The Narrative Of Frederick Douglas Book Review

Meghan Muth
October 28, 2008
AP US History ; 4th Period

“The Narrative of Frederick Douglass”

PART I:

Frederick Douglass was born in Talbot, County in Maryland possibly around the year of 1818, but most slaves didn’t have any knowledge of their age. Frederick Douglass was actually born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, but after escaping, he changed his name to be Frederick Douglass, after a character in “Lady of the Lake”. He was separated from his mother at birth, and eventually she was sold to a farmer twelve miles away. Every now and then, she would travel to see him at night. Although, when she died, he didn’t really feel any remorse, because of the fact that he didn’t really know her. The meetings with his mother, she never once disclosed anything about his father. Although the rumor was it was his master.

Living conditions of the slaves on the plantation where Frederick lived weren’t ideal living conditions for anyone. The slaves got a yearly allowance of clothes that consisted of two linen shirts, a pair of stockings, a pair of shoes, a pair of linen trousers, one jacket, a shirt and trousers for winter. The children received even less, all they were given was two linen shirts, and if they were to grow out of them, they were forced to go naked until the next clothing allowance, that only happened once a year.   The slaves received a monthly allowance of food that included eight pounds of pork or fish, depending on the time of year, and a bushel of cornmeal.

Slaves were often forced to conceal their living conditions and weren’t allowed to talk negatively about their masters, because they would be whipped and beaten. Masters and overseers could get away with killing a slave, if they stated that the slave was becoming unmanageable and was a bad influence on the other slaves. Slaves often sung songs out of sadness, which were misunderstood as songs of contentment by the slave masters. The meaning behind the songs that other slaves...