Frederick Douglass: Escape From Slavery

To start with this is Frederick Douglass escape from slavery essay in which we will analyse his biography using the book review. Frederick Douglass is a well known figure in African American history notable for his courage and desire to be a free man. Douglass was born in the year 1818 in Maryland. Though Frederick Douglass was restricted from the truths of his identity, he resisted his oppression by educating himself consequently leading to his escape. Once finding sanctuary as a free man, he decided to use his story to spread awareness of the realities of being a slave and advocate for civil rights. In his book, “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave”, Frederick Douglass describes the ill treatment and tough reality of a slave living in a plantation in Maryland.

Douglass opens his book with recalling childhood memories and realizing how slaves were denied basic human rights like age and family history to restrict them from any form of social life. Douglass states, 'I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it'. Douglass then adds on how it was common for slave owners to separate slaves from their families with no remorse or pity. Many slaves were separated not being able to see their families or be aware of their conditions. However, Douglass was one of the few who had knowledge of who his mother was and would be able to see her at times when working at the plantation together. Frederick Douglass never had no information of who his father was, He briefly mentions, “The opinion was also whispered that my master was my father; but of the correctness of this opinion, I know nothing; the means of knowing was withheld from me”. It wasn’t uncommon for slave masters to rape and impregnant their slaves. This was a practice that was commonly known, which made female slaves an easy target of abuse. The separation of families and lack of information about age was common among slaves. Many slave owners participated in these types of behaviors to keep their slaves vulnerable and ignorant and stop them from making an attempt in escaping.

Growing up in a plantation, Frederick Douglass witnessed constant patterns of masters mistreating their slaves through acts of rape, family seperation, and exploitation. Being underneath the supervision of Captain Anothony, helped Frederick Douglass develop an opinion over the idea of basic rights and freedom. In 1826, Frederick Douglass went to go work in Baltimore for Hugh Auld. While his time there, Douglass found comfort in Hugh wife, Sophia Auld. Frederick Douglass refers to Mrs. Auld as a lady with the kindest heart who had no previous background in how to own a slave. In his narrative, Douglass describes Mrs. Auld as a, “Very kindly commenced to teach me the A,B,C. After I had learned this, she assisted me in learning to spell words of three or four letters”. However, showing a slave to read and write was prohibited. Many slaveholders would restrict slaves from having access to any sort of education. The idea was to keep slaves isolated in a way that they won’t be able to think or act for themselves and continue to be subjected to rule and authority. When Hugh’s found out what his wife was doing, he at once ordered her to stop to prevent from falling into any problems and punished Douglass for being disobedient. Rather than following orders and becoming discouraged, Douglass began to find his own ways of learning how to read and write on his own.

In 1833, Douglass went to work for Thomas Auld. Once returning to the plantation he enters back to the cruel reality of enslavement and starvation. Thomas Auld wasn't born a slave holder as his previous owners, he was able to own slaves through his matrimony with Lucretia Auld, who is the daughter of his previous master, Anothony. Since Auld had no previous practice in owning a slave he wasn’t as bitter and threatening as his previous owners. However, Douglass mentions in his book, when Thomas began attending spiritual conferences and church meetings he,“Found religious sanction for his cruelty… I have seen him tie up a lame young woman, and whip her with a heavy cowskin upon her naked shoulders.. In justification he would quote the passage of scripture”. Several slaveholders justified slavery through holy scriptures. Slaveholders believed that it was absolutely their god given right to possess land and enslavement. The belief that slavery was a god given right was very popular during this time. Many religious people believed that having African Americans under conditions of slavery would help in controlling their “savage” ways and uplift their race. Throughout his time there, Douglass began to fight the dehumanization and tyranny of slavery a lot more forcefully. In 1834, his rebellious actions and refusal to follow orders drove Thomas Auld to send Douglass to Edward Convey who was noted for taming disobedient slaves through the cruelest of acts.

During his time spent under Convey’s orders, Frederick Douglass reflects on him experiencing one of the darkest times of his enslavement. Immediately into his arrival he continued with his rebellious acts by not listening and disobeying orders. However, Douglass admits, “Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me.. I was broken in body, soul, and spirit”. Covey constantly gave Douglass dangerous and overwhelming tasks to set him up for failure. Whenever Douglass wouldn’t be able to physically finish completing the orders that Convey would demand , he would immediately resort to beating Douglass. Douglass often faced days of not receiving a proper meal while having to work overtime in the fields with hardly any breaks. Although Douglass tried to escape a couple of times he failed and returned to Conveys plantation to face a whipping as he had no other alternatives or places to go where he can hide. Once having enough of Convey mistreatments and witnessing the harsh ways in which he attempted in taming his slaves, Frederick Douglass began to arrange his escape. Douglass recalls a story, when Convey found him in one of the barns and as his common behavior tried to punish Douglass to provoke him. Douglass however, refused to continue to allow mistreatment and fought back to prove to Coney that he will no longer allow himself to be treated like anything less. When Convey failed in defeating him, he never tried to whip or harass him again. His encounter with Covey upraised his courage and eagerness to be a free man.

After a year of tolerating harassment and beatings, Douglass was employed and sent to work for William Freeland who he saw as not holding similar evil traits as his previous owners. Freeland wasn't a spiritual man, which made Douglass feel at an advantage. Although, Freeland wouldn’t always be the nicest man he treated his slaves fairly and didn’t starve them. Throughout his time there, Douglass was able to meet other slaves and encourage them to learn how to read and write. Sacrificing everything, and putting his life at risk in order to give hope to the slaves for their future and freedom. He held classes where he educated and helped other slaves form their own opinions about the mistreatment they were enduring. Although life was better for him working under Freeland, Douglass wanted to be a freeman and began to plan his escape. In his narrative Douglass notes the growing fear he began to face as the day of his escape was coming closer. He worried about the life threatening journey he would have to undergo before being able to become a freeman. At the end of his narrative Douglass withholds the information as to how he was able to escape. Douglass asserts the readers that the limited information provided regarding his escape is also to give slave owners a feel of the ways in which they would restrict basic information from slaves. Douglass also discloses that he didn't want to reveal how he managed to escape or what help he got in order to help avoid other slaves going through the same journey from getting captured.

To end up, Frederick Douglass played a very important figure in American history as he dedicated the remainder of his life in abolishing slavery once being a free man. From being restricted of basic human rights, Frederick Douglass was able to educate himself over the injustices in American society and narrate the tough reality of slaves exposing the hypocrisy of our founding fathers when saying that all men are created equal. His narrative served as an educational message throughout American history, detailing the events that occurred during his life as a slave that lead him to where he ended up. Frederick Douglass, dominant figure in the movement of equal rights and future law reforms that ultimately lead to the abolishment of slavery.