Name: _______________________________________________

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass  

Chapter Study Guide 
 
The following is chapter by chapter information that you need to know for discussion and 
other activities involving ​Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass​. ​Write out all answers 
and include the page numbers for more significant moments and details. ​At the beginning of 
each chapter section, you are also to come up with a ​name for each title​, given that 
Douglass did not name them.  
____________________________________________________________________________ 
 
These are terms that you need to be aware of in order to understand the structure and 
topic of this novel.  
  
1. Irony: ​words that convey a meaning that are the opposite of its literal meaning 
  
2. Abolition: ​the legal prohibition & ending of slavery 
  
3. Abolitionist: ​a person who advocated or supported the abolition of slavery in the 
U.S.A. 
  
4. Chattel: ​slave—a moveable article of personal property 
  
5. Primary Source: ​an original fundamental & authoritative document pertaining to 
an event or subject of inquiry; a firsthand or eyewitness account of an event 
  
6. Secondary Source: ​any document that describes an event, person, place, or thing 
____________________________________________________________________________
  
 
Chapter I​: ​_____________________________________________
  
1. Why is Frederick not sure when he was born?  
  He wasn't allowed to be told & he wasn't allowed to ask questions.
  
2. What is Frederick’s last name at his birth? 
  Bailey
  
3. Why would slaveholders want to keep a slave ignorant of such a simple things as the 
date of his birth? 
 
They'd want to know more and more about the world and start to have their own opinions
  
4. Who were Frederick’s mother and father? 
Mother—Harriet Bailey
Father—white master
 
5. Why does Frederick only rarely see his mother? 
  They were separated when he was little and she works far away so travel is not ideal.
  
6. Is Frederick’s relationship with his mother typical of other slave children? And how 
does he feel about her death? 
  His relationship with her is common to other slaves.unfazed
  
7. Why does Frederick make the point that a slaveholder who has fathered a child is 
likely to be tougher on that child? 
  To show respect to his wife
 
8. What is the term for a slave fathered by a white man?  
  Mullato
 
9. What does Douglass say will be the inevitable downfall of slavery? 
  Population
 
10. What is the role of the overseer on the plantation? 
  Make sure slaves did their work by any means necessary
  
11. What is the relationship of the slaveholder to the overseer to the slave on the 
plantation? 
  The slaveholder is the primary owner of farms and slaves while the overseer watches over
   farm & slaves to make sure they complete the work on the farms and works for slaveholder.
12. What do we learn about Plummer, the overseer? 
  He was a drunkard, swears a lot, savage monster, beat slaves & got pleasure from it—would beat FD's
   Aunt.
13. Why does Frederick tell the story of Colonel Lloyd’s slave, Ned Roberts? 
  He wants to show result of disobeying master and the types of consequences people lived with
  
Chapter II: ​__________________________________________________
  
1. Who were the family members of Douglass’ master, Captain Anthony? 
  Lucretia auld, Andrew Lloyd and Richard Lloyd
 
2. What is the relationship of Colonel Lloyd to Frederick’s master? 
  The master was Colonel Lloyd's clerk and superintendent.
 
3. What is Wye Town and New Design?  
  The names of the farms nearest to the home plantation were Wye Town and New Design.
 
4. Describe the slaves living conditions & belongings.  

Very harsh, their belongings were the very little amount of clothes they had
 
 
5. How were slaves chosen to go run monthly errands for their masters? 
  If they were smart and loyal
 
6. Where do the “privileged” slaves get to go for monthly allowances? 
 
 
7. Why was Severe an appropriate name for the overseer? 
  He was extremely harsh with his punishments
 
8. Why does Frederick suggest that slaves sing out of sorrow rather than out of joy? 
What do these songs reveal about the institution of slavery? 
  They have nothing happy to sing about.it shows how harsh it really is
  
 
Chapter III: _ ​ _________________________________________________ 
  
1. How did Colonel Lloyd keep the slave boys from taking his fruit? 
  He put tar on the fence
  
2. Why was it particularly difficult to be a slave in charge of Colonel Lloyd’s horses? 
  He would blame them if the horse went slower or didn't hold it's head high
   enough even though its something they can't control.
3. What is ironic about Colonel Lloyd’s treatment of his horses compared to the 
treatment of his slaves? 
  He treated the slaves like animals and the animals like humans
 
4. What happened to the slave who told Colonel Lloyd the truth about his master? 
  He got turned over and sold into Georgia Traders.
  
