During the 18th and 19th century slavery became a acceptable image in the United States. Heavily concentrated in the south due to the rapid expansion of the cotton industry and many of the other plantations growing the very profitable cash crops. Most African Americans experienced slavery on the plantations where they would live on units owned by planters who had twenty or more slaves; similarly to the experiences that were described by Frederick Douglass. Often times the planters and white masters of these communities would resort to physical and psychological tactics to ensure their personal safety and profitable enterprise, additionally causing the slaves to live in fear, resulting in obedience. Frederick Douglass was one of the very rare
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Initially, many individuals were made to believe that slavery was a natural occurrence. People believed that blacks did not have the capability of actively participating in their civil rights, and therefore should be owned by white community. In Narrative of the Fredrick Douglass, the whites are depicted as individuals who access power and keep blacks from the time they are born till they die. The ignorance that was enforced within the slave community was to ensures that the slave children are deprived of their individual identity. However, as shown through the example of Douglass, as the children tend to grow older, they secretly learn how to read and write as a means of acquiring literacy, resulting into their self sufficiency …show more content…
In this regard, slaves use the same degree of being kept out of the precincts of knowledge by educating themselves. However, slaves do not automatically regard knowledge as a means of gaining freedom. According to them, knowledge is a means of being enlightened on the various acts of injustice in slavery, since they are eventually able to loathe their slaveholders, but are physically unable to escape without meeting danger along the way. In The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass, slavery is depicted as not only having a damaging effect to the slaves alone, but also to the slaveholders. Corruption and irresponsible power enjoyed by the slave owners over the slaves pose adverse impacts on their own moral health. In this regard, slavery is depicted as being unnatural to all the players. For instance, slave owners experience temptation to commit adultery and raping their female slaves thus fathering
Initially, many individuals were made to believe that slavery was a natural occurrence. People believed that blacks did not have the capability of actively participating in their civil rights, and therefore should be owned by white community. In Narrative of the Fredrick Douglass, the whites are depicted as individuals who access power and keep blacks from the time they are born till they die. The ignorance that was enforced within the slave community was to ensures that the slave children are deprived of their individual identity. However, as shown through the example of Douglass, as the children tend to grow older, they secretly learn how to read and write as a means of acquiring literacy, resulting into their self sufficiency …show more content…
In this regard, slaves use the same degree of being kept out of the precincts of knowledge by educating themselves. However, slaves do not automatically regard knowledge as a means of gaining freedom. According to them, knowledge is a means of being enlightened on the various acts of injustice in slavery, since they are eventually able to loathe their slaveholders, but are physically unable to escape without meeting danger along the way. In The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass, slavery is depicted as not only having a damaging effect to the slaves alone, but also to the slaveholders. Corruption and irresponsible power enjoyed by the slave owners over the slaves pose adverse impacts on their own moral health. In this regard, slavery is depicted as being unnatural to all the players. For instance, slave owners experience temptation to commit adultery and raping their female slaves thus fathering