“The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” is Frederick Douglass’ first autobiography that explores the concept of slavery and the significance of freedom in pre-Civil War America. According to The Free Dictionary (freedictionary.com), slavery refers to a state where one person has absolute control over another individual’s life, liberty, and wealth. In his book, Douglass provides his own personal narrative of being born into slavery and experiencing lifelong servitude.
Frederick Douglass had a difficult childhood, being separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey, from the time he was born and knowing about his white male father. He lived on the “Great House Farm” plantation and witnessed the cruelties of slavery at a young age. Although he was moved to another household at seven years old where he learned to read and write, Douglass experienced harsh beatings in order to be “broken” into becoming a submissive slave. In his narrative, Douglass examines various ways in which slaveholders maintained their power through their actions.
Frederick Douglass explores the factors that deterred slaves from attempting escape and confronts prevalent misconceptions circulated by both enslaved individuals and slaveholders, seeking to invalidate them. In his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Douglass elucidates the methods employed by slaveholders to maintain control over their slaves and hinder their flight. Furthermore, he presents evidence to refute fallacies perpetuated by both slaves and slaveholders. According to Douglass’ account, slaveholders utilized several tactics to rationalize their behavior, including propagating the belief that slaves were inferior even in comparison to animals.
Douglass highlights the degrading treatment of slaves by comparing them to animals, focusing on their sleeping conditions. On Colonel Lloyd’s plantation, slaves were given monthly food, clothing, and a so-called ‘bed’, which consisted of coarse blankets that only men and women could acquire. Exhausted by the end of the day, slaves, regardless of age, gender, marital status, slept side by side on the cold and damp floor. They used their miserable blankets to cover themselves (17). In addition to sleep conditions, slaves were also treated like animals in terms of their feeding practices.
The slaves were treated like animals, being given their food on a large wooden tray and eating with their hands, similar to pigs. Their food consisted of “coarse corn meal” (16), which was similar to animal food. In general, slave holders regarded slaves as inferior to humans and even worse, as if they were animals. Another way they justified their mistreatment was through brutal beatings. Slaveholders appointed overseers to manage the plantations, who were known for their brutality. These overseers would beat the slaves for various reasons or sometimes without any reason at all. Douglass witnessed his own aunt being whipped simply for making too much noise during her punishment. The more she screamed, the harder she was whipped, and the whip would be applied for a longer duration wherever blood flowed the most. The purpose of whipping the slaves was to assert the power of their masters and remind them of their subservient status.
Whipping was employed to deter slaves from committing minor offenses, ultimately warding off more serious transgressions. Colonel Lloyd’s overseers were particularly proficient in the art of punishment; any slave found guilty of major wrongdoing or displaying signs of rebellion would be promptly brought here (16). In essence, slaves endured brutal beatings and whippings in order to assert dominance. Additionally, slaveholders sought solace in Christianity as a means to justify their actions. As previously mentioned, masters would physically abuse their slaves and then use passages from the Bible as a defense. During Douglass’ time at Thomas Auld’s residence, he witnessed Auld beating a disabled young woman and justifying it with the following Scripture: “he that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes” (53). Moreover, they believed that their actions were aligned with God’s intentions.
God cursed ham and whites believed that Africans were descendants of Ham. Therefore, they justified American slavery by arguing that God approved of it (12). Overall, slaveholders viewed their slaves as sinful individuals. They employed various methods to prevent their slaves from escaping, including terrorizing and beating them. As a way to discourage slaves from running away, some slaveholders allowed them to have vacations. During Douglass’ time with Mr. Covey, the slaves were given a vacation.
The tradition of granting slaves a holiday from Christmas to New Year’s is well-known. During this time, slaves were permitted to visit their families on different plantations and engage in industrious work for themselves. Slaveholders held the belief that a slave who chose to work during the holidays was hardly deserving of them (60). Furthermore, slaveholders believed that by allowing their slaves to have a vacation, they would appear kind and caring towards their slaves. Ultimately, the intention behind granting breaks to slaves was to ensure that they did not run away. Additionally, slaveholders made freedom appear unlivable as another means of discouraging escape attempts.