5. What is a maxim? What is the slaves’ maxim?  
  a principle or rule of conduct.a still tongue has a wise head
  
  
Chapter IV: ​__________________________________________________ 
  
1. Why is Mr. Austin Gore a “first-rate overseer”? What is the irony of this description 
of him? What is ironic about his name? 
  because he was very brutal
and cruel.
  
2. What reason does Mr. Gore give for killing Demby, the slave? 
  He had become unmanageable
  
 
3. What other examples does Frederick give on his statement “that killing a slave, or 
any colored person…is not treated as a crime, either by the courts or the 
community”? 
  the girl who was killed for not getting to the crying baby fast enough. The slave that was
killed for going onto someone else property by mistake
 
 
4. Why does Douglass share Demby’s choice to die with the reader?  
  Because he could’ve died a slave but
he died as a free man
 
Chapter V: ​__________________________________________________ 
  
1. What was life like for Douglass on the plantation? Why? 
  pretty easy since he was too young for field labor, although he was often cold and hungry
  
2. Why was Douglass so happy to be leaving the plantation? 
  he was getting a pair of pants and he'd heard baltimore is beautiful
  
3. Why did he want to go to Baltimore? 
  his cousin had told him how wonderful it is
 
4. What did Douglass have to do to prepare for his departure? 
  He had to clean himself up
 
5. What relationship did his new master have to his old master? 
  his new master is his old master's brother
 
6. Why did Douglass, who was seven or eight, not know the month or year of his 
sailing?  he was kept ignorant of everything, even time
 
 
7. What were Douglass’ initial impressions of his new mistress, Mrs. Sophia Auld? 
 
she was very beautiful and kind
 
8. How does Douglass now view his journey to Baltimore, deeming him “superstitious”?  
 
 
 
  
Chapter VI: ​__________________________________________________ 
  
1. To what does Douglass attribute the kindness of Mrs. Auld? 
she never owned a slave
  
  
2. What, according to Douglass, changes her? 
  Power
  
3. Why is Mr. Auld angry when he finds that Mrs. Auld is teaching Douglass his letters? 
  he knows that keeping slaves ignorant is the only power they have over them
  
4. Why does the inability to read keep men enslaved according to Douglass and to Mr. 
Auld? 
knowledge is power
 
 
5. What does Douglass hope to gain by learning how to read? 
  Freedom
  
6. Who teaches Douglass why black men are not taught to read? 
   hugh auld
 
7. Why is this lesson so important to him? 
  it tells him he must learn
  
8. Why is the life of a city slave so much better than the life of a plantation slave? 
  there is a sense of shame in punishing a slave in the city
  
9. Why does Douglass relate the story of the slaves, Henrietta and Mary? 
  to show that not all slaves were treated kindly
 
  
Chapter VII: _ ​ _________________________________________________ 
  
1. How did Mrs. Auld change and why did she change? 
  being kind-hearted to more severe than her husband. At first she wanted to teach FD to read and then after her
She changed from
husband told   
her it was bad to teach a slave to read she would get extremely angry is she caught douglass with a newspaper
2. What plan did Douglass adopt to learn how to read now that Mrs. Auld was no 
longer teaching him?  He made friends with white boys that would teach him.
 
  
3. What is ironic about this plan? 
  is ironic because the white boys are privelaged enough to know to read it's a standard.
It
  
4. What did Frederick learn from the book, ​The Columbian Orator? 
  The power of truth and conscience of even a slaveholder
  
 5. How does Master Auld’s prediction about Douglass and learning come true? 
  It comes true because now he understands how bad his condition really is without a way to cure it.
  
