What Is The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Dating back to early America, the impact of trade escalated from natural resources to the key usage of human beings to cultivate these desired products. The object of slavery was one of the supreme factors towards the growth of the American economy and how it thrived. The cruel and arguable dictatorship that was forced into the institution was and still is unfathomable. Even though the United States government saw the matter of slavery as a contentious affair amongst Americans, it was never thoroughly handled but laid aside to deal with through temporary resolutions like the Missouri and ⅗ Compromise. However the issue was growing and needed to be addressed as it impacted the United States as a whole.

Looking back upon his mothers passing when he was around the age of seven, Douglass “received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions [he would] have probably felt at the death of a stranger”. This was because of the unfair separation brought to the family since Douglass was born of a slave mother and a white father who was supposedly his master. Mistresses could be the most unanticipatedly barbarous. Being a woman, a gentle and motherly disposition would be expected but usually they could be the cruelest if they assumed that slaves obtained favor from their master. The constant torment done to women throughout the account of Douglass’ life not only traumatized them but Douglass as well. Looking back to his first witness of the inhumanity synonymous with subjugation, Frederick Douglass remembers the night his aunt was mercilessly whipped and scarred physically and emotionally through demeaning names thrown upon her by her master. Unfortunately this was not a unique event. Another slave having no relation to Frederick Douglass was put through undignified situations similar to Aunt Hester’s condition. Former slave and proud women’s activist Sojourner Truth was born into this bondage and her being a woman made the already ghastly experience even more unbearable. Born as Isabella Baumfree, Truth grew up speaking Dutch

The second Great Awakening was a period of religious revival with Americans having a reversed outlook on religion. Meetings would be held across the country with many attending and becoming loyal to the assemblies. Although most southerners exuded completely different characteristics from the meetings they so frequently took part in. Frederick Douglass was appalled and left stunned when his master Thomas allowed the smallest portion of food to eat the slaves were forced to beg or steal from neighbors to supply the hunger pains being inflicted on them. Yet the plethora of food could be found in the store house. And every night his master and mistress would kneel in the most holy position and pray that God would bless them with more food. Contrary to the indoctrinated cruel nature that masters would have over slaves, not providing enough food for slaves to eat whether good or bad was determined as the most wicked a master could be. The barbaric torture that befell on the slaves unfourtantly did not end with hunger but but with physical anguish inflicted on the disabled. Douglass remembers his master Capitan Auld “tie up a lame young woman and whip her with a heavy cowskin…and in justification of the bloody deed, he would quote this passage of scripture- “