Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was born in 1817 or 1818.  He did not know as slave birthdays were not recorded or considered to be important.  He was separated from his mother while a toddler and only saw her occasionally, as she was sent to work on a different plantation.  His mother died when he was around 7 years old.  Of course, it was common to separate children from parents, as that diminished familial ties, which could be a support for a slave.  Better for slaves to view themselves as alone in the world and dependent upon the goodwill of their master.  As far as Frederick's life as a slave went, his was less onerous than most he witnessed.  While still a boy, he was sent to be a house servant in Baltimore.  The lady of the house started teaching him to read.  However, when this was discovered, she was ordered to stop.  She had never had a slave and, by default, had treated him as a person.  As time went along, she adopted the mentality of a slave owner, thus corrupting herself and denying Frederick his humanity.  Frederick came to view slavery as dehumanizing to both the slave and the slave owner.  As a teen, he was sent back to the plantation and tangled with various overseers.  Sent to work the farm of a man noted for breaking slaves, he offered resistance.  To his surprise, the man let it slide.  Had his failure with Frederick become public knowledge, his reputation for breaking slaves would be ruined.  Once again, Frederick was sent to Baltimore and was now taught the trade of caulking ships on the wharf.  He became an independent contractor, finding jobs and receiving pay.  Of course, he had to give all the money to his owner but he did have some degree of independence.  White caulkers did not appreciate him and had beaten him.  His first effort to flee to the north was undermined by another slave.  He eventually did escape, but he does not offer details as it would reveal sources and methods; this narrative was written in 1845.  Once in the north, he still had to be concerned with being grabbed and sent back south.  He relocated to Connecticut and resumed his trade of caulking.  Soon, he was involved in the abolition movement and offered speaking engagements.

The most interesting thing about the book was Douglass's stating that slavery was as spiritually harmful to the slave owner as the slave.  He was particularly irked by religious men who defended slavery or owned slaves.  Despite being a slave, he felt sorry for the woman who set him on the path to literacy; becoming part of the slave owning class, she was twisted from a generous and kind woman into someone who could accept the cruel institution.  This is an excellent read and highly recommended.