6. How does Douglass learn the meanings of the words abolition and abolitionist? 
  got a city paper that had petitions from the north praying for the abolition and slave trade in the
He
   south.
7. What do the two Irishmen encourage him to do? Why does he not trust them? 
  They encourage him to run away to the North. He doesn't trust them because white men often do this to
catch the slave and bring them back for reward.
  
8. How does Douglass learn to write? 
  He learned to write by copying letters he saw on a ship port and then later on by
copying Master Thomas' work book.
  
9. How does he trick the white boys into teaching him new letters? 
  He would write the four letters he knew and ask them to beat that.
 
Chapter VIII: _ ​ _________________________________________________ 
  
1. Why was Douglass forced to return to the plantation after the death of his master? 
  for a valuation so that all of the captain's property could be appraised and divided up among his relatives.
  
2. How was the value of the master’s property determined? How were the slaves 
valued?  The value of the master property was determined
The slaves were valued in value w/ animals
 
 
3. Why was the division of property between Mistress Lucretia and Master Andrew so 
horrifying to the slaves? 
  Slaves dreaded Master Andrew (cruel) Fredrick went to Lucretia and she sent him back to Master Hugh Auld

  
4. What happened to Douglass’ grandmother after the deaths of Lucretia and Andrew? 
How does this anecdote help explain the value of the slaves? 
  Fredrick's grandmother was taken to the woods and built her a hut to take care of
herself.
 
5. Who owns Douglass by the end of chapter eight? 
  Master Thomas Auld.

  
6. Why is Douglass forced to leave Baltimore? 
  Fredrick is forced to leave Baltimore because of an argument between Master Hugh & Master Thomas.

 
  
Chapter IX: ​__________________________________________________ 
  
1. Why does Douglass now know the date? 
  he knows how to read now.
   
2. Who is Douglass’ newest Master? 
  Fredricks newest master is Master Thomas Auld.

  
3. What rule of slaveholding does Master Thomas Auld violate? he didn't give enough food to the slaves.
4. How did the slaves get food? The slaves get food by begging and stealing.
 
  
5. What, according to Douglass, happens to Master Thomas Auld after his conversion 
to Christianity? Why? What is the irony of this situation? 
  He became more cruel because religion supported his slaveholding.
  
6. Why does Douglass find irony in the fact that the slaves’ Sabbath school is 
discontinued?  the slaves' Sabbath school is discontinued because slaves were supported to learn but
the class leaders didn't want to teach slaves to read the New Testament.
 
  
7. Why does Douglass let Master Thomas’ horse run away? 
  Horses had better living conditions, more food than slaves.

  
8. How does Master Thomas propose to ‘break’ Douglass? 
  Sends him to Edward Covey, a known first rate overseer, for a year to be broken.break" him in work ethic &
physical labor; "break" Douglas down physically and mentally.
 
9. Why does Douglass need to be “broken” by Mr. Covey?  
 
After six months, Douglass' natural elasticity was crushed, his intellect languished, and his disposition to read had left him.

 
10. Why was Mr. Covey’s reputation for breaking slaves of great value to him? 
 
enabled   him to get his farm tilled with much less expense to himself than he could have had it done without such a reputation.
11. Why does Douglass suggest that Mr. Covey’s “pious soul” adds to his reputation as a 
slave-breaker?  he too has the support of religion behind his slave-driving
 
  
 
Chapter X: _
​ _________________________________________________ 
 
1. Why does Mr. Covey generally whip Douglass? 
 
Covey attempted to break the bodies and spirits of slaves;
 
2. Why are the slaves so fearful of Mr. Covey? Why does their work go on in his 
absence? 
   He was sneaky and would pretend to leave but would call and surprise the slaves if they weren't completing their
work.
3. What does Douglass mean by “Mr. Covey’s forte consisted in his power to deceive”? 
His life was devoted to planning and perpetrating the grossest
deceptions
  
4. Why does Mr. Covey buy a slave to use as a breeder? 
  ? He doesn't have enough money to buy more slaves,

5. Why does he hire Mr. Samuel Harrison, a married man? What irony does Douglass 
find in this?  He has him come every night to spend time with slave Caroline (breeder) to get
her pregnant. Irony is he hires Mr. Harrison, a married man to commit adultery to
  get slave pregnant so he can enslave the children to add to his wealth.
6. How does Mr. Covey succeed in breaking Douglass? 
  by breaking his spirit and will to learn to read, escape, or live.

