Frederick Douglass’ Autobiography

Frederick Douglass’ Autobiography

Term Paper Assignment

Question:  Basing your answer solely on the book you read, and using three or four examples from the book, explain what you consider to be the cruelest and saddest parts of his life under slavery, and why they are a violation of human rights.

Introduction

Frederick Douglass in his books presents to readers his predicaments under the tight slavery rules in the US which led to the adverse violation of the human rights. His autobiography gives detailed information about his life during this period and in various dimensions. Slavery in the nineteenth century formed part and parcel of the American lives where only the black immigrants were the prime targeted. Many occurrences during the slave trade era took place, and many people such as Fredrick were affected. Slavery, in general, is characterized by the extreme violation of human rights. Some of the people who faced this human rights violation are prominent American citizens whose stories are preserved in the books of history.

Additionally, their quest for justice led to several movements in the United States which eventually resulted in freedom for the oppressed and brought civilization in the American society. This term paper will look into the personal life of Fredrick Douglass and evaluate what he considered the cruelest and the saddest parts of his life under slavery and such portions form the utmost violation of human rights. The most unfortunate and the most ruthless side of slavery is that it forms the basis of human rights violation.

The Violation of Human Rights

Fredrick faced the hindrance of the development of his affection as a child when his mother was separated from him at a tender age. The separation of the mother from the child at tender ages is a form of violation of the children’s rights. Their birth mothers should sire children for the full interconnection between the child and the mother in the process of development. However, in the case of Fredrick, things were different. It is sad for the authorities to present Fredrick to old mothers for prenatal care while her mother was forced into slavery. Consequently, the natural affection of the mother for the child was destroyed. Fredrick narrates, “It’s a common custom in Maryland that mothers are separated from their children when they are young before the child reached twelve months and hired out on some farm fairly distant off from the child” (Douglass, 2). Fredrick never got enough time to interact with his mother. He saw her only five times on short periods and during the night. We all understand the effect of the absence of a mother in the early childhood development stages of an infant. A child of twelve months requires the full care form the mother to build the strong bond and affection which will preserve him or her the entire lifetime. Nevertheless, things seemed different for Fredrick. His mother was hired twelve miles away from him. He narrates his mother used to walk to see him, traveling the whole distance on foot and this is quite tormenting for him. “She made her journeys to see me in the night, traveling the whole distance on foot, after her day’s work” (Douglass, 2).

Slavery resulted in the death of Fredrick’s mother after very little communication between the mother and his son. The condition of the child’s right violation became worse in the case of Fredrick due to the death of his mother. It is always a sad moment when a mother departs leaving behind her child who hardly knew her because of the bondage of slavery. Fredrick barely got time with his mother. The little time they arrived, the mother usually left him asleep to respond to her duties at Mr. Stewart’s farm. The time alone with his mother was limited, but death struck, ending the little they could have shared. “She died when I was only seven, in one of my master’s farm” (Douglass, 3). As the denial of the mother to child interaction was not enough, Fredrick was still denied the chance to be present during his mother’s illness, death or burial. “She was gone long before anything was made clear to me” (Douglass, 3). Fredrick suffered the consequences of his mother being a slave by law established. The rules themselves violated the children’s rights just as they did to Frederick.

It is a violation of human rights to deny people the freedom of association. Fredrick’s aunt, Hester was whipped in his presence by Master Captain Antony for being found in the company of Lloyd’s Ned and disobeying the orders of the master. It is such devastating to watch your aunt undergo the torture of the white master while you can do absolutely nothing to salvage her situation. The scenario was horrible according to Fredrick, and it presents one of the saddest parts in his narrative. The occurrences which took place before the whipping process were so devastating to Fredrick. He saw his aunt being stripped of half-naked before her hands were tied on her back. “Before he commenced whipping, he took her to the kitchen, stripped her half-naked, then tying her hands using a rope and made her stand on a stool fair enough for her infernal purpose” (Douglass, 6). The scenes were horrific that Fredrick hid in a closet until the bloody transaction was over. He even suspected he might be next on the torture spree.

Slavery was a major impediment to the access to basic human needs, hence presenting another form of human rights violation. Fredrick recalls that the slaves were deficient of suitable housing, adequate clothing and some children used to go naked until the onset of the next allowance day. Those who managed to have some clothing only had the coarse linen (Douglass, 8). Besides, Colonel Loyd’s plantation was the center of human rights violation, and several slave manslaughter took place here on the allowance day. “If anyone wants to be impressed by the soul-killing effects, let him go the Colonel Loyd’s plantation on the allowance-day and place himself in a deep pine of woods in silence and analyze the sounds. If he is not impressed, they may be because there is no flesh in his obdurate heart” (Douglass, 12). Whipping the slaves in the narrative seemed to be the order of the events. Most masters whipped those who disobeyed their orders. Fredrick recounts the ordeals with Mr. Gore who was a no-nonsense man. Mr. Gore only spoke but to command and commanded but to be obeyed. In such a system, the masters were full of barbaric acts and lack of respect for human life. Mr. Gore undertook to whip one of the Colonel Lloyd’s slaves called Demby. Fredrick witnessed Demby’s predicaments under Mr. Gore. “…he ran and plunged himself into a creek, refusing to come out” (Douglass, 19). Such occurrences are not humanistic at all and violate human rights. Fredrick feels sad watching the sufferings of his fellow slaves. He is only a young man whose indulgence in such a scenario would automatically result in severe consequences.

His old master seldom whipped Fredrick himself. He suffered from cold as well as hunger. His master kept hi naked with no clothes to wear and no shoes. He was treated differently from the other whites. He was only given a coarse tow linen shirt. Additionally, he was deprived of good meals as he used to feed just mush. Like so many pigs, the slave children would be called to devour the mush. “…like so many pigs, they would be called to devour the mush, some with oyster cells” (Douglass, 24). The severe whips were physically damaging as well as mentally instilling the feeling of bitterness. One fact is no medical attention characterized the slavery era while the masters used to inflict pain on individuals mercilessly. Fredrick was not an exception.

Conclusion

The life of Fredrick under slavery was characterized by extreme forms of human sufferings which violated the human rights in one way or the other. This term paper has navigated the autobiography of Fredrick Douglass though the slave period and has elucidated the saddest and the cruelest occurrences which form the basis of human rights violation under the slave dynasties in the nineteenth century. He was denied the access to parental care at a tender age until his mother died. Still, he was not allowed to attend his mother’s burial. He could not tell his birthday like other children. He does not even recall who his father was due to the early parental separation. He witnessed the whipping of his aunt for violating the rules of Master and being found in the forbidden company. Additionally, Fredrick was subjected to harsh conditions without food and clothing at a tender age. All these events are violating various human rights and also present some of the saddest narrations by Fredrick Douglass.