Fredrick Douglass: Turning Points In The Life Of Frederick Douglas

TURNING POINTS IN
THE LIFE OF FREDERICK
DOUGLASS
HISTORY 017 ONLINE
BIRTH
CHAPTER I
• Around the year 1818, Frederick Douglass was born to a slave woman by the name of Harriet Bailey -- and possibly his first white master. "I come to this, from hearing my master say, some time during 1835, I was about seventeen years old" (13).
FREDERICK AUGUSTUS
WASHINGTON BAILEY
• The first major event in Douglass' life may have been his separation from his mother at a very young age.
This action may have caused an absence in the natural bond in which a mother and child are supposed to share. !
SENT TO THE GREAT HOUSE FARM
COLONEL
LLOYD'S PLANTATION
• Now living at the Great House Farm,
Douglass began to question his surroundings. He realized that the
white
children around him could tell their ages but he could not. This may have created a great deal of confusion for Douglass. He also witnessned other slaves being severely whipped and began to ask himself.. 'am I going to be at the other end of that whip one day?' A very frightening thought for a young child. "It was here that I witnessed the blood transaction (..) and as I received my first impressions of slavery on this plantation
(..)" (17) .
GREAT HOUSE FARM
COLONEL LLOYD'S PLANTATION
GREAT HOUSE FARM
COLONEL LLOYD'S PLANTATION
• Not all slaves were considered "equal" on the Great House Farm. The most esteemed position a slave could obtain on the plantation was to be chosen to perform the general errands of the farm.
"They regarded it as evidence of great confidence reposed in them by their overseers...they esteemed it a high privelege, one worth careful living for" (19).
• Yet how could an individual, in the most degraded condition, associate such positive feelings with something so trivial?
Yet, as a slave, the young Frederick
Douglass could not see these events in this way or understand the meaning of the songs sung by those selected for these tasks. It would only be much later in his life when he would view these events much differently. !
"TO THOSE SONGS I TRACE MY FIRST
GLIMMERING CONCEPTION OF THE DEHUMANIZING CHARACTER OF
SLAVERY" ( 2 0 ) .
!
- FREDERICK DOUGLASS
“I AM GOING AWAY
TO THE GREAT
HOUSE FARM!
O, YEA! O, YEA! O!”
• Master Daniel Lloyd, the son of Colonel Lloyd, formed a strong bond with Douglass. He would protect Douglass from the other boys that were picking on him and he would even share his food with him. Having leisure time and the extra attention from Master Daniel may have helped form a bond between master and slave which was extremely uncommon during this time. It may have caused Douglass to feel less afraid of his future as a slave and feel somewhat superior to the slaves around him. This, quite possibly, may have helped to fill the void from not having a parent around. "I was not old enough to work in the field, and there being little else than field work to do, I had a great deal of leisure time" (27).
MASTER DANIEL LLOYD
“I LOOK UPON MY DEPARTURE FROM COLONEL
LLOYD’S PLANTATION AS ONE OF THE MOST
INTERESTING EVENTS OF MY LIFE" ( 3 0 ) .
!
-FREDERICK DOUGLASS
A NEW PLANTATION AND
A NEW BEGINNING
CHAPTER II
“IN THIS WAY I G O T A
GOOD MANY LESSONS
IN WRITING, WHICH IT
I S Q U I T E P O S S I B L E I
SHOULD NEVER HAVE
GOTTEN IN ANY OTHER
WAY” ( 3 7 ) .
!
-FREDERICK DOUGLASS
• "I lived in Master Hugh's family about seven years. During this time, I succeeded in learning to read and write (33). Mrs. Auld taught Douglass the alphabet and how to spell 3-4 letter words
-- until Master Hugh found out and demanded that she stop. Master Hugh claimed that this would ruin Douglass and cause him to become unhappy and discontented. These cruel words sparked something inside of Douglass' imagination as he pushed himself (at whatever cost) to continue to educate himself even though he was forbade from doing so. This was an important part of Douglass’ life where it fueled his desires to learn and to eventually see freedom.
