The Slave Years Of Frederick Douglass Essay free essay sample

, Research Paper The Slave Years of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass was born a slave in 1817 as Frederick Bailey on a farm in Tuckahoe, near Easton town in Talbot County, Maryland. The proprietor of the farm, Captain Anthony, was Frederick # 8217 ; s first maestro. Frederick # 8217 ; s female parent, Harriet Bailey, worked for long hours in the Fieldss of Captain Anthony # 8217 ; s farm situated 12 stat mis off from their place. Because of this, Frederick # 8217 ; s female parent was unable to take attention of him and so Frederick was sent to populate with his grandma, Betsey Bailey. Betsey was excessively old for field labor ; therefore, her occupation was to take attention of kids until they were old plenty to work. Being so far apart, Frederick was merely able to see his mother four or five times in his life. Those times that they did run into were really short and happened during the darks ( 24 ; ch. We will write a custom essay sample on The Slave Years Of Frederick Douglass Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 1 ) . Harriet Bailey died when Frederick was about seven old ages old, but he did non cognize anything about her decease until much subsequently. Hence, Frederick had small memory of his female parent. It was ill-defined who Frederick # 8217 ; s male parent was. Frederick himself had really small information about his male parent except that he was white. Frederick had besides speculated that his male parent might be Captain Anthony. Thus, Frederick spent his childhood with his grandma on the outskirts of the plantation. During these old ages, he had no apprehension of bondage or the state of affairs that he was in. At the age of six, Frederick began his work for Captain Anthony. The slave kids of Captain Anthony were fed maize repast pulp that was placed in a trough. They looked like so many hogs that ate pulp with oyster-shells, bare custodies until they left the trough satisfied ( 52 ; ch.5 ) . Furthermore, these slaves merely got two harsh linen shirts, making to their articulatio genuss, for vesture per twelvemonth. Seven to ten old ages old kids were about naked all seasons. They were non provided beds or warm covers. Hence, they slept in the kitchen on cold winter darks in order to maintain themselves warm ( 51 ; ch.5 ) . On one dark, Frederick witnessed a tanning of his Aunt Hester by Captain Anthony because she had disobeyed his orders. It was the first clip that Frederick saw a atrocious exhibition. It was besides the first of a long series of indignations that he was a informant and subsequently to be a victim of ( 28 ; ch.1 ) . In 1826, Lucretia Auld, a girl of Anthony, told Frederick that he was being sent to Baltimore to populate with her hubby # 8217 ; s brother, Mr. Hugh Auld. Thus, Frederick left Colonel Lloyd # 8217 ; s plantation when he was eight old ages old. He enjoyed his three happiest yearss before he left his place by rinsing off the plantation scurf in the brook, and fixing himself for his going. He scrubbed himself clean, since Lucretia would give him a brace of bloomerss to have on to Baltimore. Frederick left Tuckahoe with joy. He was eager to travel to Baltimore and to go forth his unhappy life at the plantation behind. His female parent was now dead, his grandma lived far of f and his siblings were separated early in his life. As a consequence, Frederick was on his manner to Baltimore to work, for the first clip, with the hope of wages ( 53 ; ch.5 ) . After geting to the Auld household, Frederick was told to take attention of small Thomas, an infant boy. Sophia Auld was his kept woman, whom Frederick described as # 8221 ; a adult female of the kindest bosom and finest feelings # 8221 ; ( 57 ; ch.6 ) . Mrs. Auld taught him the ABC # 8217 ; s, and so to spell simple words. At that point, Mr. Auld found out and became ferocious because it was improper and insecure to learn a slave to read. Hugh Auld said to his married woman that learning a slave to read and to compose that would do him disqualify to be a slave. He told his married woman that a slave who can read and compose would non obey his maestro any more. Furthermore, this slave could get away to freedom topographic point ( 58 ; ch.6 ) . From that minute, Frederick figured out what a slavery life was. He learned from Mr. Auld that cognizing how to read and to compose could take him to freedom. Hence, he made deriving knowledge his primary end. Sophia Auld, persuaded by her h ubby, changed her ideas about learning Frederick. She began handling him as a slave, non like any other kid. Mrs. Auld would acquire angry whenever she caught Frederick reading a newspaper or books. Learning from her hubby, Sophia recognized that instruction and bondage were the two opposite things that were non compatible with each other. On the other manus, Frederick was still larning to read from his hapless white friends, whom he met on the streets while he was sent on errands. He paid # 8220 ; these instructors # 8221 ; pieces of staff of life in order to acquire more valuable staff of life of cognition ( 65 ; ch.7 ) . As a consequence, Frederick bit by bit learned to read. # 8220 ; A slave for life # 8221 ; was being thought to a great extent upon his caput when he was 12 old ages old. He bought a book with a rubric # 8220 ; The Columbian Orator # 8221 ; , which contained duologues covering with autonomy and human rights. Frederick was consumed with the ideas written in this book. He so began to read metropolis documents and learned the words abolishment and emancipationist ( 69 ; ch.7 ) . After that he succeeded in larning how to compose from his friends and from his small Master Thomas # 8217 ; s copybooks. After populating with the Aulds for approximately five old ages, he went back to the topographic point of his birth to go to to Captain Anthony # 8217 ; s decease. All Captain Anthony # 8217 ; s belongings was divided between his boy and girl, Andrew and