During holidays, slaves were allowed to do as they pleased, but slaveholders encouraged them to drink instead of resting or working for themselves. Douglass explains that this was a tactic used by slaveholders to keep their slaves in check: “I believe [allowing slaves to become rebellious] to be among the most effective means in the hands of the slaveholder in keeping down the spirit of insurrection” (69). By making their slaves spend time drinking during holidays, slaveholders were confident that freedom would seem unappealing: “feeling, upon the whole, rather glad to go, from what our master had deceived us into a belief was freedom, back to the arms of slavery” (70).
Another way slaveholders attempted to prevent their slaves from escaping was by threatening to sell them down to the South. Douglass was born in Maryland, a northern state where slavery was still legal. Despite the beatings and whippings he endured, Douglass knew that conditions in the South were even worse. However, regardless of the conditions, slavery was always wrong. Even though Douglass lived in the North, he was constantly under the threat of being sent down South.
The proximity of a free state, Pennsylvania, made it easier for him to escape and gain his freedom compared to a southern slave. He was swiftly transported here, mercilessly whipped, and then sold to Austin Wool folk or another slave dealer in Baltimore as a deterrent for the remaining slaves (16). The overseer used whipping as a means to intimidate and control any transgressions from slaves in both the north and the south. Douglass aims to debunk several misconceptions about slaves, slaveholders, and non-slave owners in order to prove them untrue.
In this passage, Douglass debunks the myth that slaveholders believe their actions align with Christianity. The slaveholders hold the belief that Africans are descendants of Ham, which leads them to think they are following God’s teachings. They find support for their beliefs in the Bible, as it mentions that Ham is believed to be Black and destined for slavery. Douglass argues that if only the lineal descendants of Ham are to be enslaved according to scripture, then slavery in the South would eventually become unscriptural. Through his words, Douglass exposes the true nature of Christianity in the Southern context.
Douglass disputes the belief that all enslaved people are dark, as mentioned in the Bible, by questioning why some are not as dark, specifically referring to mulattos. In doing so, he argues that they are incorrect in their interpretation of God’s laws regarding slavery. Douglass cites a prominent southern statesman who predicted the eventual demise of slavery due to the laws of population, further undermining this myth (12). Additionally, Douglass challenges the notion held by slaveholders that America’s economy would suffer without slavery. He provides evidence to the contrary by pointing out that he witnessed greater wealth in the northern states compared to the southern states.
There were multiple methods of completing tasks, including the utilization of more efficient machines to replace slaves. In addition, individuals were able to accomplish work with their own hands. Mr. Covey stood out as a rare slaveholder who was willing to engage in physical labor. “Mr. Covey was among the minority of slaveholders who possessed the ability and willingness to work with his own hands. He was a diligent individual who had a clear understanding of the capabilities of men and boys” (57-58). Douglass’s argument is that slavery was unnecessary as machines and individuals were capable of performing labor independently. Another false belief addressed by Douglass is the romanticized idea of Southern living in the South.
In his book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Frederick Douglass reveals the false image that many southerners held of the South as a wealthy and grand place. However, Douglass emphasizes that this perception was far from the reality. The conditions on the plantations were actually harsh and impoverished. Contrary to the notion that slaves were content, Douglass argues that they were incredibly unhappy. He suggests that slaves sang not out of happiness, but as a reflection of their deep misery and anguish. Douglass himself acknowledges that when he was a slave, he did not fully comprehend the true meaning behind the songs sung by his fellow slaves, which were filled with prayers and expressions of despair (19). Overall, the South was nothing like the fancy and grand image it portrayed; instead, it was a depressing and unrealistic setting. Despite this, Douglass considers himself fortunate to have experienced a relatively better life as a slave compared to others.
He acquired knowledge about reading that he never had the opportunity to attain as a slave. Unlike other slaves, he possessed the awareness that his life was not meant to be confined to slavery indefinitely. He provided insights into the rationale employed by slaveholders to justify their actions. He belonged to the minority who did not succumb to the obstacles preventing slaves from contemplating escape and freedom; he deliberated upon the numerous tactics used to restrict their thoughts on freedom. Following his emancipation, he authored this Narrative, countering various misconceptions perpetuated about slaves and slaveholders.
