A MIDWIFE’S TALE, A HISTORY OF JONATHAN ALDER, and VOICES FROM SLAVERY all give insight into the past. Specifically the past of different groups of people, these include, Native Americans, African Americans, women, rich, middle class, and working white men. While they all give insight into the past of these groups they all have their similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses. After analyzing what each book says about these groups the conclusion of which book is most trustworthy will be made.
Life before learning how to read and write for Douglass was bad because he wasn’t given enough to eat. “I was seldom whipped by my old master, and suffered little from anything else than hunger and cold” (Douglass 8). He was rarely given his allowance of food and clothing so his clothes was in bad shape. Douglass thought he was going to be a slave for life.
In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, in 1845, Douglass is reflecting on his experiences as a slave, as well as the known experiences of others, following his escape from bondage. He is making a plea to the Northerners who do not have a complete knowledge or understanding of the conditions of slavery in the South or are otherwise unopinionated in relation to it. In a later passage of the narrative, he focuses on the common beliefs of slave owners through a description of Mr. Hopkins, a former overseer he reported to. He reflects on this ideal that any problematic actions, or “misbehavior,” of slaves is awarded with abuse and punishment. Douglass includes concise and sarcastic rhetorical questions and responses in order to shed
Fredrick Douglas was a slave in the 1800. When he escaped slavery, he told his story and experiences in a book. “The Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglass.” The book is written in the perspective of an American slave. His goals were to show how wrong slavery was. Captain Canot also wrote a book. “Twenty Years of an African Slaver.” His goals have been just the opposite. Attempting to convince the people that they treat their slaves with kindness and fairness. Fredrick Douglass and Captain Canute have different perspectives about slavery because they are in different people in a different role.
Douglass encountered multiple harsh realities of being enslaved. For example, the ex-slave was practically starved to death by his masters on multiple occasions. In fact, “[He was] allowed less than a half of a bushel of corn-meal per week, and very little else...It was not enough for [him] to subsist upon...A great many times [he had] been nearly perishing with hunger” (pg 31). Douglass managed to overcome the maltreatment of his wretched slave owners through the eventual attainment of freedom. The injustice imposed upon the African-American slaves by their owners was the crux of Douglass’s motivation to escape this inhumane life. Adolescents in today’s society could use Frederick’s determination as an example of moving forward to better oneself or one’s situation regardless of
In the Narrative Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, he uses this text to explain his purpose in “throwing light on the American slave system”, or show it for what it really is, as well as show his position on how he strongly believes slavery is an issue that needs to be addressed and how it differs from those who defended slavery, with experiences from his own life to support his argument.
In the 1800’s slavery was a major issue in the United States which was dealt with on a daily basis in the South. The “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” Fedrick Douglass himself expresses the differences in the lives of black people in the North and in the South. The South was known to have some of the wealthiest white people in the states, that wealth and power they had was due to the many slaves they had working in their plantations. In the other hand, the North had black people getting paid for their labor, their black people were free. They were treated like human beings and even though they might still encounter problems with some of the whites these problems where nothing compared to the retched life blacks had in the South.
The treatment of slaves in the United State varied by time and place, but was usually brutal and degrading. The mistreatment
Besides the similarities in understanding the importance of freedom, Frederick Douglass and Nat Turner has a lot of differences in using education to escape from slavery and gain freedom. In fact, Frederick Douglass used education as a mental resistance. To him, freedom means freedom in his mind. Resisting the ignorance of his master Hugh Auld is a great illustrated for this point. Unlike other slaves in the Hugh’s plantation, Douglass enjoyed a limit freedom in the Hugh’s house. His mistress Sophia Auld, Hugh’s wife, was very kind with Douglass and even taught him to read and write because she has never had any slave before. However, Mr. Hugh then discovered this and ordered his wife to stop teaching Douglass. Not only Mr. Hugh but also other
The abolitionist John Brown had a very important role in the freedom of slaves and the beginning of the Civil War. One of his many famous quotes, from David S. Reynold's John
To begin with, Frederick Douglass intertwines witnessing graphic events with his personal experiences to represent how slave owners exploited African American female slaves. According to chapter 10, Douglass says, “…He was only able to buy one slave; and, shocking as is the fact, he bought her, as he said, for a breeder” (Douglass, 45). Not only were women seen as an object of possession, but rather as an inhuman being, whose unwanted duty was to satisfy their master’s pleasures. Douglass thoroughly describes his introduction to another world and doesn’t hold back. His description of being introduced to “hell” demonstrates how the majority of America engaged in slavery. By engaging in whipping acts, Douglass reinforces how slave owners
Douglass arrives at Covey’s farm on January 1, 1833, and he is forced to work in the fields for the first time. For his first task he had to fix an oven. Douglass failed fixing the oven so, Covey orders him to take off his clothes and receive punishment. Covey often works in the fields with his slaves. Douglass recalls that he spent his hardest times as a slave during his first six months rented to Covey. Douglass loses his spirit, his intellect, his desire to learn, and his natural cheerfulness. He was thinking of suicide. He begs for God’s deliverance and then wonders if there actually is a God. In August 1833, on a particularly hot day, Douglass collapses from fatigue. Covey kicks him repeatedly. He sneaks back to Auld’s and tells them
N-e-w B-e-t-f-o-r-d, this what was Fredrick Douglass read when he stepped off the boat to the north. Just reading those words was an accomplishment. In his book The Narrative and Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave he details his experiences where knowledge is very key. Douglass shows how knowledge gained him the ultimate reward of freedom.
White women in slaveholding families in the south were one of the main forces behind the oppression of African American men and women. In society these white women held no real power but in the comfort of their domestic domains they were granted more power; so, these women took power where they could and became mistress to a slave. At a young age, they were taught how to manage slaves as well as being their master. In one case, a mistress had full power over the estate and managed it on her own without her husband’s help . Consequently, she held the power that she would not have had outside of the home. Slaves were given as presents to children and even babies to reinforce that they were property that could be given away . As the oppressed, African Americans had very different, experiences with power than the white women who owned slaves. White women were often harsh and oppressive to African Americans not only because it was what they were taught, but it was also a sign of power. A slave named Rebecca did not call her mistress’ son, who was a baby, master so she was severely whipped for not doing so . Another slave had the side of her face crushed by one of her mistresses’ for stealing and eating a piece of candy while the other mistress whipped her . These beatings were a show of the mistress’ power all at the expense of African American women. White women were not the only oppressors; even women of color were guilty of enforcing oppression. One example of this the case of Guadalupe Trujillo and her Indian servant that was more of a slave, named Ysabel. Trujillo would frequently beat her for the minute things. Ysabel was seen as inferior because she was a slave and Trujillo took it upon herself to oppress Ysabel and even went as far as killing her to keep her from free will
Under Covey, Douglass worked the land day and night in all weathers. For the first six months he was constantly beaten and severely punished to increase his productivity. He was whipped with sticks or cow skin. Douglass experienced an “epoch in my humble history,” and explains to readers that “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.” When Douglass collapsed because of ill, Covey was kicking and hitting Douglass until he was satisfied, then left Douglass bleeding on the floor. Covey successfully broke