• Douglass' liking for Mrs. Auld -- for her warmth and kindness -- was short lived as it changed to cruel treatment toward Douglass and the other slaves. "Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities (34). However, Douglass seemed to justify Mrs. Auld’s actions, possibly even portraying her as a being a“victim” of slavery herself. Douglass explained that
Mrs. Auld did not know how to control the power she had over the slaves (she was not a slaveholder before she married Hugh Auld) and that she was persuaded by the social norm of that time referring to the cruel treatment that was handed out. "She now commenced to practise her husband's precepts. She finally became even more violet in her opposition than her husband himself" (34). This was an attestation to the destructive nature of slavery.
MASTER HUGH AULD
AND MRS. SOPHIA AULD
!
• Douglass’ rare opportunity to learn to read and write was one of the first important steps in his life that helped him in his journey to freedom. Along with his tenacity, strong will and passion, these books helped him in strategizing his escape from slavery.
• He contemplated and thought of every opportunity and the chance to escape, and had a rare opportunity to pay close attention to the direction of the steamboat while heading to Philadelphia.
"I sailed from Baltimore for St. Michaels' in the sloop (..) I paid particular attention to the direction which the steamboats took to go to
Philadelphia" (41).
• However, even with this newfound knowledge and an ever-burning desire for freedom,
Douglass would not make an attempt to runaway. Doulgass would be sent to St.
Michael's, relocating him back into the country--making escape much more difficult.
The decision not to runaway would be a huge regret for Frederick Douglass, and he would vow to not make the same mistake again.
LEARNING TO READ
EDWARD COVEY
AND THE ESCAPE
CHAPTER III
“I LIVED WITH MR. COVEY ONE YEAR. DURING THE FIRST SIX
MONTHS, OF THAT YEAR, SCARCE A WEEK PASSED WITHOUT HIS
WHIPPING ME. I WAS SELDOM FREE FROM A SORE BACK” ( 4 7 ) .
!
-FREDERICK DOUGLASS
THE BATTLE WITH EDWARD COVEY
• Edward Covey was a slavebreaker in
Talbot County, Maryland, and it would be on this farm where
Federick's resolve would be tested.
• In August of 1833, Douglass was fanning wheat when he suddenly became ill and fell to the ground.
Mr. Covey saw Douglass on the ground and gave him two hard kicks then hit him on the head with
a hickory slat. It was at this point that
Douglass decided he had had enough and left to seek protection from his Master, Mr. Thomas.
"Master Thomas ridiculed the idea that there was any danger of Mr. Covey's killing me (..) he would lose the whole year's wages; that I belonged to Mr. Covey for one year, and that
I must go back to him." (52)
LISTEN TO THIS SONG
"A CHANGE IS GONNA COME"
WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=GBO2_077IXS
• One Monday morning, while Douglass was working in the stable,
Mr. Covey came into the stable with a long rope and attempted to tie Douglass' legs. Douglass began to fight back and overpowered
Mr. Covey. Mr. Covey asked Douglass if he meant to persist in his resistance and he told him that he did, come what may; that he had used him like a brute for six months and he was determined to be used no longer. No one helped Mr. Covey fight his battle with
Douglass. Douglass had drawn blood from Mr. Covey and Mr.
Covey had not drawn blood from him. Mr. Covey eventually stopped fighting. The battle was over; this gave Douglass a sense of freedom.
!
“This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning-point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood” (54). “From this time I was never again what might be called fairly whipped, though
I remained a slave for four years afterwards. I had several fights, but was never whipped.” (54)
“I WAS FAST APPROACHING MANHOOD, AND YEAR AFTER YEAR
HAD PASSED, AND I WAS STILL A SLAVE. THESE THOUGHTS
ROUSED ME -- I MUST DO SOMETHING.” ( 6 1 )
!
- FREDERICK DOUGLASS
!
THE FAILED ESCAPE
• After the fight with Covey, Douglass is sent to live with Mr. Freeland. And although Mr.
Freeland would turn out to be the "best" master Douglass would have in his lifetime, it did not detract from his desire to be free. "By this time I began to want to live upon free land as well as with Freeland" (60).
• He picked four fellow slaves and formulated a plan to escape by boat "The plan we finally concluded upon was, to get a large canoe.. paddle directly up the Chesapeake Bay" (61).
• This would be Douglass' first attempt at freedom. And although the plan would fail-- resulting in Douglass' incarceration for many years--it would not deter him from his vision.
