Frederick Douglass: The Hardships Of Life

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

Education Determines Your Destination Education is the light at the end of the tunnel, when Frederick uses it he discovers hope. In the story the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick goes through many struggles on his path to freedom, showing us the road from slavery to freedom. At the beginning of the book, Douglass is a slave in both body and mind. When the book ends, he gets both his legal freedom and frees his mind. The path to freedom was not easy, but it got clearer when he got an education.

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, otherwise known as Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist, writer, orator, statesman, and social reformer for African Americans all over. As a slave, he learned how to read and write through fellow people that were in his neighborhood and his plantation owner’s wife. Some say that him learning these two essentials was the start of his political movement to the road of freedom. It was almost as the more he read, the more his ambition and determination leveled up to end slavery. He began to use his new develop skills and put to work some of the greatest writings that has ever hit history. Once he escaped slavery in Maryland, Douglass began to lead the abolitionist movement that were taking place in New York and the state of Massachusetts. His leadership, writings, and use of voice allowed for Douglass to achieve and receive great recognition. In New York, Douglass was asked to give a speech to a crowd of believers and supporters of the abolitionist movement. The name of this speech was called, “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?” In this speech, Douglass explains how although the fourth of July may appear to be a happy and exciting holiday for where people can celebrate their independence, it is a sad day for African Americans. This is because that African Americans have no freedom or independence, but they are slaves. What was promised in the Declaration of Independence is not being fulfilled out unto them. When Douglass first

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery as the son of a white slave master father and a black slave mother in Maryland in 1818. He escaped from slavery in 1838 because of his literacy. It was only due to his ability to read, write, and think critically that Frederick Douglass was able to find his way form enslavement to freedom.

The power of education is a main theme within A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass 's experiences lead him to recognize its great power and to believe that education is a key in our life. It has the power to open all doors while providing us with several opportunities. Education makes the difference; it expands the human mind since the more we know the more enlightened we are. It makes us free and it avoid us to be enslaved, too. However, literacy turns out to be not only bliss, but also painful. Indeed, while learning to read Frederick becomes more and more aware of the injustices of slavery, and this leads him to regret this knowledge “Learning how to read had become a curse rather than a blessing” ( Douglass ) .

Abolitionism was a well-known movement around the time of the Civil War and its aim was to put an end to slavery. The people of the early nineteenth century viewed the elimination of slavery in numerous ways. Some fought against the end of slavery, some appeared to mildly support the cause and yet others wholeheartedly supported the ending of slavery until their dying day.

Frederick Douglass was a slave who, despite his circumstances, learned how to read and write. His undying desire to learn to read and write, is reason enough, to learn who Frederick Douglass was and why he was an important figure. Personally, I feel Frederick Douglass was, still is, an influential man, on the account of, his commitment to learn despite the danger these actions entailed. At a young age, Frederick Douglass wanted to learn to read and write, however, he faced quite a few obstacles. Noticeably, his biggest barrier was due to his enslavement; as those who where born into slavery were not allowed to read nor write.

In the narrative Why I Learned to Read and Write, by Frederick Douglass he expressed how difficult life had been being a slave. He felt the need to break away from the norm and learn how to read and write. While educating himself he dealt with many obstacles that prolonged his education. Although he dealt with difficult obstacles he ended up becoming a free slave, because he was well educated. Slaveholder believed education and slavery were incompatible, therefore Douglass was faced with the decision to use various stratagems; in the process he ended up re-enforcing the view of the slaveholders and taught society the importance of education.

The people of America fought and won the Revolutionary War gaining freedom from England rule. At first America gave out freedom unjustly. They had slaves who had no freedom and women and lower class white men who were free, but didn 't have very many rights, such as, the right to vote. There were many disputes, riots, boycotting, protesting, etc.

The Detriments of Slavery In Narrative, Frederick Douglass describes his personal experience as a slave and how slavery is dehumanizing. As Douglass strives for freedom from slavery, both mentally and physically, he explains each of his masters and how they change throughout their lives of being slave holders. Douglas argues that slavery is not only physically and mentally detrimental to the slave but additionally, the slave owner. Both slave and slave holders suffer physically from slavery. For a slave, physical suffering is due to lack of necessities or being treated harshly.

This shows there was conflict between the master and the slaves. The master took away freedom from the people and made them slaves. Although Frederick Douglass at the time was free from the abuse often seen in slavery, he wasn’t free from his mind. He still has flashbacks and things that scared him forever. The quote “The feeding and clothing me well, could not atone for taking my liberty from me.

With this, Douglass is addressing the topic of slavery and whether to abolish it or not. And goes about telling the hardships he went through.

Douglass states: “The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. I could regard them in no other light than a band of successful robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen us from our homes, and in a strange land reduced us to slavery” (Douglass 51). Reading and writing opened Frederick Douglass’s eyes to the cause of the abolitionist. He became knowledgeable about a topic that white slave owners tried to keep hidden from their slaves. Literacy would eventually impact his life in more ways than what he could see while he was a young slave under Master Hugh’s

“The people looked more able, stronger, healthier, and happier, than those of Maryland. I was for once made glad by a view of extreme wealth, without being saddened by seeing extreme poverty” If Douglass didn’t learn starting at a younger age, then this new life filled with freedom wouldn’t have been a

In Frederick Douglass's essay "Learning to read and write” he recalls the journey to enlightenment showcasing the emotions of joy, hunger, heartache and hope. For example learning to read sparked an unstoppable joy for knowledge. In addition the discovery of that knowledge found Douglass hungry for more. Also the quest for intelligence came at a price causing him a great amount of heartache. Finally a simple thought of the future brought the hope that ultimately inspired him to persevere and succeed in learning to read and write.