Though both Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Written by Himself (1845) and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Written by Himself (1881) were both written after Frederick Douglass escaped slavery, the two autobiographies have a number of differences between them. Though the autobiographies are written about the same person, Frederick Douglass, some people and events in Douglass’ life have been deleted or added, creating, what appears to be, two different accounts of enslaved life.
Seven years after Frederick Douglass escaped slavery, he wrote Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Written by Himself (1845). In this document Douglass states that he has only had two masters, his first being Captain Anthony. However, in this autobiography, he does not “remember his first name.” Many years later, in 1881, Douglass publishes Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Written by Himself (1881) which includes his first …show more content…
When he was less than seven years old, his grandmother was taken away from him suddenly. Though Douglass wrote, in the 1881 autobiography, that he “cannot withhold a circumstance which at the time affected [him] so deeply,” her disappearance was never even mentioned in the 1845 autobiography but is said to be the “first introduction to the realities of the slave system.”
Another reality Douglass had to encounter was the allowances of food, clothing, and other items that the slaves received once a month. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Written by Himself (1845), Douglass does not mention the low quality of the allowances given except when he mentions the “coarse blanket” the slaves were given in place of a bed. However, in Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Written by Himself (1881), Douglass states that the allowances given to the slaves was “more fit for pigs than men” and that the meat was often
Seven years after Frederick Douglass escaped slavery, he wrote Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Written by Himself (1845). In this document Douglass states that he has only had two masters, his first being Captain Anthony. However, in this autobiography, he does not “remember his first name.” Many years later, in 1881, Douglass publishes Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Written by Himself (1881) which includes his first …show more content…
When he was less than seven years old, his grandmother was taken away from him suddenly. Though Douglass wrote, in the 1881 autobiography, that he “cannot withhold a circumstance which at the time affected [him] so deeply,” her disappearance was never even mentioned in the 1845 autobiography but is said to be the “first introduction to the realities of the slave system.”
Another reality Douglass had to encounter was the allowances of food, clothing, and other items that the slaves received once a month. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Written by Himself (1845), Douglass does not mention the low quality of the allowances given except when he mentions the “coarse blanket” the slaves were given in place of a bed. However, in Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Written by Himself (1881), Douglass states that the allowances given to the slaves was “more fit for pigs than men” and that the meat was often