, slavery is referenced to in the Constitution several times, in three prominent compromises that our founding fathers were forced to make, for the sake of the establishment of a unified nation.

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In “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Douglass narrates in detail the oppressions he went through as a slave before winning his freedom. In the narrative, Douglass gives a picture about the humiliation, brutality, and pain that slaves go through. We can evidently see that Douglass does not want to describe only his life, but he uses his personal experiences and life story as a tool to rise against slavery. He uses his personal life story to argue against common myths that were used to justify the act of slavery. Douglass invalidated common justification for slavery like religion, economic argument and color with his life story through his experiences torture, separation, and illiteracy, and he urged for the end of slavery.

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In his Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Frederick Douglass describes in vivid detail his experiences of being a slave. In his novel Douglass talks about what it was like to move from location to location and what it was like to work long, hard hours with less than substantial sustenance. Eventually he escapes the clutches of slavery but not before he endured beatings, forced hard labor and emotional mistreatment. During his time as a slave he was tasked with various kinds of work and after he became free he worked as a speaker who advocated for abolition of slavery.

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When Frederick Douglass published his self-written narrative, people finally got a fully comprehensive view of the life of a slave. To debunk the mythology of slavery, Douglass presents the cold, hard truth, displays slaves true intelligence,

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Frederick Douglass was an American slave who escaped and later became an abolitionist He also published a book called The Narrative of Frederick Douglass. Through this book, Douglass threw light on the American slave system. He did this by showing many aspects of the of slavery, what slave owners thought of slavery, and also supporting his position on slavery by talking about much of the horrors slaves went through. One way he throws light on the slave system is by showing the aspects of slavery. This is shown when Douglass states on page 22 of The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, “Nothing seemed to make her more angry than to see me with a newspaper.

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Group Essay on Frederick Douglass “That this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system”, and that Frederick Douglass does in his eponymous autobiography. Douglass throws light by dispelling the myths of the slave system, which received support from all parts of society. To dispel these myths Douglass begins to construct an argument composed around a series of rhetorical appeals and devices. Douglass illustrates that slavery is dehumanizing, corrupting, and promotes Christian hypocrisy. Using telling details, Douglass describes the dehumanizing effects of the slave system which condones the treatment of human beings as property.

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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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After being separated from his mother at a young age, Frederick Douglass fights back against slavery and human rights. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, the author, Frederick Douglass, uses powerful rhetoric to disprove the Pragmatic and the Scientific pro-slavery arguments of Pre-Civil War America. The Pragmatic Argument is about how many people believe that if all black slaves were to be freed, then this would result in convulsions which would then lead to extermination of the one or other race. Many people also believed that black slavery was necessary for American history.

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The legendary abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass was one of the most important social reformers of the nineteenth century. Being born into slavery on a Maryland Eastern Shore plantation to his mother, Harriet Bailey, and a white man, most likely Douglass’s first master was the starting point of his rise against the enslavement of African-Americans. Nearly 200 years after Douglass’s birth and 122 years after his death, The social activist’s name and accomplishments continue to inspire the progression of African-American youth in modern society. Through his ability to overcome obstacles, his strive for a better life through education, and his success despite humble beginnings, Frederick Douglass’s aspirations stretched his influence through

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Thesis Statement: In South Carolina, it was common for masters to own slaves, abuse them, give them harsh living conditions, and strict rules to follow. In response to the unfair conditions, slaves had uprisings or even ran away. Abraham Lincoln, the President at the time, wanted to end slavery, so he issued the Emancipation Proclamation which stated that slaves were both free in

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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is Frederick Douglass’s autobiography in which Douglass goes into detail about growing up as a slave and then escaping for a better life. During the early-to-mid 1800s, the period that this book was written, African-American slaves were no more than workers for their masters. Frederick Douglass recounts not only his personal life experiences but also the experiences of his fellow slaves during the period. This book was aimed at abolitionists, so he makes a point to portray the slaves as actual living people, not the inhuman beings that they are treated as. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, slaves are inhumanly represented by their owners and Frederick Douglass shines a positive light

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N-e-w B-e-t-f-o-r-d, this what was Fredrick Douglass read when he stepped off the boat to the north. Just reading those words was an accomplishment. In his book The Narrative and Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave he details his experiences where knowledge is very key. Douglass shows how knowledge gained him the ultimate reward of freedom. Knowledge is the path to freedom.

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