7. Why does Douglass go to Master Thomas Auld? 

After  falling ill and collapsing in the fields, Edward Covey hits him in the head and demands he get back up. He escapes
to Master Thomas to show him the cruel treatment in hopes to appeal to his good heart and allow him to stay
8. Why does he return to Covey? Who convinces him to do so? What does Sandy 
Jenkins suggest that Douglass do? 
Master Thomas Auld told him to go back. Alond the way he meets up with Sandy Jenkins who also convinces him to return but to first
  woods to get a piece of root which is tied to his right side to protect him from ever being beat again
9. How does Douglass win the fight with Mr. Covey? 
  Frederick does not back down and grabs Covey by the throat and fights off the others.
Believes the root may have protected him.
 
10. Why is Douglass’ battle with Mr. Covey “the turning-point in [his] career as a slave”? 
What is gained from this battle?  
 
Frederick does not back down and grabs Covey by the throat and fights off the
others. Believes the root may have protected him.
 
11. Why does Douglass contend that Mr. Covey does not turn him in? 
  He did not want to mess up his reputation as a first rate overseer

12. What would have happened to Douglass had Mr. Covey turned him in? 
  Rekindled his desire for freedom and revived a sense of manhood.

13. How are the holidays used to “disgust the slave with freedom” ? 
Between Christmas and New Years slaves not required to perform labor other than feeding and caring for livestock. They are
 
expected to indulge and drink heavily which makes them feel really bad thus relating a sick feeling with privileges of freedom.
14. Where does Douglass go after leaving Mr. Covey’s on January 1, 1834? 
  Three miles from St. Michaels
15. How does Douglass’ new master treat him? 
  William Freeland. He treated him better. Open and frank, not sneaky or religious.
16. Why does Douglass include the anecdotes about the two religious slaveholders Mr. 
Hopkins and Mr. Weeden? What point is he attempting to make? Where has this 
point been made previously? 
That religion in the South was used as a cover for the crimes and horrible
treatment done against slaves. Religious slaveholders were the worst.
  
 
17. Why and where does Douglass begin a Sabbath school? Why is it essential that the 
slaves tell no one about it? 
  Held it at a free slaves house. So the slaveholders would not know they were trying to learn how to
read the will of God.
 
18. What would the slaveholders like the slaves to do on the Sabbath? Why is this 
ironic?  They had much rather see us engaged in those degrading sports, and
drinking than to see us behaving like intellectual, moral, and accountable
  beings.
19. Why does Douglass decide to include the slaves in his Sabbath school in his plans to 
obtain his freedom? Why is this dangerous? 
  They were dear to him and he could not bear leaving them. Dangerous if
anyone told or escape plan was found out they could all be punished.
 
20. Douglass makes the point that many slaves would “rather bear those ills we had, 
than fly to others, that we knew not of”. How does this help explain why so few 
slaves escaped? 
  The slaves at least knew what to expect if stayed where they were but leaving
to escape to the North would bring unknown dangers and the fear of being
  caught and treated much worse was hard to overcome.
21. How do the slaves plan to run away? 
Any one having a white face, and being so disposed, could stop us, and subject us to examination so he wrote them for
 
protections which were notes given them permission to go somewhere by master.
22. What is the purpose of the “protections” written by Douglass? 
 
