Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave

In the book “Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave”, by Frederick Douglass was published in Boston in 1845.   Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, in Talbot County Maryland in February 1818. Frederick Douglass wrote three autobiographies and was a well known abolitionist, reformer, editor, and orator.
Frederick Douglass’s narrative is about his experience as a slave and how he struggled to survive in the harsh world of slavery. Douglass’s narrative is also about how he learned how to read and write, and how he planned to escape from slavery. Other things Douglass explains in his narrative, is how he felt about slavery and how other slaves were treated.
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery, so he really had no idea what life was like outside of being a slave. When Douglass was growing up he worked a number of rigorous jobs, and most of the jobs he worked for were not of his choice because as a slave he had no rights, or any voice in making decisions for himself. Only his masters could control what he was allowed to do and made all the decisions for him. Some of the jobs Douglass’s masters assigned him were as a caulker and field hand. Learning how to do different types of labor helped Frederick Douglass to survive because being a slave Douglass was traded to different slaveholders which in turn all gave different types of labor for him to do, and in knowing how to do different types of labor work made it easier for Frederick Douglass to adapt quicker to new labor that was introduced to him by his masters. Also the money that he earned played a part in his escape from the harsh environment and labor he endured.
As a young boy Douglass is sent to Baltimore, and given to Hugh Auld and his wife Sophia Auld. Since Mr. Auld’s wife never had slaves before, she started teaching Douglass how to read. Mrs. Auld taught Douglass how to read by beginning to teach him the alphabet and by helping him to learn to spell words, but once Mrs....