Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs

Paper Summary:

This paper first describes the violence endured by Frederick Douglass in that he was separated from his mother, suffered beatings and torture, witnessed the emotional torture to his fellow slaves and was deprived of education. The paper then turns to Harriet Jacobs' experiences of violence that involved her master's violations on her chastity. The paper discusses how instead of Douglas taking revenge on the slaveholders and slave-owners, he fought his battle in Congress and lobbied for the rights of colored people and slaves. The paper also highlights how Jacobs did not use her freedom to get revenge against her evil master and the other evil slaveholders who committed violence against her fellow slaves.

Outline:
Introduction
Role of Violence in the Life of Frederick Douglass
Role of Violence in the Life of Harriet Jacobs
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Violence was everything in the life of a slave. Frederick Douglass had accepted that from the start. In "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave" (1845), Douglass relayed his first and worst experience of violence, being separated from his mother when he was a baby. He told his story like it was something expected: not knowing his own family and not even knowing when he was born. It was not unusual for children born in slavery. His mother was a slave and his father was a white man, possibly, his mother's master. He was told that, that was the practice for women slaves who give birth in slavery. Children were bound to be separated so that their mothers could still be useful to their slave-owners."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Declaration on the Rights of the Child". 1959. February 2, 2009 from http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/25.htm
• Douglass, F. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Written by Himself. Anti-Slavery Office, No. 5 Cornhill Boston MA. 1845. February 2, 2009 from <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23/23-h/23-h.htm>
• Jacobs, H. A. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Written by Herself. Child, M. L. ed. Boston, MA. 1860. February 2, 2009 from <http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/jacobs/jacobs.html>
• Kwame, Anthony Appiah, ed., Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave/Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Modern Library: 2004. ISBN 10 0345478231.

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