Douglass's Historical Context of Freedom Essay Example

The publication in 1845 of "the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas" remains a prominent piece. Born into slavery on Colonel Lloyd's plantation, Douglas escaped from slavery in 1838, going to New Bedford, Massachusetts. In 1841, in an abolitionist meeting, he had prevailed as being one of the prized speakers, accompanied by New England abolitionists. The publication of the Narrative became widely acclaimed in the West. He went to the British Isles, where he denounced slavery. These visits contributed much to the anti-confederate enclaves during the civil war. In 1850, he became an abolitionist crusader, where he became the North's Civil war martyr due to his efforts during reconstruction and the drama of emancipation. This essay will consider Douglass's historical context of freedom and how his definition is proven true, extended, and challenged. Firstly, Frederick Douglass's view of parenthood in Slavery America in the first paragraph. The second paragraph will incorporate Frederick's fine line between leadership and absolute power and his glimmering empowerment of freedom. Finally, the last paragraph will talk about Douglass's transfer from Lloyd's farm and the change of attitude towards slavery. This essay will conclude by summarising the entirety of the essay.
One of my reactions to the book was the tragic relationship between Douglas and his mother, connecting the ideas about the double-edged sword of motherhood and freedom behind American slavery. Harriet Bailey and infant Frederick Douglass have separated despite the irony that the slaveholder was the possible father. Following his opinion, Douglass overheard rumors that his unnamed father spoke of his parentage. This opinion, despite being close to being debunked, young Douglass knows nothing, and the drive of knowing is inevitable, saying to Douglass it is improper and impertinent and evidence of a restless spirit.1 Despite seeing his mother four times at dusk after her hard labor and harsh consequences, Douglass' fond memories were of his mother putting him to sleep and accompanying him. Nevertheless, she soon died at Lee Mills farm. At just seven years old, he was powerless when he heard reminiscing his childhood moments with her.2 The cruel and degrading nature of slavery and freedom of parenthood is, in my opinion, well exhibited in this chapter. Motherhood, to Douglass, in particular from this book, is a site of sin in slave societies because it exploited women's labor with oppression throughout their lives, but out of it is a unity of relationships that could enable sacrifice and hope. It grapples me with questions of the right of body and sexuality, intertwined with slavery and American freedom.
Frederick Douglass' brief experiences in this book- even in the modern era before and after emancipation- exhibit a valuable insight to increase our empathy against slavery in America. I consider the enslaved women's motherhood a site of trauma, loss, and grief; their frequent experience of their mothers' death and the critical impacts of slavery done to their souls is a sorrowful ordeal. In this chapter, women of colour's role in working for the pronatalist impulses of slaveholders meant that as mothers, their oath to preserve the family links to raise their children and sustain their culture in slavery into an era of emancipation.
The author successfully made me feel the intimate terror of Mr. Austin Gore to the enslaved people but the empowerment given to Douglass. To Frederick Douglass, Mr. Hopkins is a religious hypocrite who lacked severity, replaced by Gore by Colonel Lloyd. He possesses the qualities of an ideal overseer: good-looking, charismatic, ambitious, and labor severe, which was highlighted in one of his out-farms and in Great House Farm.3 He goes by the motto, "It is better than a dozen slaves suffer under the lash than the overseer becoming convicted under the presence of slaves, of being their fault or not." 4 It shows how patriotic he was in degrading homage to the enslaved person and dutiful enough to fall on the feet of the leader to pursue his agendas, which to Douglass and the enslaved people, his ideals were most stone-cold. His barbarous actions have shown true colors towards an enslaved person named Demby. A few stripes, then he tried to run away to a shallow creek. In three calls, he brutally mutilated Demby with his musket. He argued that if enslaved people if not punished for disobedience, it would mean the end of slavery. Because of this, he became pardoned, and his reputation rose.5 In my opinion, Douglass exposed the cruelty of slavery and absolutism in American freedom. Firstly, economics played a crucial role. The need for money and fame seemingly put the slavers, and those who would benefit from the enslaved took it even further beyond mercy. From Austin's point of view, cheap slavery played a massive role in growing his esteemed reputation and spoiling his finances, and he wanted to exploit them further. It is not about leadership but Austin's drive for the hunger for cash.
Secondly, I believe that this story shows Douglass's sense of power and agency. When Demby refuted Mr. Gore, This empowered Douglass later in the chapters, especially in Baltimore, wherein his own words said he would rather die running for his freedom. Although Demby may be standing, he was not doing it literally. It was indeed a stance of resistance, challenging his enslavement at the cost of his life. I became emotional, which Douglass was, who thought to be a new beginning, ironically ended up suffering the same faith as he had at Lloyd's farm. Douglass is not sad to leave the plantation, as he has nothing to lose, suffering from a lack of clothing, nutrition, and the harsh winters. Even if he endured the same hardship in Baltimore, just like at Lloyd's farm, at least he can never have the taste of family ties and a sense of home when he left the plantation to go to Baltimore with Mr. Hugh Auld, Captain Anthony's son in law's brother. Douglass felt, for the first time in his life, happiness. Douglass's relocation to Baltimore is the first significant change in his life, and the shift of setting introduced greater freedom to cities contrasted to the countryside. A person described by Douglass as good-spirited is Sophia Auld. She never enslaved a person and had been independent in her industry. Although he described Sophia as the enlightenment of teaching him primary education, this hit rock bottom. Hugh, who found out,  told Sophia that learning would spoil that n-word and give him an inch, he would take advantage, and there would be no use to keep that n-word, and it is worthless.6 Sophia Auld did not understand that teaching Douglass primary education would free his mind, a plight for freedom. This derogatory statement changed her attitude and, as a result, her sanity. In my opinion, Douglass explores how slavery is detrimental to whites.
Douglass, however, emphasizes in previous chapters the damaging self-deceptions of the enslavers' insecurities. These self-deceptions spread until enslavers see this as artificially moral, with a hint of hypocrisy. He illustrates Sophia Auld, who treats Douglass like her own. The fact that Sophia is a woman fueled Douglass of her as a victim of slavery. The male slaveholders of Douglass's Narrative, even Hugh Auld, all appear manipulated into the vice of slavery. I feel that the women and Sophia mainly exist in Douglass's Narrative as characteristically innocent and industrious-a gender norm in the nineteenth century. Therefore Sophia, along with the enslaved people, is an object of sympathy for Douglass's readers. Douglass accumulates this animosity and regrets Sophia's lost kindness, remaining a pilgrim of the sense that slavery is bizarre and malevolent.
In conclusion, I hold Frederick Douglass's book in its highest regard because it is an essential and highly detailed historical document and a story of a key to one of humanity's first human rights advocators. It is a catalyst for activism, freedom, violence, and resistance discussions. Slavery elicited differing responses from overseers to even enslaved people themselves. Hence, Douglass treats slavery in the Narrative as a personality describing the institution. Nevertheless, the Narrative testifies that slavery is not assumed by whether slaves on either farm were better or worse off than other places; but should be measured by its effect on the human spirit—the Narrative of Frederick Douglass is one of the most intriguing autobiographies in American history.