The Brutal Taking Of One's Peace: Frederick Douglas And Harriet Jacobs

The Brutal Taking of One's Peace

Fredrick Douglas stated in his narrative, “No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end around his own neck”. This darkening illustration of the taking of not only taking the slaves freedom, but taking their “masters” freedom in the process shows just how sick, and twisted slavery had to be to change everyone involved. Harriet Jacobs, a former slave, had similar views to the horrendous changing of each individual. Stating “Yet few slaveholders seem to be aware of the widespread moral ruin occasioned by this wicked system. Their talk is of blighted cotton crops--not of the blight on their children's souls.” She too believed that not only were the slaves stripped

Frederick Douglass freedom was never something he got to claim for himself. Being so that he was taken as a infant into slavery. He was taken so young that he doesn't even know his own birth date. Growing up as a slave he was overworked, and received little of everything. Such as food, water, clothing, and bedding.

Similar to Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs was taken into slavery as a child not quite as young being so that she was around the age of seven when her mother died. She was sold twice, each time being so that her previous slave owners had died. Yet each time she was sold her owner had become worse to her. As she grew older her slave owners had become sexually assaulting her, consequently having two children. As she endured this pain, and torment she became craving her freedom more and

To find a way that they could escape the imprisonment of slavery, and take back the lives they both deserve. Since Douglass had taught himself to read and write, he wrote his way out and escaped to New York leaving in fear that his master would come after him. In contrast, Harriet Jacobs had a different way out. She hid in a tiny attack for seven years, leaving her permanently disabled. Seven years after being in this attic she found her moment and made her escape to New York.

Religion played a crucial role in Douglass’ life as a slave. Religion began as an excuse that his master would use to justify his cruelty.

“I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the south is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes,--a justifier of the most appalling barbarity,--a sanctifier of the most hateful frauds,--and a dark shelter under, which the darkest, foulest, grossest, and most infernal deeds of slaveholders find the strongest protection. Were I to be again reduced to the chains of slavery, next to that enslavement, I should regard being the slave of a religious master the greatest calamity that could befall me. For of all slaveholders with whom I have ever met, religious slaveholders are the worst. I have ever found them the meanest and basest, the most cruel and cowardly, of all others.”