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Frederick Douglass thoughts on Slavery
There is no secret in stating that the presence of literature is active and helps in reflecting different historical happenings that took place in Europe and the United States of America. The pieces of writing have been placing various emphasis on the different aspects that led to the development of human society. There are different pieces of literature, and one which catches the
attention when discussing issues on slavery is the study on African American literature. Authors who have come up with materials on African American literature have been focusing on the slavery genre. Slavery, regardless, is seen as the most significant and unifying theme, motif, and tropes that most of African American literature houses. As the authors were focusing on slavery themes, juggling between the balance against injustices and racism were also common. One of the primary texts that have motifs of slavery is work done by Frederick Douglass. The book was orchestrated in the year 1845 and went by the title Narrative. Exploration of the literature works shows that there is a contribution to the overall understanding of slavery and the reasons why African Americans needed freedom and equality justice (
DeLombard 158)
. Slavery, as the central theme, was part of the focus because there were different racial groups in the society at that time. Some races saw themselves to be superior to other races hence discriminating the African Americans and subjecting the blacks towards slavery. Highlighting these struggles are important because they show how transformation has been in the society so far.
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In the text, Narrative by Frederick Douglass, different themes are significant revolving around the issue of slavery that Africans Americans were facing in the 18th century. Douglass's representation is an example of reflection on a different attitudes that audiences have towards historical events and the struggle to end slavery and achieve freedom. Literature criticisms have been available with members stating that Frederick Douglass made devotion to his life and writings in the concentration of aspects that the blacks were encountering. These include assessing the black emancipation, equal rights, and also enfranchisement. In the reading the Narrative, Douglass made instrumental efforts indicating the fight that was against issues of slavery, violence, and racism. The main title is heading for the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
(1845). Researchers and the majority of people who have read the literature indicate that it is classic fugitive writing that focuses on different aspects of slavery with the aim of education and information dissemination.
The stories of slaves in the literature work are told by the author. The further assessment indicates that the themes that are discussed are the honors of slavery and explaining the impact that slavery has on both the slave and masters who were the slaveholders at that time in America and Europe. Example information is that according to Douglass, "killing a slave or any colored person, in Talbot County, Maryland, is not treated as a crime either by the courts or the community" (
Douglass 102). It is a clear indication on the society that slavery was accepted and hence the reason why it was not treated as a crime by the law enforcers. In such an example, what is key is the story of Thomas Lanman, who did kill two slaves. Further, there is a story of Colonel Lloyd's who had high levels of brutality to the slaves working on his plantations. Cases of the slaveholders showing oppression and violence is another example of how Douglass perceived slavery as a negative societal concept. Injustices and inequality were presented in
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different forms. For the understanding of the impact of slavery on the slave owners, Douglass uses the story of Sophia Auld.
Douglass had a different opinion in his writing, which is that slavery was a brutal process,
and it affected the blacks negatively. The argument was against the thoughts held by other scholars indicating that the blacks were the cruel members in society. The apparent actions were what was pointed out in the discussion, such as violence to the blacks and actions of hypocrisy where members were apologizing for the slavery activities in the United States of America. Such highlighting did bring about the questions such as what there is a special law that is prohibiting free actions of the blacks and rebelling against the slave masters or even white persons. The book
further seeks on explanations on the reasons why the slave masters were keen on encouraging Christianization and were against religious gatherings that might have instead occurred in America. It was a challenge in America as the slaveholders feared to subject the blacks to education. The slaveholders took another step whereby the banned school for the blacks. It was because of the blacks would access knowledge and get awareness creation, the blacks would fight for equality and show violence to the slave masters. In the reading, Frederick Douglass made an argument that reads the blacks were beasts, and the reason why the blacks were referred
to as beasts is that they were given predictions that are dependent on guilty knowledge stating that they were humans (
Aliaga-Buchenau, 22)
. Further, also, the situation did subvert the natural goodness of the black people in the essence that there was a brutalizing situation. The activity led
to the other innocent people, especially the whites, to be affected when they were facing corrupt institutions. The issues of slavery in the text are clear on the reading. It was a haunting situation to the African Americans, while the whites thought that it was a trade business that they would depend on to succeed and grow effectively.
