Fredrick Douglas

Frederick Douglass was born in slavery as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey in new Easton in Talbot County, Maryland. He was not sure of the exact year of his birth, but he knew that it was 1817 or 1818. His mom died when he was about seven years old, and he doesn’t remember much about her. All he knew about his father was that he was a white man, but many people thought his master was his father. Douglass was such an impressive speaker that many people doubted if he had ever been a slave. To prove to all, Fredrick Douglass wrote the “Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, An American Salve.” This story took place from 1818 to 1841. The setting was in a number of places, from Maryland, Baltimore, New York City, and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Being a slave resulted in always getting moved from slave owner to slave owner. Throughout this book, Frederick Douglass has demonstrated his struggles to free himself, emotionally and physically from slavery.

Around age ten or eleven, Fredrick Douglass was sent to live in Baltimore with Hugh and Sophia Auld. During his time with the Aulds, Douglass learns how to read and write. When Mr. Auld found out that his wife was teaching him how to read, he made her stop. Douglass then overhears a conversation that Mr. Auld is having with his wife, about how white mans power over blacks is to keep them uneducated. Douglass is now determined that he has to educate himself and escape from slavery. Soon after hearing this, Fredrick Douglass is moved in with a man by the name of Edward Covey for one year. Covey’s house is situated near the banks of the Chesapeake Bay, where large ships with white sails travel past. To Douglass, these ships symbolize freedom, harshly reminding him of his own enslaved condition. Covey treated his slaves unbearably. Sometimes, Douglass would have to remove his clothing and get whipped until the blood ran down his back. One day Douglass decided to fight back against Covey’s brutal beatings, and shocked Covey to the point that he never whipped Douglass ever again. Douglass had lost his longing to learn and escape, but after his fight with Covey, Douglass regained his spirit and determination to be free. After living through the torment with Covey, Douglass is sold to William Freeland, who was the kindest master compared to all the others. Douglass started to educate the other slaves and planned an escape; everything was going well until Douglass’s plan to escape was discovered. He was put in jail and sent back to Baltimore to live with the Aulds and learn the trade of ship caulking. Douglass became a caulker and was eventually allowed to hire out his own time. While working and making his own money, he would had to give all of his earnings to Mr. Auld. Douglass decided to keep some money on the side for himself, but at the end of the day, he would tell his master that that was the entire amount he made. Douglass saved enough money to escape to New York City.