Slavery In New Bedford Analysis

When referring to the North, Douglass was surprised at what he came upon at New Bedford. He came with the expectations that people in the North would be like people in the South, such as being poor and the only ones to own slaves were ones that were wealthy and lived comfortably. This is not what he came upon in New Bedford. In New Bedford people were high class, had manners, and dedicated to work. The city was filled with churches, and houses were kept clean. The people here seemed more up beat and happy than in the South. It was not a racism free city, they were still prejudice and he had a tough time finding work. The South justified slavery by referring to the bible implication of Tribes of Ham. They say that it is destiny for blacks to be slaves. Douglass refers to the bible because he feels slave owners make it their justification for their evils. The bible and religion were so important back then, it was more than enough …show more content…
It was a belief that blacks aren’t capable of learning to function like normal society, therefore they are kept as slaves for whites. As the slaves grew older they were forbidden from learning how to read and write. If they allowed slaves to learn these skills they feared that the slaves would gain a sense of independency and power that may make they turn on their owner. Southern slaveholders kept reading and writing skills from slaves also so that they are not capable of being able to actually tell their stories. “Whilst I was saddened by the thought of losing the aid of my kind mistress, I was gladdened by the invaluable instruction which, by the merest accident, I had gained from my master.” This quote is an example of when and how Douglas learned that slavery isn’t right and is normal for people to do. He over hears these words from Hugh Auld. He realizes that slavery is a forced ignorance not something naturally upon