The Life of Frederick Douglass :: American History Slavery Narratives Essays

The Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland, near Hillsborough. He doesnt know for sure of his age, he has seen no proof and his master will not inform him. Most know prefer for their slaves to stay brutish. He believes that he was around twenty-seven and cardinal when he began writing his narrative - he overheard his master say he was about seventeen years of age during 1835. His mother, Harriet Bailey, was separated from him when he was an infant and she died when he was seven years old. Fredericks father was a clean- biography man who could have been his master but he never demonstrate out. Education was of utmost importance in his life. He received his premier(prenominal) lesson while living with Mr. and Mrs. Auld. Sophia Auld, Fredericks mistress, was very humane to him and washed-out time teaching him the A, B, Cs. After he mastered this, she aid him in spelling three and four letter words. At this transfer in his lesson Mr. Auld e ncountered what his wife was doing for Frederick and forbid her to continue. He believed that if you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell and continuing with learning would indulge the best nigger in the world. The masters felt that an ignorant slave formed a choice slave and any undecomposed learning would damage the slave and therefore be futile to his master. His conterminous step on the road to success was during his seven years living with Master Hughs family. Frederick would make friends with as many white boys as he possibly could on the street. His new friends would be transformed into teachers. When he could, Frederick carried bread on him as a means of trade to the hurt kids for knowledge. He would also carry a book anytime he had an errand to run. The errand would be completed quickly, allowing extra study time. When Frederick was working in Durgin and Baileys ship-yard he would notice timber marked with various garner. He soon notice how the letters matched t he type of wood and the names of these letters. Any boy he met that could write he would challenge them to a writing contest. Frederick would use the letters he recently learned and told the child to challenge that. He and then copied the Italics in Websters Spelling Book until he knew them well.