As a result of many slaveholders practicing religion, Douglass is correct in the assumption that the Christianity of the slaveholders is hypocritical and used to justify their actions as expressed in his novel Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave written by himself. Douglass supports his claim by first explaining the conversion of one of his slaveholders, and second by describing the twistedness of the American church. Douglass’s purpose is to use sympathetic and logical appeals in order to captivate the reader of the hypocrisy of slaveholders. Based on this Douglass is writing for the American church in order to persuade Christian slaveholders that their ways are wrong.
Douglass, a former slave, experienced the hypocrisy …show more content…
This predicament appear timelessly throughout the history of slaveholding, and was present during Douglass’s captivity. One example of this sort of hypocrisy is evident when Douglass states, “If it had any effect on his character, it made him more cruel and hateful in all his ways; for I believe him to have been a much worse man after his conversion than before” (Douglass 32). Douglass uses logical reasoning to focus the reader’s attention on Mr. Covey’s response to his conversion to Christianity, which was opposite of what one would expect. By finding justification to hold slaves through Christianity, Covey became even more cruel than before as a result. This source is credible because it is taken from Douglass’s point of view, a former slave with a slaveholder that practiced Christianity. To the other point that slaveholders justified their actions through biblical text, Douglass states, “...after his conversion, he found religious sanction and support for his slaveholding cruelty” (Douglass 32). Mr. Covey found reinforcement to his habit of slaveholding through his conversion to Christianity. He justifies his actions through misinterpreted quotes from the Bible, mainly in the Old Testament. Such examples include verses in Leviticus when God is …show more content…
A passage in Leviticus portrays God commanding the Levites on the topic of owning slaves and protecting his chosen people, the Israelites. God states, “‘You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life…’” (Leviticus 25:45-46). If taken literally word for word, one may interpret this text as applying to the current times, and that God allows the ownership of men. If God does allow one man to own another, slaveholders were just relaying God’s message that he supports slaveholding to America, and the importance of slaveholding is evident in the Holy
Douglass, a former slave, experienced the hypocrisy …show more content…
This predicament appear timelessly throughout the history of slaveholding, and was present during Douglass’s captivity. One example of this sort of hypocrisy is evident when Douglass states, “If it had any effect on his character, it made him more cruel and hateful in all his ways; for I believe him to have been a much worse man after his conversion than before” (Douglass 32). Douglass uses logical reasoning to focus the reader’s attention on Mr. Covey’s response to his conversion to Christianity, which was opposite of what one would expect. By finding justification to hold slaves through Christianity, Covey became even more cruel than before as a result. This source is credible because it is taken from Douglass’s point of view, a former slave with a slaveholder that practiced Christianity. To the other point that slaveholders justified their actions through biblical text, Douglass states, “...after his conversion, he found religious sanction and support for his slaveholding cruelty” (Douglass 32). Mr. Covey found reinforcement to his habit of slaveholding through his conversion to Christianity. He justifies his actions through misinterpreted quotes from the Bible, mainly in the Old Testament. Such examples include verses in Leviticus when God is …show more content…
A passage in Leviticus portrays God commanding the Levites on the topic of owning slaves and protecting his chosen people, the Israelites. God states, “‘You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life…’” (Leviticus 25:45-46). If taken literally word for word, one may interpret this text as applying to the current times, and that God allows the ownership of men. If God does allow one man to own another, slaveholders were just relaying God’s message that he supports slaveholding to America, and the importance of slaveholding is evident in the Holy