Frederick Douglass An American Slave Summary
In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave written by himself, the author argues no one can be enslave if he or she has the ability to read, write, or think. Douglass supports his claim by first, learning how to read and write and second, becoming a free man. The author’s purpose is to persuade people in order to abolish slavery. Based on this information Douglass is writing to someone who has the power to abolish slavery.
Frederick Douglass, a former slave, realized that knowledge could set him free. “I now understand what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty-- to wit, the white man’s power to enslave the black man. It was a grand achievement, and I prized it highly. From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom (Douglass 48).” Douglass now knows why slaves are kept so ignorant, and his goal is to learn how to read and write so he can be free. "Slaves don't read," Mr. Robert said. "I should beat you for lying, girl."
Pastor Weeks held up his hand. "It's true. Your aunt had some odd notions. She taught the child herself. I disapproved, of course. Only leads to trouble" (Anderson 16-17). Isabel’s master had taught her how to read. She was not like other slaveholders, and she wanted them to be free when she died. …show more content…
On the contrary, many southern slaveholders could not disclaim Douglass’s assertion, but they instead used laws to support their action.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (Declaration of Independence). Slaves are living in hypocritical areas where they do not have the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration states all men are created equally, but the slaves’ masters are not treating their slaves equally. They are not going by their own Declaration of Independence! The slaveholders saw slaves as property not
people.
Even in today’s society, the atrocities of slavery continue to exist in the form of human trafficking. “The United Nations estimates the total market value of human trafficking at 32 billion U.S. dollars. In Europe, criminals are pocketing around $2.5 billion per year through sexual exploitation and forced labor (The CNN).” Slavery has been abolished for many years, yet it still exists by a different term.
Frederick Douglass, a former slave, realized that knowledge could set him free. “I now understand what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty-- to wit, the white man’s power to enslave the black man. It was a grand achievement, and I prized it highly. From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom (Douglass 48).” Douglass now knows why slaves are kept so ignorant, and his goal is to learn how to read and write so he can be free. "Slaves don't read," Mr. Robert said. "I should beat you for lying, girl."
Pastor Weeks held up his hand. "It's true. Your aunt had some odd notions. She taught the child herself. I disapproved, of course. Only leads to trouble" (Anderson 16-17). Isabel’s master had taught her how to read. She was not like other slaveholders, and she wanted them to be free when she died. …show more content…
On the contrary, many southern slaveholders could not disclaim Douglass’s assertion, but they instead used laws to support their action.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (Declaration of Independence). Slaves are living in hypocritical areas where they do not have the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration states all men are created equally, but the slaves’ masters are not treating their slaves equally. They are not going by their own Declaration of Independence! The slaveholders saw slaves as property not
people.
Even in today’s society, the atrocities of slavery continue to exist in the form of human trafficking. “The United Nations estimates the total market value of human trafficking at 32 billion U.S. dollars. In Europe, criminals are pocketing around $2.5 billion per year through sexual exploitation and forced labor (The CNN).” Slavery has been abolished for many years, yet it still exists by a different term.