Essay On Frederick Douglass

In 1845, a twenty-seven-year-old former enslaved person named Frederick Douglass wrote “A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”. In his book, he recalled his own experiences and what he witnessed as an enslaved man, and how he escaped. At a young age, Douglass taught himself to read and write which aided him in his escape to freedom. The texts he read about slavery ignited something in him and inspired him to do so. Douglass’ story was revolutionary because there were not many books about slavery that were written first hand. In the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Douglass wants to change what his readers believe about what it means to be dedicated to the American idea that “all men are created equal”. He does this by

In the text, Douglass tells us about when he “was immediately sent for to be valued with the other property” (Douglass, Chapter 8). Enslaved people were always valued before being sold to a different plantation or sold to another enslaver to determine their worth, but items and animals were valued the exact same way. Douglass then goes on to describe how enslaved people “were all ranked together at the valuation. Men and women, old and young, married and single, were all ranked with horses, sheep, and swine” (Douglass, Chapter 8). This scene went more in depth about the evaluation process. It shows that white slave holders saw black people as livestock, and as objects they could purchase, use, and discard. The way enslaved people were valued and then bought shows that, in the eyes of slave holders, they were just ‘things’, not

He writes about the horrific treatment of enslaved people to show the readers that black people were not views as equal or ‘good enough’. Enslaved people were often valued before being sold. They were ranked among property and livestock. Not only was this severely dehumanizing, but it showed that slave holders did not see the enslaved as equal to them. Douglass also describes the many acts of violence towards him and many others. White people could beat and even kill an enslaved person and get away with zero consequences. Douglass’ book was very impactful because no one had ever known what slavery was like first-hand. It helped people understand what was actually happening on plantations and how it affected a whole community of