Some view slavery as a romantic era in American history. This is to avoid the terrible truth of what it really is. Douglass debunks the mythology of slavery by refuting the romantic view of the system, proving how blacks are intellectually equal to whites, and shedding light on the fact that the system encouraged disloyalty among slaves.
Frederick Douglass debunks the romantic view of slavery by giving realistic facts about the difficult lives of the slaves. A key part of this romanticism was the image of the rich Southern slaveholding family. Genteel southern living has been idealized for a long time, and of course, this includes the ownership of many slaves and being very wealthy. You do not often hear about the poor farmers who own slaves, …show more content…
For example, Douglass was betrayed by a fellow slave during his first escape attempt. When on the way to jail with his friends involved in the scheme, “[they] found the evidence against [them] to be the testimony of one person…”(95). Since no whites were involved in this plan, it is logical to conclude that a fellow slave and/or team member betrayed them all. Douglass even says that they “...came to a unanimous decision among ourselves as to who [the slave owners’] informant was.” (95). This proves Douglass’ point that the system of slavery promotes disloyalty among slaves, for they could tell if someone was untrustworthy or not. Slaves knew that if they told their masters of another slave’s escape plans, they would be rewarded and even favored by their masters. This caused paranoia among slaves on a plantation; not allowing them to trust one another. The mythology of slavery promoted the idea that among the slaves on a plantation was a safe haven, where they could tell anyone anything without consequence; a safe haven, where all slaves get along and build close communities. Douglass proves that it is the exact opposite; for the most part, you are on your own as a slave, and it is important to be cautious especially when you are planning an escape with a group of
Frederick Douglass debunks the romantic view of slavery by giving realistic facts about the difficult lives of the slaves. A key part of this romanticism was the image of the rich Southern slaveholding family. Genteel southern living has been idealized for a long time, and of course, this includes the ownership of many slaves and being very wealthy. You do not often hear about the poor farmers who own slaves, …show more content…
For example, Douglass was betrayed by a fellow slave during his first escape attempt. When on the way to jail with his friends involved in the scheme, “[they] found the evidence against [them] to be the testimony of one person…”(95). Since no whites were involved in this plan, it is logical to conclude that a fellow slave and/or team member betrayed them all. Douglass even says that they “...came to a unanimous decision among ourselves as to who [the slave owners’] informant was.” (95). This proves Douglass’ point that the system of slavery promotes disloyalty among slaves, for they could tell if someone was untrustworthy or not. Slaves knew that if they told their masters of another slave’s escape plans, they would be rewarded and even favored by their masters. This caused paranoia among slaves on a plantation; not allowing them to trust one another. The mythology of slavery promoted the idea that among the slaves on a plantation was a safe haven, where they could tell anyone anything without consequence; a safe haven, where all slaves get along and build close communities. Douglass proves that it is the exact opposite; for the most part, you are on your own as a slave, and it is important to be cautious especially when you are planning an escape with a group of