The Role Of Slavery In Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

Slavery today is considered to be an abhorrent, outrageous institution, yet it used to be a widespread and accepted practice in the South. People blindly believed in the “mythology of slavery”, which claimed that slavery was justifiable and necessary to both white and African-American people. In his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass debunks this attitude and reveals the true, horrendous nature of slavery. To combat the misguided notions of slavery, Douglass testifies against the romantic perspective of slavery and the belief of the intellectual inferiority of African Americans, as well as the heartbreaking disloyalty and distrust among slaves. One way that Douglass rebukes the romantic image of slavery …show more content…
He confesses that slaves “under the influence of...prejudice, [thought] their own masters [were] better than the masters of other slaves…[and] [quarreled] among themselves about the relative goodness of their masters…” (34). Because slaves were reduced to mere chattel of their masters, they were conditioned to idolize their oppressors and argued with other slaves about them rather than band together to combat the institution itself. The system pushed slaves to prioritize only their own safety and happiness. As a result, slaves acted hostile and disloyal toward other slaves who appeared to have a kinder master. In addition, slaves were perpetually suspicious of each other because “the slaveholders have been known to send in spies among the slaves, to ascertain their views and feelings in regard to their condition” (34). The use of espionage to expose rebellious or discontent slaves turned slaves against each other and created a wary mindset that slaves could not trust each other. With no other options left, slaves came to believe that freedom or friendship with other African Americans did not exist and therefore their prospects were better as