Frederick Douglass's views on slavery were quite eccentric for the time. Douglas
believed that knowledge was the sole key to freeing a man from slavery. He exemplified a life,
demonstrating this belief. Not only allowing a unique identity for himself but also empowering
the minds of a million others, Douglas had a growth mindset towards this evil of his time. This
evil had left a mark on the otherwise shining beacon America had become.
His early life is riddled with trauma that shaped him into the man he became. Frederick
Douglass was born in Maryland, Tuckahoe, with no official record of his age. He estimated his
birth year around 1818. Born as Frederick Bailey to Betsy Bailey and an unknown white man,
separated from his mother when he was still an infant, he was moved about 12 miles away to
another master's plantation. He was placed in the care of an older woman. The ideology behind
separating a mother from an infant was to disrupt the organic bond that may form. His mother,
however, still had the desire to see him as much as he did. Some nights she traveled 12 miles
some nights to see him and was whipped if she would not get back by early morning. He faced
brutalities he would never forget in these seven or eight years of his life. Often, he would see his
"grandmother" get whipped to the point her blood flowed like a small stream. He lacked a
constant source of love or friendship; therefore, he did not mind the displacement from his
plantation. He had moved into a new mistress' house who attended to his needs instead of the
plantation. The mistress was a kind lady who treated her slaves with compassion. The brutal
restrictions followed in the previous plantation no longer applied to Douglass’ new residence.
His mistress, Mrs. Auld, taught him his first written letters and ways to spell a few words.
Though this was priceless to Douglass, Mr. Auld thought education would cause rebellion. On
learning this, Mr. Auld instantly terminated the lessons conducted by his wife. He strongly
believed that knowledge could "free" a slave from oppression. Douglass came to the conclusion
that purposefully not teaching slaves was the reason they were still enslaved. This had a heavy
impact on Douglass and is a major talking point in his novel. His white playmates helped him
learn to read when Mr. Auld proved to be an obstacle in his education. With his keen desire to
learn, Douglas soon became a proficient reader. He read many speeches in opposition,
denouncing slavery and the right to freedom. Another life-changing event took place in Douglas'
journey when Mr. Auld passed away in 1833. Released from his ownership, Douglas was soon
sent to Maryland as the possession of a new owner. Since he was considered property, he was
sent to the closest living male heir - Mr. Auld's brother-in-law. He clashed with his master quite
often. Douglass was sent to the "slave breaker," who was tasked with "taming" him. He was
subject to atrocious treatment under the slave breaker's care. His punishments involved getting
whipped and punished horribly. He says that they fought often, and when Douglass won, he had
turned into a man. Due to his behavior, considered unacceptable for a "slave," Douglas was soon
sent to another farm close to this plantation. This is where a few of his fellow slaves started
planning to escape. He was jailed after the scheme was uncovered, though. Daunted by the
repercussions, Douglass decided to reform his rebellious nature. Next, he was allowed to become
a ship caulker, where he was permitted to keep part of his wages. He made some resourceful
connections here. One allowed him to borrow the identification of a free African American, and
he managed to escape on a ship in 1838.
His free life first started in New Bedford. He desired to be a ship caulker, but he had to
engage in manual labor such as shoveling coal because of racial prejudice. Despite a poor
lifestyle, he was a subscriber and avid follower of William Lloyd Garrison - a renowned
abolition activist. In 1841, he met Garrison, who invited Douglass to conduct lectures on the
abolitionist movement. Douglass thought this was a prestigious opportunity and would provide
him with a stable source of income; therefore, he delightfully accepted the offer. He was quite a
well-built man for his age, and his critics began to exclaim that he was never a slave. Because of
his stature and strong voice, he was quite a powerful orator as well. It was unlikely for a slave to
possess the attributes of a free-spirited orator, as demonstrated by Douglass. Frederick’s power
as an orator caused many people to tell him to act as a more “stereotypical slave”. Contrary to
the confident orator Douglass was identified with, his critics doubted his identity as a slave. To
clear these false accusations, he started writing and publishing his early life experiences. After
Douglass wrote his book, he was in danger as he had revealed his true name despite his legal
identity as a slave. Douglass was being searched for the punishable offense he had committed as
a slave within no time. To try and escape capture, he fled to England, where he remained for two
years. These years were spent flourishing his identity as a successful and famous orator in
England. This enabled his return to America with enough money to buy his freedom. In 1855, he
started to write his own newspaper, with his main concern being the abolition of slavery. When
the issue of civil war came up, Douglass was one of the few that supported it. He believed this
would be the shove that could topple the institution of slavery. When the civil war started,
Douglass protested for Lincoln to allow African Americans to enlist and fight. With the
emancipation proclamation, all African American men were allowed to enlist. Douglass traveled
across the north, intending to enlist more men. One of the most unexpected turns of his life was
when he stopped trying to recruit men. This was because of discrimination and lower wages
against African American men in the army. Another prestigious moment was marked in
Douglass’ life when he was invited by Lincoln for advice on effective ways to win the next
election. Douglass was inclined to deny the offer, as previously he had been refused a monthly
commission and didn't appreciate how Lincoln handled the war. After several contemplating
thoughts, Douglass decided to accept the offer. The plan to advise him was cut short by
Lincoln’s assassination. After Lincoln's death, Douglass started searching for new government
jobs. He received respectable job opportunities such as the US marshall of DC and the Recorder
of Deeds. Douglass was in the public eye until the moment of his death. After he moved to
Rochester, he received four presidential appointments. Tragedy struck shortly thereafter as his
wife Anna died. He married a white woman named Helen Parks, who was a former Office of
deeds and records clerk. They traveled to Europe and Africa until his death. Frederick Douglass
died from a heart attack in his Washington home. His final resting place was in Rochester City
Hall.
Douglass' life was a classic example of practicing what you preach. He not only held a
strong opinion on human rights but smoothly carved a way out of the oppression for himself and
others. His journey saw several ups and downs, inhaled seamlessly by his existence. Douglass
altered the radical approach to freedom from a struggling childhood into a sought-after
ideological leader, introducing a more awakening perspective to human rights. The
contemporary scenarios faced by various nationalities scream for a need to approach the
entangled concerns through this perspective. Douglass shows a brilliant route to claiming rights
through knowledge. He stands out and uses the knowledge he acquired for the betterment of the
world. Though slavery is abolished in the modern world, the oppressive conduct underlining
human behavior continues. From gender disparity witnessed in livelihood, through the glass
ceiling, to child labor for the unknown evils of mining, the current world is not detached from
oppression completely. The key to most of these problems can be attaining knowledge, as
exemplified by Douglass.
.
Bibliography
Britannica School, s.v. "Frederick Douglass," accessed April 10, 2022,
https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/Frederick-Douglass/274051.
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave. McHenry, Ill.:
Follett Digital Press, 2005. Digital file.
"Frederick Douglass." In Notable Black American Men, Book II, edited by Jessie Carney Smith. Detroit,
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