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The second argument that emerges from the book is on the case stating that the blacks were humans; hence, they were not supposed to face such treatments. According to Douglas, he made an argument indicating that the blacks were humans who were also entitled to have natural rights, which were given a direction by the natural law. Further, the United States of America did make a recognition when it came to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (
Douglass 10)
. When slavery did emerge in society, it came up with a subversion of the different natural rights of black people. The destruction was evident in the activities where there was a brutalization of the blacks. The slaveholders had harmful activities in that they were taking the men and working hard to make sure that these individuals are turned against God's will and also God's nature (
Levine 262)
. The men were set to be beasts. Slavery was seen to be an action that was contradicting the laws of God. Douglass made a strong emphasis on these aspects by indicating that there are numerous biblical passages and other interpretations that did support the contradiction of the activities with the law of God.
Douglass was a witness and made active participation when it came to the Second Great Awakening. Douglass made proactive steps that were in discussion of the different political rhetoric of Christian liberation, where the members had to change and get away from actions such as sin. These were the main driving pillars that would lead to the fight against slavery and the processing of national liberation mechanisms. Another argument that is brought about by Douglass is the discussion that slavery was an idea that was strongly inconsistent in America. The inconsistency is emerging at the point whereby there is a national narrative discussing different high levels of ideals and not depending on the founding documents of slavery (
Ross 217)
. Other arguments that were brought forward by Frederick Douglass is on the inconsistency of the slavery situations whereby it was not in line with the development, political, social, or
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economic activities of the society's history. In such arguments, it becomes clear that, indeed, America was on the wrong side when dealing with the history of slavery. They were making the situation to look worse and affecting humanity in general.
Other indications that are shown by the author in the reading is the fact that slavery is absurd as it has negative impacts on families. They end up destroying the individual personalities
of people in society. A new examination is that Frederick Douglass himself failed to know who his blood father and his mother were at all. An except in the reading states, "I do not recollect of ever seeing my mother by the light of the day" (
Douglass 48). Some songs were held by the slaves, and these songs had an impact on the author. Through the songs, the author was able to think about different issues of social as well as the challenges of racial inequalities. Further, despite that, the author had an opportunity of thinking about the different ways that can be used in fighting slavery. Douglass writes as follows, "They breathed the prayer and complaint of souls
boiling over with the bitterest anguish" (
Douglass 57). The slavery themes did have an impact, and they revealed that Frederick Douglass, in his book, the Narrative came up with a document that is i9mportant in the political arena. It is a reading that says lots concerning the inequalities and injustices that were directed to the slaves. Further, it gives a representation of different warnings focused on the American nation that if slavery was not abolished, then there will still be an uprising increase of slaves.
In conclusion, slavery was a detrimental impact in Europe and America hence the reason why scholars and authors deeper in writing the African American literature through focusing on slavery. The effects of slavery were immense; for example, they were not allowed basic amenities, and they were treated as trash before the white racial groups. The African Americans were mainly the slaves, and the whites were the slave-owners. The slaves would work on
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plantations for long hours and get minimal or no pay. They were brutally beaten, and this made them retaliate. Society today should ensure that some laws and regulations are put in place to minimize inequalities and racial discrimination. It mitigates on chances of slavery developing.
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Works Cited
Aliaga-Buchenau, Ana-Isabel. The Dangerous Potential of Reading: Readers & the Negotiation of Power in Selected Nineteenth-Century Narratives
. Routledge, 2004.
Douglass, Frederick, and Harriet A. Jacobs. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave
. Random House Digital, Inc., 2000.
DeLombard, Jeannine Marie. "The Lives of Frederick Douglass by Robert S. Levine." Biography
41.1 (2018): 155-159.
Ross, Kelly. "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass eds. by John R. McKivigan, Peter P. Hinks, and Heather L. Kaufman." Early American Literature
53.1 (2018): 216-218.
Levine, Robert S. "Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Art of Persuasion." Howard Journal of Communications
29.3 (2018): 258-267