The Life Of Frederick Douglas

The Life Of Frederick Douglas
Dylan Morrison - Fogel

The Life Of Frederick Douglas is a book about a black slave. He had been a slave his whole life. Douglas had lived his life serving a family in the city. There he learned to read and write from kids that pass by on the street. One day, Douglas was sent to Edward Covey, a brutal slave trader. Covey whipped all of his slaves severely and regularly. Covey made his slaves work all day, spying on them constantly to make sure they did their work. After working to his limits, Douglas collapsed in the fields from tiredness. Covey came up to him and started kicking Douglas in the stomach and back. After the beating, Douglas managed to escape and walk to a hospital. He asked for help from “Master Thomas”. Thomas didn’t believe the story so he let Douglas stay the night, but he had to go back in the morning. As Douglas walked back to the fields, Covey was sitting there waiting for him. Douglas managed to hide himself in the fields so Covey couldn’t find him. Douglas met a fellow slave named Sandy Jenkens, who believed in supernatural powers of plants. He gave Douglas a root that he needed to carry around on his right side. Covey, at first, was nice to Douglas. Then Covey attacked him, and Douglas had to resist physically. Two hours went by and Covey decided to back down. As Covey walked away, he told Douglas that he would not have whipped him half as hard as he would now. Covey did not whip at all. For the rest of the time Douglas spent at Covey’s farm he was not whipped once. Douglas started to realize, at the holidays came around, that the slave holders encouraged getting drunk. He saw that this was the way to keep slaves loyal or humble. A year went by and Douglas was “hired out” to William Freeland. He was happy with Freeland because he was never hit or given religious lectures. Douglas began to grow close to his slave friends, and decided to teach them how to read and write. He made a plan to take a canoe up the Chesapeake Bay to escape his slave holders. Before they even started they were betrayed by someone in their group. Douglas and the group was arrested and sent to jail where Thomas Auld came and ordered his release. Douglas was sent to Aulds brother, Hugh, because Douglas could have been killed by a slave in the community. Hugh sent him to William Gardner who was a ship builder. He then was used to run errands for about 75 men. One day, the people who Douglas was working around (white people), were afraid that the slaved were starting to be self sufficient and would take over their jobs. They started to hit and kick Douglas at the same time. Douglas had promised himself that if he had ever been hit or struck again, that he would fight back. Douglas started to hit back, and the fight just got worse. He was afraid that the men were going to kill him so he escaped and went back to Auld. Auld took care of his wounds and brought Douglas to Gardner to complain. None of the white workers would testify for Douglas and the what the black workers said didn’t count. Auld didn’t let Douglas work with Gardner any more. Instead, Auld sent him to a shipyard where he was foreman. Douglas started to take up caulking (waterproofing) boats. After a while, Douglas was so skilled in his work he was making as much money as the best caulkers. All of the money he made had to go to Auld, though, and this made him more and more determined to escape. Noticing that Auld had lots of money to spare, Douglas decided that he could go to a meeting 10 miles from Baltimore, and pay his weeks wages the next day. Auld was angry with Douglas that he had not received permission to go to a meeting. Auld refused to have Douglas caulking at his workplace anymore, so Douglas had to find work somewhere else. Douglas refused to work for a week in retaliation to Auld. The next week, however, Douglas brought Auld nine dollars (allot back then) and Auld was very happy. Douglas became a free man on September 3rd, 1838 (He did not explain how he escaped). He found a man named David Ruggles, who told Douglas to go to New Bedford to look for work as a caulker. Douglas met a slave named Anna (also free), and he married her. The book then explained the development of the nation after Douglas was married.

Reaction:

I think this book is a good book to read if you want to learn about the history and development of freedom for black slaves in America. This book also gives a first hand look at how slaves were treated and what they did for work. This was a well written biography of Frederick Douglas, because it gives, in detail, the feelings and events happening in his life. I think the book should of explained more on how he achieved his freedom from Hugh Auld and how he traveled out of the state.