Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

: Historically Accurate Or Just Propoganda? Essay, Research Paper

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass written by Frederick Douglass in 1845 has been one of the most read histories of bondage since it was written. Although it is doubtless a piece of abolitionist propaganda it besides seems to be historically accurate. His statements appealed to the Northern Whites by demoing them that all their ideals were opposite in the South. He used illustrations from his life and from others around him to stir the emotions of the Northerners and demo them that inkinesss were people excessively.

The Narrative was an illustration of abolitionist propaganda in several ways. To appeal to his mark audience of the Northern Whites, Douglass showed how many things the Northerners thought were normal were non the same in the South. One of his chief points was the subject of faith. It was used many times in the autobiography to demo the inhuman treatment of the slave proprietors. The fact that the slave proprietors would warrant crushing the slaves by citing Bible poetries, and disregarding others that went against their patterns, did non sit good with those in the North. Douglass besides used the fact that the slave proprietors would non let the slaves to keep Sunday school meetings to turn out his point. Many Northerners did non understand how the slave proprietors could decline the slaves the right to pattern faith. Alternatively, on Sundays and Holidays, slaves were expected to imbibe and hold battles. Although through much of the work Douglass seems to speak severely about the Christian faith he clears up much misinterpretation in the appendix. He states that he does non hold any difficult feelings toward the Christian faith, but merely against the? slavery? faith of the South.

Douglass besides used the corrupt legal system in slaveholding districts to derive attending. In the South, a slave proprietor was non responsible for anything he did to his slaves, even if he killed them. In fact, even if any white adult male killed a slave he was frequently non even questioned about it. This was all due to the fact that inkinesss were non allowed to attest and a white adult male would ne’er attest against another white adult male. In the North, this was non the same. Although inkinesss were non equal to Whites in the North, people were still held accountable for offenses against them. Many Northerners felt that the South was traveling against the legal system of the state, and did non like the fact that the South was traveling against the Constitution. Douglass besides showed how the slaves had no rights at all. He talks about how slaves could non state anything negative about their proprietor when questioned by another white adult male without being sold further south and separated from their household, ? This is the punishment of stating the truth, of stating the simple truth, in reply to a series of apparent inquiries. ?

Another manner that Douglass gained the attending of the North was by demoing the corrupted functions of adult females and kids in bondage. Women slaves were frequently raped and used to dwell a farm with more slaves. They were besides non spared the violent penalty that work forces received. Douglass negotiations about adult females being whipped many times in the book, the most influential being the first, when his Aunt Hester was punished by Captain Anthony for traveling out at dark and meeting with one of Colonel Lloyd? s slaves. He besides talks about other adult females, such as the slaves in Baltimore and Henny, being viciously whipped by their Masterss. Children in bondage did non needfully

hold a childhood to talk of. They were taken off from their female parents shortly after they were born so that a strong fond regard was non formed and alternatively raised by and old adult female elsewhere on the farm or plantation. They slept on the floor like the other slaves, but were non given a cover to kip on until they were able to work. They were non given anything but two shirts to have on per twelvemonth until they began to work in the Fieldss, ? Children from seven to ten old ages old, of both sexes, about bare, might be seen at all seasons of the twelvemonth. ?

Because Douglass used these things to derive the attending and support of the white Northerners this work was a piece of propaganda. It was used to assist foster the abolishment motion and bitterness of bondage in the North, and hence put the South on the defensive. With the emancipationists deriving more support in the North because they were being informed of the inhuman treatment of bondage the South was forced to support their patterns on a day-to-day footing, which finally led to their sequence from the brotherhood.

However, despite the fact that the Narrative was both autobiographical and abolitionist propaganda, it still has value as a historical beginning. Douglass doubtless showed some prejudice in the work, as is true in any autobiography, but seemed to be really careful with the illustrations that he used in the book. All of the things he stated about the establishment of bondage have been backed dup through other slaves? histories.

One of the major things he showed in the work was how there were different categories of both slaves and Masterss. Slaves who were chosen to work at the? Great House Farm? and in the metropoliss were better off than those at the smaller plantations. There were besides several types of Masterss. There were those that had grown up with slaves and hence did non experience as if they were seeking to turn out their position through having them, and frequently did non cover straight with the slaves, alternatively the larger plantations were frequently run by superintendents, who were frequently portrayed as more cruel than slave proprietors in the work. This was shown through Mr. Severe who was, ? justly named: he was a barbarous adult male, ? and other work forces such as Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Austin Gore, who varied in inhuman treatment. He used Mr. Covey as an illustration of a adult male who was non used to holding slaves. Mr. Covey had a repute as a? nigger-breaker? and he had earned it. He was really barbarous to the slaves that he rented, hence interrupting them in for their Masterss. Therefore, by demoing illustrations from is ain life Douglass portrayed the category system within bondage.

Douglass besides used many other illustrations that have been shown to be historically accurate, such as the corrupt legal system talked about earlier, the manner slaves were treated as belongings alternatively of people as was shown in the book when Douglass was sent back to the? Great House Farm? to be appraised when his maestro died, and how the establishment of bondage caused all the frailties of the slaves, such as imbibing, stealing, and combat.

Therefore, I believe that although the Narrative is a piece of abolitionist propaganda it still has important historical value. From Douglass we obtain a really elaborate history about the establishment of bondage, which we could ne’er hold received from a white adult male. The prejudice that Douglass had in composing this work was likely much less than a white slave holder would hold had if he were traveling to compose his history of bondage, in which he would be forced to support himself.