Frederick Douglass

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, when comparing Douglass' life with the autobiographical accounts of other slaves, at least most of the time, Douglass does not seem to have experienced as much hardship as many other slaves had experienced. The author points out that Douglass' autobiography provides a view of slavery through the eyes of a relatively personally fortunate slave, one who may have been favored because his master was his biological father, though no such thing could have been admitted at the time. The paper suggests that Douglass clearly achieved more in his life than any of the other slaves, giving testimonial evidence because of his resiliency and his yearning for freedom, respect and dignity.

From the Paper:

"True accounts of life in bondage for other slaves, including Linda Brent (also known as Harriet Jacobs) seems to have been more difficult overall than it was for Frederick Douglass. In Linda Brent's own case, after her relatively happy and protected childhood, she was then sexually abused by her master, beginning in her earliest adolescence, and began a life of daily misery for that reason. Obviously Frederick Douglass, being male, would never have been subjected to that particular form of abuse within slavery, but in contrast, neither Douglass's childhood master on the plantation nor his later master and mistress in Baltimore seem to have treated him badly."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Buck Brasfield." Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence. 5th Ed. Wheeler and Becker (Eds.).Volume 1: To 1877. 189.
• "Burning in Hell." Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence. 5th Ed. Wheeler and Becker (Eds.).Volume 1: To 1877. 189.
• "Excerpts from the Autobiography of Frederick Douglass." Discovering theAmerican Past: A Look at the Evidence. 5th Ed. Wheeler and Becker (Eds.).Volume 1: To 1877. 193-197.
• "Excerpts from the Autobiography of Linda Brent (Harriet Jacobs.) Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence. 5th Ed. Wheeler and Becker (Eds.).Volume 1: To 1877. 197-202.
• "A Grave for Old Master." Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence. 5th Ed. Wheeler and Becker (Eds.).Volume 1: To 1877. 191.

More papers on Frederick Douglass :

• Analytical Essay # 122572 : "Frederick Douglass"
• Book Review # 133343 : "A Review of Frederick Douglass's book, "Learning to Read and Write"
• Essay # 44355 : "Frederick Douglass"
• Essay # 70968 : "Frederick Douglass"

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