The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Written by Himself

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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick
DouglassWritten by Himself
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Introduction Background Discussion Starters
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick
DouglassWritten by Himself

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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick
DouglassWritten by Himself
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Introduction
If you lived your whole life under oppressive
conditions, do you think youd be able to fight
back?
What do you think your most important tool for
resistance might be?
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Introduction
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in
Maryland around 1818.
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Introduction
Like many slaves, Douglass was

• separated from his mother,

• treated like an animal,

• fed and clothed poorly,

• and forced to sleep on the floor.

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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Introduction
But his life changed at age seven, when the
mistress of the household began to teach him to
read.
He had just started to learn when she stopped the
lessons because she learned that teaching slaves
to read was against the law.
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Introduction
Douglass decided that if slaves were not allowed
to read, reading must be very important.
Determined to learn, he tricked street boys into
teaching him to read.
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Introduction
Reading changed Douglasss view of the world.
It also taught him there was no way out of
slavery. Yet.
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Introduction
Douglass decided that he should also learn to
write.
One step at a time, he transformed himself,
working to win his freedom and developing into
the powerful voice for abolition that he became.
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Introduction
What obstacles still stood in his way once hed
learned to read and write?
Once the seed of freedom had been planted, how
did it change Douglass?
How did he gain physical freedom as well as
mental freedom?
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Background
In the mid-1800s, there were many people in
slavery in the United States.
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Background
During the 1800s, abolitionistspeople who
opposed slaveryused writing to speak out against
slavery.
David Walkers Appeal called for revolt.
The antislavery newspaper The Liberator urged
that all slaves be freed immediately.
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Background
Slave narrativespersonal accounts of enslaved
peoples liveswere popular with readers and
helped reveal the horrors of slavery.
Writers went on tour to describe what life in
slavery was really like.
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Background
The public was surprised to learn of the love in
slave families and the way they were split up by
the system.
Slave narratives also revealed violent physical
abuses, kidnappings, and staggering workloads.
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Background
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
sold thirty thousand copies between 1845 and
1860.
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Discussion Starters

• Discuss (1)
• Douglass is given lessons in reading and writing
  for a brief time. Then he must find ways to get
  an education on his own.
• Why do you think slaveholders wanted to
  prevent enslaved people from reading and writing?
  
• What is the value of learning to read and write?
• What would life be like if you couldnt read or
  write?

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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Discussion Starters

• Discuss (2)
• Why do you think Douglass decided to write the
  story of his life?
• If you lived in Douglasss time, how do you think
  his autobiography would have affected you? Why?