FROM FREDERICK BAILEY TO
FREDERICK DOUGLASS
CHAPTER IV
"I NOW COME TO THAT PART OF MY LIFE DURING WHICH I
PLANNED, AND FINALLY SUCCEEDED IN MAKING, MY ESCAPE
FROM SLAVERY" ( 7 0 ) .
!
- FREDERICK DOUGLASS
FORGING A PATH NORTH
• When Douglass is finally released from jail, he is sent to Baltimore by his master, Hugh
Auld, to work as calker for shipbuilding.
This would be Douglass' first taste of freedom. And although still being the property of Mr. Auld--paying him three dollars of his earnings per week--it would allow him to begin saving money for his trip
North. This would be his final catalyst in his path to freedom.
“He received all the benefits of slaveholding without its evils; while I endured all the evils of a slave, and suffered all the care and anxiety of a freeman” (72). !
!
FORGING A PATH NORTH
THE FINAL ESCAPE
• Despite his hesitation to leave his friends in Baltimore, Douglass escaped the confinements of slavery once and for all."But I remained firm, and, according to my resolution, on the third day of
September 1838, I left my chains, and succeeded in reaching New York without the slightest interruption. Of any kind” (74).
• Douglass explains that while he respects the efforts of the Underground Railroad, it only gives slaveholders more incentive to oppress those who are still enslaved.
In order to protect those still enslaved,
Douglass stresses the need to keep masters ignorant to all plans concerning escape. • Douglass’ excitement of his escape was soon clouded by his insecurities and loneliness. In fear of being caught, Douglass was hesitant in reaching out to people. “The motto which I adopted when I started from slavery was this— ‘Trust no
Man!’ I saw in every white man an enemy, and in almost every colored man cause for distrust” (75).
!
FORGING A PATH NORTH
!
!
"I GAVE MR. JOHNSON THE PRIVILEGE OF CHOOSING ME A NAME,
BUT TOLD HIM HE MUST NOT TAKE FROM ME THE NAME OF
'FREDERICK.' I MUST HOLD ON TO THAT, TO PRESERVE A SENSE OF
MY IDENTITY" ( 7 7 ) .
!
- FREDERICK DOUGLASS
FORGING A PATH NORTH
THE LIBERATOR
• Douglass gets married to Anna Murray on September 15, 1838 and begins his new life in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
He is completely astonished by the wealth and hard work he observes in the town. Witnessing a strong economic center not based on slavery was shocking for Douglass. All his life he had seen that it was the negro's sweat and blood which gave life for so many others. But, here, it was different.“I was for once made glad by a view of extreme wealth, without being saddened by seeing extreme poverty” (78).
• After saving up enough money, Douglass is able to buy the towns local paper, further signifying his integration into a free state. Additionally, his excitement over
The Liberator signifies the freedom he can experience in the pursuit of his own happiness. “The paper became my meet and drink. My soul was set all on fire. Its sympathy for my brethren in bonds—its scratching denunciations of slaveholders
[…] ” (80).
Frederick Douglass' journey from slavery to freeman was that of a great man in history. His journey was never easy and he faced many trials and tribulations throughout his life. If not for certain key events and a particular set of circumstances, these achievements may have not been possible. The close relationship that he
once had with Mrs. Auld may have been the most influential event to have happened in Douglass' life. A thinking slave is a dangerous slave and knowledge of one's condition would only weaken the institution of slavery.
!
FORGING A PATH NORTH
THE LIBERATOR
"THAT WHICH TO HIM WAS A GREAT
EVIL..WAS TO ME A GREAT GOOD, TO BE
DILIGENTLY SOUGHT; AND THE ARGUMENT
WHICH HE SO WARMLY URGED, AGAINST
MY LEARNING TO READ, ONLY SERVED TO
INSPIRE ME WITH A DESIRE AND
DETERMINATION TO LEARN" ( 3 2 ) .
!
-FREDERICK DOUGLASS
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CONTRIBUTORS
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JORGE HERRERA
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RICHARD TURNER
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MARIANE SANTOS
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SARA WHEELER
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LUCY GONZALES
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RAVINDER KAUR
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VERONICA DELOS REYES