The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

A Novel that changed America

Introduction and Thesis

Over the many decades of our country’s history, there have been countless books published that have left a mark on our society. After looking through the list, one that really piqued my interest is the life of Frederick Douglass. His 1845 autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, tells the story of his life as a slave in Maryland. In which he recounts events from his life as a slave and his ambition to become a free man. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during this period.

About the Author

Frederick was actually born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, after his mother's maiden name, in or around the year 1818. His mother was of Native American ancestry and his father was of African and European descent. He did not take his last name Douglass, until after he was free.

At the age of only six, Douglass was sent to work and live on the Wye House Plantation in Maryland. He was then “given” to Lucretia Auld, whose husband, Thomas, then sent him to work with his brother Hugh in Baltimore. In his autobiography, he credits Hugh's wife Sophia for first teaching him the alphabet. From there, Douglass taught himself how to read and write. He read newspapers and other articles about slavery, which was the beginning of him forming his views on human rights and how people should be treated. Learning of these things encouraged him to educate other slaves. During this time it was against the law that to teach slaves how to read, so when word spread of his efforts to educate these fellow slaves Thomas Auld sent him to Edward Covey, a farmer who was known for his brutal treatment of slaves. This only strengthened Douglass’s resolve to gain his freedom. After many failed attempts at escape, Douglass finally escaped Covey’s farm in 1838 and eventually settled in New York where he married Anna Murray and had 5 children.

After settling in New York as a free man, Douglass was eventually asked to tell his story at abolitionist meetings, and he became a regular anti-slavery lecturer. During the Civil War, Douglass became a consultant to President Abraham Lincoln, advocating that the former slaves be armed for the North and that the war be made a direct battle against slavery. Throughout Reconstruction, he also fought for civil rights for freedmen and strongly supported the women’s rights movement.

About the book

Published in 1845, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, is a memoir and treatise of Abolition. In which Douglass shares how slaveholding is damaging to not only slaves but the slaveholders as well. At the time, Douglass wrote the book slavery was still legal in much of the United States. He believed by telling his own story and showing people what slavery was really like they would understand why it needed to be abolished. His narrative is now considered one of the best-selling of all the fugitive slave narratives with 5000 copies having been sold in the first four months, as well as the 6 new editions which were published between 1845–1849.

The Legacy

Frederick Douglass rose through determination and eloquence to help shape the American Nation and used his speaking and writing skills to fight for the freedom and rights of African Americans, which eventually led to the Emancipation Proclamation brought by President Abraham Lincoln. To this day, Fredericks’ battle for the rights of African Americans and his journey to show people the truth behind the horrors he and millions of other slaves have had to endure, lives on. His many speeches and publications are a pivotal part of America’s cultural history and of the African American contemporary literature and politics. Douglass’ three autobiographies are one of the strongest influences in the slave narrative literary genre.

Since his death in 1895, Frederick Douglass has been called the father of the civil rights movement and even has many monuments such as the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist, human rights and women’s rights activist, author, publisher, journalist, and social reformer.

Works Cited

History.com Editors. “Frederick Douglass.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass.

Shmoop.com. 2020. Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Introduction | Shmoop. [online] Available at: <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/life-of-frederick-douglass> [Accessed 4 December 2020].