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Book Report
The Narrative of the
Life of Frederick
Douglass, And His
Experience Beyond
the plantation.
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Richard Straup
History 101

September 1st 2021

Frederick Douglass's most important Legacy, was the use of his words to fight for the freedom
and rights of African Americans. He used his oratory and writing skills throughout his life to
communicate his desire to free African American slaves which led to the Emancipation
Proclamation brought by President Abraham Lincoln he then advocated for equal rights and
opportunities for his fellow Americans as a civil rights leader. He pushed the North Star and
Frederick Douglass paper to convey his message he used those skills uFntil they the day he died
when he came home to his wife after a woman's rights meeting and suddenly died of a massive
heart attack Douglas knew how special he was whenever he saw the opportunity in his speeches
and writings he used his own symbolism against slavery and the dehumanization of human race.

The narrative begins by informing the readers that slaves were kept in the dark
about crucial issues in their lives such as their dates of births. The slaves, particularly
those born in slavery, were not allowed to know such important aspects of their lives as
birthdays. For instance, Douglass was not sure of his exact birth date.

They were even kept in the dark on the identity of their parents, “I do not recollect
ever seeing my mother by the light of day” (Douglass, 10). This implies that the slaves
were separated from their biological parents at a tender age, and subjected to harsh living
conditions. One of the slaves, Fredrick Douglass, was separated from his mother, Harriet
Bailey, when he was seven years old. The slaves are not emotionally affected by the
separation since they are separated from their parents at a tender age
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The slave owners were successful in using ignorance as a tool of slavery, besides
treating them as personal property. However, the slaves struggled to gain education on
their own, ultimately knowing their rights and questioning some of the heinous acts.
Slave owners ensured that slaves worked tirelessly so that they did not get time to idle
around and gather in groups that would shake the administration. The narrative, through
highlighting the experiences of

Douglass himself painted a true picture of the type of life slaves were undergoing
under the surveillance of their slave masters in the United States, a picture that the
slaveholders did not want to be brought to the limelight.

The experience of the Slave Trade was one of being outnumbered by men. The
slave owner’s exploitation of the black woman’s sexuality was one of the most significant
factors differentiating the experience of slavery for males and females. The white man’s
claim to the slave body, male as well as female, was inherent in the concept of the Slave
Trade and was fully realized perhaps no where more than the auction block.

Captive Africans were stripped of their clothing, oiled down, and poked and
prodded by potential buyers. The erotic undertones of such scenes were particularly
pronounced in the case of black women. Throughout the period of slavery in America,
white society believed black women to be innately lustful beings. The perception of the
African woman as hyper-sexual made her both the object of white man’s abhorrence and
his fantasy. Within the bonds of slavery, masters often felt it was their right to engage in
sexual activity with black women. Sometimes, female slaves made advances hoping that
such relationships would increase the chances that they or their children would be
liberated by the master. Most of the time, slave owners took slaves by force. For the most
part, masters made young, single slaves the objects of their sexual pursuits. They did on
occasion rape married women.
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The inability of the slave husband to protect his wife from such violation points to
another fundamental aspect of the relationship between enslaved and master. Talking about
black’s slavery we have to admit, that female slaves had to cope with and face both: the myth of
a woman and the myth of the Negro. It was a difficult situation for women as they were standing
at the crossroads of two ideologies, which affected them.

Whereas men could escape only the stereotype of the Negro, woman had to escape both –
stereotype of the Negro and stereotype of the woman at all. As a result both blacks and women
were characterized as infantile, irresponsible, submissive and promiscuous. Even more so , in
political and economical aspects they were dependent on white men.

What more they have in common is that both groups were subservient, powerless in
relations with white males. They were also considered to be a kind of outsiders.

Female and male narratives of the enslaved African-Americans of the 19th century
take different forms because of the nature of their experiences. Thus, Frederick Douglass'
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave contrasts in its structure and
interest from that of Harriet Jacobs' Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl. Both tales are
strongly impacted by the gender of the authors as well as their intent in writing and audience.
Douglass tells the story of a young boy/man, who escaped his life as a slave through action.
Jacobs tells the story of herself as a girl/woman and mother trying to escape from bondage
and sexual exploitation through hiding.

However different the purpose of Jacobs' writing was from that of Douglass', there is
no argument in the fact that both persons were slaves. As similar as their social standing was,
the cruelties that fell upon each of them varied greatly due to their gender. Whatever little
power Douglass possessed, his literacy was the vehicle that enabled him to achieve it.
Conversely, Jacobs' femininity was the cause of a lot of her problems and the anchor that
kept her in a life of slavery for as long as she was. As a mother, Jacobs was more complexly
involved in the lives of slaves other than herself, whereas Douglass was able to take a more
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selfish approach towards his escape and emancipation. When the time came for Douglass to
escape he was not leaving anyone behind.

The masculinity that Douglass possessed was acquired through his literacy and
intelligence. It gave him a confidence that he did not have when he was illiterate. His way of
thinking and ambition to learn far exceeded that of most men, whether white or black. As
"awkward" as he was when he was working with Mr. Covey, it was at this time that Douglass
made his transition from.

In closing I believe that female slaves had it so much worse than male slaves, and as
the women of today, are still in a sense, in that same stereotype, subservient to men be
they of any color and the work that the female slaves of yesteryear startede must still be
moved forward by all women of today.