My Bondage, My Freedom Fredrick Douglass - 772 Words

â€Å"It was not color, but crime, not God, but man that afforded the true explanation of the existence of slavery; nor was I long in finding out another important truth, what man can make, man can unmake† (Douglass 59). In My Bondage and My Freedom, Fredrick Douglass explains in detail the harsh and cruel realties of slavery and how slavery was an institution that victimized not only slaves, but slave holders, and non-slave holding whites. Fredrick Douglass could not have been more right with his observation of slavery. In my opinion, slavery is not only an institution, but is a prime example of a corrupt business model that thrives on free labor, ultimate control, and wealth. â€Å"A business is only as good as its workers.† It’s a common†¦show more content†¦Greed is the undertone upon which Douglass states that slavery â€Å"corrupted souls† and â€Å"turned good people into bad people.† The institution of slavery was based on the ultimate control and power over a human to whom he is stripped of all of his identity and becomes sub-human. Consequently, the institution forces slave holders had to buy into this concept in order to justify any and all cruelty toward slaves. Douglas states â€Å"Slave holders resort to all kinds of cruelty† and later describes various ways of torture and punishment â€Å"all are in requisition to keep the slave in his condition as a slave in the United States† (Douglass 272). Slave holders showed no mercy when reprimanding slaves. The brutality and cruelty of these punishments were more of a statement of power and control and often times the punishment was worse than t he offense. â€Å"Racism was used aggressively to divide poor white southerners from slaves. The relationship between the wealthy and the poor was aggressively exploited by the rich white slave holder to ensure the poor whites non-slave holder that they had a similar cause† (Shaping America: Lesson 16). This caused non-slave holding whites to have a similar view as latter. Non-slave holding whites were in direct competition with slaves and more often than not were forced out of work due to the free labor slavery had offered. In conclusion, â€Å"Slavery is always slavery; always the same foul, haggard, and damningShow MoreRelatedMy Bondage And My Freedom1223 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"My Bondage and My Freedom† Slavery, Hardships, and Freedom? This book describes a day in a life of Frederick Douglass. In 2013, I saw a movie called ’12 Years A Slave’ reading this book and watching the movie was eye-opening for me. ‘My Freedom’ in this book explains that young Douglass suffered as a slave, when which he failed to flee his ‘Bondage’, then eventually he escapes that life. Douglass’s story continues to reverberate throughout his life and the American Dream that he conquered allRead MoreWilliam Lloyd Garrison And Fredrick Douglass1049 Words   |  5 PagesAbolitionist W.L. Garrison and Fredrick Douglass We all realize during this day and age that slavery was just a terrible historical event in the United States during the early periods and there was a movement of Abolitionism that attempted to rid the United States of slavery. Abolitionist came from several walks of life. There were hundreds of abolitionist as well but some were at the forefront of this movement. William Lloyd Garrison was the founder of the Boston Liberator, the â€Å"LiberatorRead MoreBiography of Fredrick Douglass1294 Words   |  5 Pagesinventors, but what about the people that are in between – the people that fought for equality. Fredrick Douglass arguably had the greatest impact on American society, especially African American society, in the nineteenth century. Douglass is credited as being an abolitionist, author, editor, and diplomat. He used literature, books, newspapers, and even speeches, to leave a long lasting mark on our society. Douglass advised presidents and lectured to thousands about different causes, including women’s rightsRead MoreThe Unnatural Insitution Essay745 Words   |  3 PagesInvention and not found in nature. â€Å" Institutiones (161AD). Fredrick Douglass wrote My Bondage My Freedom as a marketing ploy based on Jurist Gaius’s idea. Slavery is an unnatural institution and it affects everyone. It affect s those enslaved, those whom enslave, and even those who are not involved with either one. It is easy to see how those whom have been enslaved are affected. The most come, or easier seen is the simple lack of freedom. Those whom are enslaved are slaves and not free men, butRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave1552 Words   |  7 Pagesof the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself Theme: False versus True Christianity In this theme, Fredrick Douglass contrasts the both forms of Christianity to show the underlying hypocrisy in slavery. The results show that slavery is not religious as it exposes the evils in human bondage. These ideals however can be distorted so as to fit in the society. Two forms of Christianity are presented in â€Å"The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass and each of them describesRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglass s Narrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglass967 Words   |  4 Pagesslaves in the United States many slaves like Fredrick Douglass had to escape to fight for freedom to become abolitionists. To expose the terror and cruelties that he faced from his owners and overseers as a slave as narrated in â€Å"Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass.† Being a slave was difficult from the beginning. In the case of Fredrick Douglass he was a product of unwanted love. Born into slavery with no record or â€Å"accurate knowledge of age.†(Douglass) He was the son of Harriet Bailey, who wasRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglass s The Narrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglass 983 Words   |  4 Pagesin the United States many slaves like Fredrick Douglass had to escape to fight for freedom. To become abolitionists. To expose the terror and cruelties that he faced from his owners and overseers as a slave wrote in the â€Å"Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass.† ​Being a slave was difficult from the beginning. In the case of Fredrick Douglass he was a product of unwanted love. He was born into slavery with no record or â€Å"accurate knowledge of age.†(Douglass) He was the son of Harriet Bailey, whoRead MoreThe Human Condition Of The United States Of America1434 Words   |  6 PagesFor as long as the human condition has existed on this planet there has always been a need to exploit a person or people. One of those exploitations comes to us in the form of slavery, a state of physical bondage denying a person their freedom. Slavery has existed on this planet in all regions around the world from ancient Sumer, ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, ancient India, Medieval Islam, the Vikings, to Europe and the Americas in the late 1400s. Humans are not the only species that use slavery.Read MoreFrederick Douglass : A Fugitive Slave And A Free Man1192 Words   |  5 PagesFredrick Douglass (1818-1945), both a fugitive slave and a free man, was one of the most courageous and influential leaders of the abolitionist movement. His narrative, published in 1845, illustrates his childhood and early manhood experiences as a salve, as well as his escape to the North and find of freedom. Within his narrative entitled â€Å"The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass,† Douglass argues that in order to achieve physical freedom, a slave must seek knowledge and an education. InRead MoreThe Underground Railroad And Its Impact On American Culture1608 Words   |  7 Pagesthat helped millions to gain America most prized passion, freedom. The Underground Railroad was a secret organization filled with various members from all walks of life. Contrary to its name The Underground Railroad was neither a railroad, nor underground; its name was simply a tip towards its terms and language used within the organization and it’s members. The underground network’s mission was to aid fugitive slaves along the way to freedom in the northern states. Established in the 1780’s it is