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What Is The Relationship Between Frederick Douglass And Slaveholders

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Frederick Douglass was sent to live with Master Auld in 1832, a time where he could finally give a date to the events in his life, as he says in his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Douglass came to know Auld as he stayed with his new master, learning that Auld was as “equally mean and cruel” as his wife. Thomas Auld didn’t give his slaves enough to eat which was regarded as the “most aggravated development of meanness among slaveholders.” Frederick and the other slaves subsisted on less than half a bushel of corn-meal per week and very little else; thus, they were subject to begging and stealing just so they wouldn't starve. Auld was characterized by his meanness as he was “destitute of every element …show more content…

After explaining Auld’s origin as a slave owner, he goes on to say that “adopted slaveholders are the worst.” What Douglass meant by this is that people who come into possession of slaves didn't know how to use their power properly, and being newly thrusted into a position of power, became extremely cruel and unkind. New slave owners felt that they had to exert power forcefully to assert their dominance and to show that they can't be walked over. These “adopted slaveholders” were the worst because they created an environment in which slaves had to walk on eggshells as their masters would be cruel one minute and cowardly the next. Auld enforced his rules either rigidly or lax; at times he spoke with the “firmness of Napoleon,” at other times, he could be “mistaken for an inquirer who had lost his way.” As he wasn't accustomed to owning slaves, he was compelled “to be the copyist of many, and being such, he was forever the victim of inconsistency; and of consequence he was an object of contempt, and was held as such even by his slaves.” Lacking in firmness, Auld wanted his slaves to call him master, but as he couldn't enforce it, he was generally called “Captain …show more content…

Douglass hoped that the conversion would make him kinder, but it failed to do so; rather, it made him even more cruel and hateful. Before he converted, he “relied on his own depravity.” After, he’d found religious sanction and support. Once he became a Christian, Auld went to extremes. For example, he tied up a lame young woman, who he kept tied up for hours at a time; Auld would whip her before before breakfast, leave her there, and return after dinner to whip her again. To justify his inhumane deeds, he would quote passages of Scripture. Auld’s religious conversion allowed Douglass to see a new side of Christianity in which people would twist it in attempt to sanction and cover their horrific

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Douglass tells us this by saying that he believes anyone who is a slave owner cannot be a Christian. In his view, he believes being a slave owner violates the very principles of being a Christian. Auld quote he believes that the Christianity practiced by the Slave owners and the Christianity practiced by non-slave owners are two

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Mrs. Auld herself is what the lesson of slave and owner relationship that makes her became a cruel person. At first he was treated as good as Mrs. Auld’s son, “Very soon after I went to live with Mr. and Mrs. Auld, she very kindly commenced to teach me the

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Fredrick Douglass is one of the most famous abolitionists the United States has ever seen. The events that led up to his freedom of slavery were very interesting. In his Narrative you not only get to see the worst of slavery, but you can also feel firsthand what Douglass went through to get his freedom. As we all know slavery was something you could not just walk out of. Some slaves that try to escape even end up getting punished or killed.

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Frederick Douglass’ purpose in writing his narrative was to inform the mainly the northerners and other people with agency, of the horrors that encompass slavery. He shocks his audience by introuducing himself as a man who doesn’t know his age, something so miniscule, yet gargantuan as it goes further to illustrate the dehumanization that encompasses the institution of slavery. As the narrative progresses, the theme of religion begins to emerge, specifically christianity. It then becomes apparent that there is a great disparity between the religion that slaveholders practice and the religion that most people are accustomed to. One is the slaveholding religion, which in nature is oppressive and the other form is simply religion, inherently

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In the beginning of chapter six, Frederick Douglass focuses the reader’s attention on how slavery can affect even the best and most innocent people. While talking about how slavery removes the good from slave owners, Douglass also explores how slavery is not only detrimental to them, but corrupts their ethics as well. Douglass remarks, “The crouching servility, usually so acceptable a quality in a slave, did not answer when manifested toward her. Her favor was not gained by it; she seemed to be disturbed by it” (19; ch. 6). Douglass’s word choice and use of antithesis in this section shows how Sophia Auld was a kind and hardworking woman who treated Douglass like a human being.

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Auld. He started to learn the alphabet and as well form words. Throughout this learning experience with Mrs. Auld he had the opportunity to learn and become educated. He came to a realization that many slaves both men and women were deprived from this form of privilege because their slave holders believed that literacy would cause for the slaves to rebel and act against them. Although Mrs. Auld had great intentions to help Frederick but her husband on the other hand was against his education.

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“ I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, woman-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land.” (Douglass 100) Douglass does this to show how hypocritical people in the South were being. Churches were teaching the Christian practice of being kind and compassionate while not actually practicing it themselves. Douglass argues that the actions of some people are against religion.

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Frederick Douglass was an African American social reformer, orator, and writer. He became the leader of the abolitionist movement after escaping from slavery. He published his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. His narrative had showed anti-slavery white sympathizers of how slaves are brutalized by the slave holding system, the powerful allegation of how brutalized slavery could be and how slavery affected slave holders. Propaganda is an information or idea that spread widely to help or harm group, movement, institution, or a nation.

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Here, Douglass exposes the Christian attempt to wash their hands of any guilt or wrong doing. Overall, Douglass exposes the truth behind this hypocrisy; when these slaveholders use God as a

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One character, Sophia Auld, Captain Auld 's wife, before becoming a slaveholder’s wife,has a kind and understanding moral character. However, seeing “the white man 's power to enslave the black man,” she became a cruel slave owner”(Douglass 40). (insert commentary)“The fatal poison of the irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work”(Douglass 39). Another example is Thomas Auld. He became corrupt and inhumane after inheriting slaves through marriage.

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    Douglass uses deep characterization to show the change in behavior of slaveholders who have uncontrolled power. A good example of this is Sophia Auld. Before slavery took effect, she was a kind and caring woman who comprehended moral righteousness. She had never owned a slave before Douglass. Owning Douglass soon changed her into an evil slave owner when she realized the power, “the white man’s power to enslave the black man” that she had (Douglass 41).

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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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After Douglass had just begun to labor for Mr. Covey, he ran away to his former master Mr. Auld to plea for release, he described his appearance as “a man who had escaped a den of wild beasts, and barely escaped them” (59), which directly describes how he barely got away from Mr. Covey’s plantation. Douglass is sure to note that slaveholders were dehumanized in the process of dehumanizing slaves, which is expressed clearly by Mrs. Auld. She was, at first welcoming, kind, and the opposite of oppressive, but she changed from have “lamb-like disposition” to having “tiger-like fierceness”(32); again, transitioning from prey to

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Douglass has shown how religious slaveholders are the worst especially when entertainment comes into play. The first being from one of his slaveholders Master Thomas, he whipped a young woman while reading a quote from the scripture to explain his reason for whipping her. The next example was with his other Master Mr.Covey, he would go to church and preach the word but come back beating slaves and going against the almighty God. The last example that is shown is again shown with Mr.Covey, he was guilty of compelling his woman slave to commit the sin of adultery. All of the examples illustrate that religious slaveholders are worst than non-religious slaveholders.

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Lastly, Douglass’ explains his thought on slavery and from what he says it becomes ironic. One of the ironies in the book that Douglass talks about is how religious slaves are more cruel than non-religious slaves. In chapter 9, Douglass’ master, Thomas Auld, became

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