way slaves were undermined and states that they were ‘ranked together’ with animals

 way slaves were undermined and states that they were ‘ranked together’ with animals

Slavery lasted its period due to the economic status of the slaves plus landowners, oppression and lack of substantial education for the African Americans who had no option but to work on the fields for financial gain. The power associated with education is one of the major themes in Fredrick Douglas work and consider it to be the path freedom and end of slavery. The author accounts on how white children were able to spell and recall their ages, dates of birth and other details to manifest how slaves lacked education. Many slaves were mistreated especially women and children who were oppressed and exposed to inhumane conditions.

Slaves were not entitled to rights and could not defend themselves, and the masters would abuse women and rape them without any dire consequences. Women slaves snatched their children since their masters owned them. Slaves were subject to punishment a condition that scared them and hindered them from standing for their fundamental rights. Most of the slaves were illiterate and lacked the sense to pursue their freedom and fight for the abolishment of slavery. The white fraternity gained so much from slavery through and oppressed the blacks for them not to unite and defend their rights. The poor conditions which are defined by Fredrick have made the slaves not have any other option but to depend on their labor for income. The author expresses the way slaves were undermined and states that they were ‘ranked together’ with animals to illustrate human degradation they were exposed to. Slaves were kept ignorant and could not remember details such as dates, to subjugate them about the possibility of their future freedom.

The African Americans were poor, a condition that made them dependent on landowners for employment. Most of the African Americans were not educated and getting the opportunity for better employment was limited. This situation was able to subject them to opt for becoming employed at the plantations where they worked as slaves. The while color is always associated with superiority a condition that always makes African American to be inferior (David 96). As such, this has been seen even today as they both consider themselves from different backgrounds origins and other related aspects. Douglas was always expressing the life situations in the reflection of other slaves who were undergoing severe conditions but were not able to initiate a change of creating influences since they lacked unity. Fredrick is most of his attempts to resist slavery h was acting alone without any support from fellow slaves. As such this showed disunity among the slaves, who made conditions tougher for initiating actions of abolishing trade. In some cases, people in the federal government were slave owners, and this made them hesitant towards passing laws that would lead to the abolishing of slavery.

The author Fredrick Douglass starts his narrative with known facts about him such as birthplace Tuckahoe in Maryland and concerning his age the author quotes “I have no accurate knowledge of my age,” and also express that he cannot identify his father positively and states “whispered that my master was my father. . . [but] the means of knowing was withheld from me”. The author also accounts how he was detached from the mother and barely knows her illustrated by the quotes  “before I knew her as my mother,” and “four or five times in my life” (Frederick 2). The author explains that it is a common occurrence among slaves that most of them do not know about their prints. As Fredrick was still a child and growing up on the plantation that belongs to Colonel Lloyd, he was able to witness brutal whipping of several black slaves of various age groups. He defines the events in his early life through a story where he writes “My treatment. . . was very similar to that of the other slave children,’ (Frederick 26).

When Fredrick Douglass was seven, he went to work for a sip carpenter who was called Hugh Auld in Baltimore, and he remarked “A city slave is almost a freeman, compared with a slave on the plantation,” and continues to write that the new city’s experience is exposing him to increased liberty. Fredrick starts to get experience a new life that even gives him the opportunity to learn and write for seven years. When he was 15 years old, he was sent back to Colonel’s farm to work for a ship captain called Thomas Aud; he began to gradually resist the ruling of slavery which turned forceful (Levine, Robert 150). After a few months, he was pleased to Covey who held a reputation of punishing resistant slaves. In this situation, Fredrick was assaulted that made him run away but was caught. Douglas was placed in a fight with Convey, and he ends up employed by another boss. Fredrick’s courage to face the situation at Edward Convey’s place was an expression of his desire for freedom which is stated in the text “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man” (Frederick 65-66). Fredrick Douglass did not reveal full information of his plan for escape believing that such information may lead to his recapture and thwart his future escape attempts. Towards the end of this narrative, Fredrick Douglas was staying in New Bedford and has altered his identity to the name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey who was married to Anna Murray. Anna was a friend he met when they were still in slavery in Baltimore. The author concludes the narrative with a public speech to William Lloyd Garrison’s American Anti-Slavery Society.

PART B

Slavery was able to last the period it did because of racial difference, level of poverty, need for labor and economic development. Slavery played an essential role in advancement in America in various aspects such as agriculture to manufacturing industries. However the blacks were subjected to animosity which none of them was able to resist, People who attempted to resist slavery were subjected to torture and death. The point that the black slaves were not able to revolt and challenge their masters is subjective to the length of period they stayed under captivity.

Fredrick Douglas is considered to be one of African America celebrated writers whose book about his life as American slave brought success for him, the narrative about his life as a slave in the United States was published in 1845, and if he had been free from slavery for about seven years. Like other authors about subjects related to slavery, Fredrick’s narrative is introduced with endorsements concerning white abolitionists. In the author’s preface, Garrison gives a pledge that “essentially true in all its statements; that nothing has been set down in malice, nothing exaggerated” and Wendell also gives a pledge in the quote “the entire confidence in [Douglass’] truth, candor, and sincerity.” Even though Fredrick’s counted on the two of them as friends, one of the scholars McCoy presents the argument that Garrison and Wendell’s letters serve the purpose of subtle reminders concerning the domination of white color over the black counterparts such as the author plus his texts on the publication.

Fredrick Douglas evaded slavery to become influence activist, writer and public speaker who continued to fight for human rights from 1862 to 1895 during this time when slavery was practised. The author describes his time in slavery in his 1845 book which describes his life from childhood to death. In 1843 the author was involved with American society which held 6 months tour in United States where he was beaten by individuals who were against abolishment of slavery. The author quoted “From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me within its foul embrace; and in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed not from me, but remained like ministering angels to cheer me through the gloom.” to describe the period he spent in slavery.

The narrative text indicates that most of the slaves lacked ambition and had nothing to pursue after their slavery, Fredrick was different since he was determined to achieve success in various aspects of life. In his escape plans, he used to sacrifice his pay to secure his plan execution where he eventually got rearrested. He never gave up and eventually at the end of the narration he is free and happy. His efforts eventually transformed into the freedom that many slaves were dreaming of but were not doing anything towards achieving it (Robert 187-198). In a gradual process, the slaves were introduced to amenities such as education, better employment that enable them to get insights towards defending their rights. It took the African Americans several decades to eventually grasp elements that would enable them to defend their rights, better their living conditions, and developmental state to resist slavery. The whites, on the other hand, reaped benefits from slavery where they got cheap labor, which there can efficiently manicure. The slaves were forced to overwork and at times punished for not following particular instructions (Theresa 116). When Fredrick moved to Baltimore he was exposed to a different side of slavery where he got the opportunity to study, have freedom in an urban environment. These are some of the benefits which made African Americans depend on the slavery which eventually enables them to initiate revolution for fighting for their rights and freedom

Conclusion

The freedom from the slavery of the African Americans lasted for quite some period. The essay explores various reasons why it lasted its period about Fredrick Douglas publication. It discusses various aspects of conditions the author was exposed to in his narrative and their influences on the time it took to end slavery. Slavery was later abolished in America after passing of various laws that were developed and passed through the federal government for their effects to be initiated extensively.