
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass' Summary
Douglass begins by explaining that he does not know the date of his birth (he later chose February 14, 1818), and that his mother died when he was 7 years old. He has very few memories of her (children were commonly separated from their mothers), only of the rare nighttime visit. He thinks his father is a white man, possibly his owner. At a very early age he sees his Aunt Hester being whipped. Douglass details the cruel interaction that occurs between slaves and slaveholders, as well as how slaves are supposed to behave in the presence of their masters, and even when Douglass says that fear is what kept many slaves what they were, for when they told the truth they were punished by their owners.
At this point in the Narrative, Douglass is moved to Baltimore, Maryland. This move is rather important for him because he believes that if he had not been moved, he would have remained a slave his entire life. He even starts to have hope for a better life in the future. He also discusses his new mistress, Mrs. Sophia Auld, who begins as a very kind woman but eventually turns cruel. Douglass learns the alphabet and how to spell small words from this woman, but her husband, Mr. Auld, disapproves, and states that if slaves could read, they would not be fit to be slaves, being unmanageable and sad. Upon hearing why Mr. Auld disapproves of slaves being taught how to read, Douglass realizes the importance of reading and the possibilities that this skill could help him. He takes it upon himself to learn how to read and learn all he can, but at times, this new found skill torments him. Douglass then gains an understanding of the word abolition and develops the idea to run away to the North. He also learns how to write and how to read well.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1845Authors

Frederick Douglass
United States
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Ma...
Books by Frederick DouglassDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

A Japanese Boy by Shigemi Shiukichi
The life of a Japanese boy in the late 1800's and early 1900's, told simply and beautifully. This isn't about civilizations and governments, but about...

Eighty Years and More; Reminiscences 1815-1897 by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Susan and Elizabeth led the women’s rights establishment of the time to withhold support for a bill that would extend to black men the rights still de...

Life of Thomas, Lord Cochrane, Tenth Earl of Dundonald, Vol 2 by Henry Richard Fox Bourne
This volume, the second part of Lord Cochrane's autobiography, details his later life after the Napoleonic Wars. It chronicles his involvement in the...

Kepler by Walter Bryant
This biography of Johannes Kepler begins with an account of what the world of astronomy was like before his time, then proceeds to a look at his early...

Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881 by James B. Gillett
James Gillet recounts his adventures with the Texas Rangers 1856-1937. In a very entertaining style he recounts personal stories of wars, feuds, battl...

My Mark Twain by William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells (1837-1920) became fast friends with Mark Twain from the moment in 1869 when Twain strode into the office of The Atlantic Monthly...

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African by Olaudah Equiano
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, first published in 1789 in London, is the autobiography of O...

Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence
Sons and Lovers is a 1913 novel by the English writer D. H. Lawrence, originally published by Gerald Duckworth and Company Ltd., London, and Mitchell...

American Men of Action by Burton Egbert Stevenson
In this book, Burton Egbert Stevenson writes a brief biography of some of the most noteworthy men in American history. He begins at the very beginning...

The Life of Oscar Wilde by Robert Sherard
Oscar Wilde was a brilliant writer, a charismatic wit, and a flamboyant personality. But his life was also marked by tragedy and scandal. This biograp...
Reviews for Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
No reviews posted or approved, yet...