Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
1629100080 | Format: PDF
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Description
FREDERICK DOUGLASS (c. February 1818 February 20, 1895) was an African American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing. He stood as a living counter-example to slaveholders' arguments that slaves did not have the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens. Douglass eloquently described his experiences in slavery in his 1845 autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, which became influential in its support for abolition.
- Paperback: 116 pages
- Publisher: Historical Classics (July 14, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1629100080
- ISBN-13: 978-1629100081
- Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.3 inches
- Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
Frederick Douglass is best known for this tiny little testimony and true story regarding his time as a slave and his subsequent escape to freedom. However, at the time, he was one of the most powerful men in society. Saying that and being an African American was a feat beyond the recognition of most American citizens today. He conversed with Abraham Lincoln, helped to convince him to make the Civil War about slavery, traveled extensively and became highly involved in not only abolitionism, but equal rights for women and was of high government standing in foreign countries. The man was a tour de force, an inspiration, and from such humble beginnings, too!
Douglass was born into slavery. He did not know when he was exactly born and he knew little of his mother and even less of his father. He struggled through cold winter nights, blistering hot summers, went naked during his childhood, and had only mediocre clothes during his adult life. He suffered starvation, whippings, beatings, and vulgar abuse while also being privy to this upon his fellow man. When he finally escaped he was inspired to write this Narrative to bring to light the tortures of slavery.
The Narrative is quintessentially perfect for historians and for those of us searching for a speck of humanity in an inhumane world. He paints a picture that is completely and utterly accurate. He is never pompous and often can be known to tell the truth because he does not omit overseers and masters that were, in fact, kind and either stayed that way or were warped by the nuances of slavery, making them as much of a victim as the slaves. He is also a very careful writer, not once giving away how or with whose help he managed to escape.
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