Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (Review)
It admittedly seems a bit cliché, but I thought it seemed fitting to reading Frederick Douglass’s autobiography in conjunction with Black History Month. I’ve long heard that Douglass’s writing is a particularly excellent autobiography, and it did not disappoint. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a short book, but there is incredible weight and poignancy in this great book. Here are some of my notes.
The description of slaves singing was particularly descriptive. Douglass said that many white people pointed to slaves singing as indicative of contentedness. Douglass said that there is nothing further from the truth. The harder that slave masters pushed slaves, the more they sang merely to cope in impossible situations. Douglass himself described singing through his sorrows.
Similarly horrific was the story of a fellow slave whose slave master owned so many slaves that most slaves did not know who the slaveowner was. This particular slaveowner surreptitiously asked his tlave some questions about food, clothing, and work. The slave answered honestly—though not cruelly—and was immediately sold to another master and separated from his family forever. The slaveowner did so just because the man had not spoken with enough praise and devotion.
One of Douglass’s slave masters said the following toward Douglass after the slaveowner’s wife taught Douglass the basics of reading: “If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell [unit of measurement from fingertip to elbow]. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world. Now if you teach that nigger [Douglass] how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy." It’s a horrifying sentiment yet one that illustrates why education is so critical.
Interesting that the white boys in the neighborhood of Baltimore were happy to interact with Douglass. They taught him to read without prejudice, which set Douglass on a road to freedom.
After Douglass’s master died without a will, he and the other slaves were grouped with the sheep, cattle, and other property for valuation. His description of the uncertainty and degradation was vivid and harrowing.
The unknown death of Douglass’s grandmother dying all alone in a hut was heartbreaking and unnatural for someone with so many children and grandchildren.
Douglass gave a great example of a Christian being a stumbling block. Douglass’s master was a mean-hearted man who viewed himself as pious after converting to Christianity. Douglass and the other slaves saw his conduct—including keeping the slaves on the verge of starvation, dependent on begging and stealing—as inexplicably hypocritical. Worst of all, he would use scripture to justify torturing slaves; he tied up slaves, beat them, and left them tied for the full day.
Douglass found religious slaveholders to be the cruelest of the lot. Further, he assessed southern religion to be a wretched cover and justification for all sorts of evils.
Frederick Douglass’s position on the underground railroad is interesting and one that I haven’t heard before. His concern that the railroad did not do enough to stop slavery and also made slaveowners more aware of slaves trying to run away, and this vigilance made it harder for slaves to escape. This position is one that is not obvious when first looking at it. His concern was that the country needed most was broad abolition of the detestable practice.
Douglass wrote more than just his most famous autobiography, and this book makes me want to read more of his work. Douglass lived an incredible life that warrants exploration even today. The horrors of slavery cannot be overstated, and Douglass tells his experiences in both an engaging and analytical manner. The content is unpleasant but endlessly worthwhile, and I recommend the book for everyone.