23. What happens to their plan, and how do the “protections” nearly cause their deaths? 
Someone betrayed
  them and they were taken to jail to be examined. If they were found with the protection letters it would have been
proof to convict them for trying to escape
24. What happens to each of the slaves who attempted to run away? 
  to Freeland home except Fredrick, as he was the whole cause of the intention of the others to run away, it was hard to
All were returned
innocent suffer with the guilty; and that they had, therefore, concluded to take the others home, and sell me, as a warning to the others th
25. When Douglass returns to Baltimore to live with Master Hugh Auld, what does he 
do?  lives again with Master Hugh, and to learn a
trade
 
26. Douglass again decides to fight when he is attacked. What happens to him? What 
does Master Hugh attempt to do for Douglass? 
He escaped to Master Hugh's house and with bloody face told his story. Master Hugh refused to let him go back again to Mr. Gardner. He
 
wife dressed his wound till restored to health. He then took me into the ship-yard of which he was foreman, in the employment of
27. What must Douglass do with the wages he earns each week as a caulker? Why? 

Had to give it to Master Hugh because he had the power to compel him to give it
up.
 
 
​Chapter XI: ​__________________________________________________ 
  
1. What are two reasons why Douglass cannot relate his means of escape? 
  He doesn't was to embarrass others and induce greater vigilance among
  slaveholders.
2. What is his opinion of the underground railway? Why? 
 
He hates it because it makes owners be more watchful.
  
3. What does Douglass ask of Master Thomas? What is he told? 
   He asks if he can hire people to work under him and MT says No, it's just another strategy of escape.
  
4. Why does Douglass agree to an arrangement with Master Hugh which benefits the 
Master?  Asks to hire people to work for him, way to escape
 
 
5. How is the agreement dissolved? 
  FD must pay master $3 at end of week & buy own equipment because he didn't pay master
  on Saturday
6. When and to where does Douglass run away? What is his attitude about it now? 
  Sept. 3, 1838 to New York, highest excitement because
  loneliness overcame the joy.
7. How was it possible for Douglass and Anna to marry? Why is there marriage such an 
important event?  She was a free slave and had a reverend.
 
 
8. Why doesn’t Douglass stay in New York? 
  It was not safe.
  
9. Why did Douglass change his name so much? Who chooses Douglass? Why? 
  New owners and Johnson was too common of a last name. Mr. Nathan Johnson changed FD to Douglass
  because he just got done reading a book.
10. What had Douglass believed about the life in the North? Was he correct? Explain. 
 
He thought it would be clean, new, beautiful, cheerful, and wealthy. He was wrong.
 
11. What does Douglass discover about prejudice against color in New Bedford? 
  Blacks vs. fugitive slaves, blacks will accuse fugitive slaves and kill them or return
them to their masters; white calkers wouldn't work with black calkers.
  
12. What work does he find? 
  Stowing a sloop with loads of oil
 
13. Why is Douglass at first reluctant to speak out against slavery? 

Because others said things so much better than he did and the idea of speaking to whites weighed him
down.
  
Final Considerations:   
 
 
Throughout the narrative, Douglass makes several important points over and over. Review 
the narrative to find quotes related to these points. Write out the quote and corresponding 
page number for each of the three points made.  
  
1. Justice for slaves (and all men of color) is different from justice for whites. 
  "What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him,
  more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is a constant
victim." (p. 67)
  - "...justice is often done, not because it is a good, but because it is a money-making
  business, and the parties might just as well be white as black." (p. 76)
2. No one can be enslaved if she or he has the ability to read, write, and think. 
 
  - "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." (p. 55)
- "Education and slavery were incompatible." (p. 69)
 
 
3. The way to enslave someone is to keep them from all learning. 
   - "I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an
own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till
   she was literally covered with blood." (p. 23)
  - "He was not considered as property, but as a human being held under the laws and
  shielded by the power of the government himself." (p. 55)
What other points do you think that Douglass is making with this narrative? What quotes 
from the story can you point to in order to prove your opinion? Write them out below.  

4. Douglass argues that Christianity is hypocritical for supporting slavery:

- "I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the south is a mere covering for the
most horrid crimes,—a justifier of the most appalling barbarity,—a sanctifier of the most
hateful frauds,—and a dark shelter under, which the darkest, foulest, grossest, and most
infernal deeds of slaveholders find the strongest protection." (p. 79)

5. Douglass contends that slavery is morally repugnant:

- "There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is
wrong for him." (p. 10)
- "Slavery is the great sin and shame of America. It  is the monstrous blot on our national
character." (p. 73)