Examples Of Mental Illness In Frederick Douglass

Not only were the enslaved affected physically, but also emotionally and psychologically. In order to fully be freed from slavery, Douglass believed that they must have not only a physical but also a mental emancipation. Although slave owners made a great effort to keep the slaves in high spirits, the trauma that they experienced often led to mental illnesses such as depression. At the beginning of his novel, Frederick Douglass recalls early in his life when he was taken away from his mother, leaving him emotionally unattached. He also recalls witnessing slaveholders victimizing their slaves, especially women. His Aunt Hester once disobeyed the master’s order about leaving without permission and as a punishment, he beat her with cow skin after