Lucretia. After the division of the belongings, Frederick fell to the part of Lucretia and was sent back to Baltimore to populate with Mas ter Hugh household once more. Unfortunately, Lucretia and Andrew died within that same twelvemonth and so all the belongings of his old maestro was given to the aliens – two Auld brothers. Frederick was angered when his grandma, considered excessively old for any work, was sent into the forests to decease. This event increased his hate of bondage. At this clip, there was a struggle between the two brothers ; therefore, Master Thomas took Frederick to populate with him as penalty to his brother, Master Hugh ( 78 ; ch.8 ) . In March of 1832, Frederick, a 15 year-old-boy, left Baltimore and went to populate with his new maestro, Thomas Auld, at St. Michael # 8217 ; s. Thomas was described as a mean and cruel but coward adult male who neer gave a slave plenty nutrient to eat. Therefore, slaves had to steal nutrient from neighbouring farms to last. Frederick was highly unhappy about his new state of affairs because of his disfavor for his new maestro. He rapidly became unsuitable for Thomas # 8217 ; s aim. As a consequence, Frederick received terrible tannings from Thomas, all for no good ground ( 87 ; ch.9 ) . In January 1833, Frederick was sent to Edward Covey for one twelvemonth. Mr. Covey was a hapless husbandman and an expert # 8220 ; nigger-breaker # 8221 ; . However, Covey fed his slaves better than Thomas did. Covey gave them adequate to eat, but really small clip to eat before they were sent back to work. Slaves of Covey must work from morning until after twilight. Frederick worked for the fir st clip in his life as a field manus in the forests of Covey. After working for one hebdomad, Frederick got the first serious whipping from Covey. During the six months that followed, Frederick was continually whipped every bit serious as the first clip until he was broken in organic structure, spirit and psyche. On one of the hottest yearss of August 1833, Frederick # 8217 ; s strength failed him and he could non stand any longer in the field. As Covey saw this, he kicked and beat Frederick until Frederick became unconscious. After Frederick got his strength back, he went back to the Auld farm to implore them to allow him remain. Unluckily, Thomas Auld refused and sent him back to Covey. One twenty-four hours, when Covey began binding him for a tanning, Frederick found the strength to arise this whipping. The spirit of deciding to contend all of a sudden came to his head that suited his action to the declaration ( 103 ; ch.10 ) . There was a conflict between Frederick and Covey fo r about two hours, until Covey eventually gave up. From that clip on, Covey stopped floging him. # 8220 ; I felt as I neer felt before. It was a glorious Resurrection, from the grave of bondage, to the Eden of freedom # 8221 ; , Frederick wrote ( 105 ; ch.10 ) . He felt like he was freed as a consequence of this triumph. After working for Mr. Covey for a twelvemonth, Frederick was sent to work for a husbandman named William Freeland, a comparatively sort maestro. Freeland gave the slaves plenty nutrient and clip to eat. By that clip, Frederick did non care for holding a sort maestro. All he concentrated on was acquiring his freedom. He held his Sabbath school, an illegal school, to learn the slaves about a whole twelvemonth. Then, came up with a program for flight. His group planned to steal a boat to row up the Chesapeake Bay before Easter vacations in 1835. This program failed when one of his fellow-slaves betrayed them. Frederick was put into gaol for about one hebdomad. To Frederick # 8217 ; s surprise, Captain Thomas Auld came up and took him out of gaol. After that, Thomas sent him back to Baltimore to populate with Hugh Auld once more. Since the two Auld brothers had resolved their differences. Hugh Auld so hired Frederick, as a caulker, to work on an extended shipwright undertaking. One twen ty-four hours, a group of white learners beat up Frederick and made his orb about explosion ( 130 ; ch.10 ) . That was how the white work forces treated a black slave individual in the shipyard. After Frederick recovered from his hurts, he began his apprenticeship with Master Hugh. Within one twelvemonth, Frederick was able to acquire the highest pay possible for a caulker. After being an experient caulker, Frederick sought his ain employment and collected his ain money gaining. It was truly his ain ; yet, he must give all his rewards to Hugh Auld at each Saturday dark. Sometimes, Hugh gave Frederick back a small money from his rewards to promote him. As clip went on, Frederick resented holding to give up all his hard-earned money to Master Hugh. He so got the privilege for his ain work, gave his maestro money from his working and maintain excess money for himself. His head ever thought about a freedom of life. Frederick had joined a group of educated free inkinesss, and made friends with a figure of warm-hearted friends in Baltimore. One of them was Anna Murray, his intended married woman. Thinking about flight was difficult for him, at that clip, because of the love and fr iendly relationship that had surrounded him. Furthermore, there could be the danger that he might acquire caught during his escaping, and his life would stop with decease. But eventually, Frederick decided to get away to freedom. On the 3rd twenty-four hours of September 1838, with money that he borrowed from Anna, Frederick bought a ticket and succeeded in making New York. He left his ironss of bondage and became a free adult male on that twenty-four hours. His feeling was # 8220 ; like one who had escaped a lair of hungry king of beastss # 8221 ; ( 143 ; ch.11 ) . Frederick eventually changed his name from Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey to Frederick Douglass. A new universe had opened in forepart of his eyes. Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave. Ed. Benjamin Quarles. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1960.