FREDERICK DOUGLASS NARRATIVE FREDERICK DOUGLASS NARRATIVE SLAVERY ABOLITION SOUTH NORTH ARTS EDUCATION AFRICAN AMERICANS AMERICAN CULTURE AFRICAN AMERICAN ABOLITIONISTS INTRODUCTION FREDERICK DOUGLASS WAS BORN ON A MARYLAND PLANTATION SOMETIME AROUND 1818 HE NEVER KNEW EXACTLY HOW OLD HE WAS BECAUSE THERE WAS NO RECORD OF HIS BIRTH DOUGLASS'S MOTHER WAS A SLAVE AND HIS FATHER A SLAVEHOLDER AFTER HE ESCAPED FROM SLAVERY IN 1838 DOUGLASS WROTE HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS WHICH WAS PUBLISHED IN 1845 DOUGLASS WORKED FOR THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY BY SPEAKING TO NORTHERNERS ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE AS A SLAVE THE FOLLOWING IS A SELECTION FROM HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY THE MEN AND WOMEN SLAVES RECEIVED AS THEIR MONTHLY ALLOWANCE OF FOOD EIGHT POUNDS OF PORK OR ITS EQUIVALENT IN FISH AND ONE BUSHEL OF CORN MEAL THEIR YEARLY CLOTHING CONSISTED OF TWO COURSE LINEN SHIRTS ONE PAIR OF LINEN TROUSERS LIKE THE SHIRTS ONE JACKET ONE PAIR OF TROUSERS FOR THE WINTER MADE OF COARSE NEGRO CLOTH ONE PAIR OF STOCKINGS AND ONE PAIR OF SHOES THE CHILDREN UNABLE TO WORK IN THE FIELD HAD NEITHER SHOES STOCKINGS JACKETS NOR TROUSERS GIVEN THEM THEIR CLOTHING CONSISTED OF TWO COARSE LINEN SHIRTS PER YEAR WHEN THESE FAILED THEM THEY WENT NAKED UNTIL THE NEXT ALLOWANCE DAY CHILDREN FROM SEVEN TO TEN YEARS OLD OF BOTH SEXES ALMOST NAKED MIGHT BE SEEN AT ALL SEASONS OF THE YEAR I WAS SELDOM WHIPPED BY MY OLD MASTER AND SUFFERED LITTLE FROM ANY THING ELSE THAN HUNGER AND COLD I SUFFERED MUCH FROM HUNGER BUT MUCH MORE FROM COLD I HAD NO BED THE COLDEST NIGHTS I USED TO STEAL A BAG WHICH WAS USED FOR CARRYING CORN TO THE MILL I WOULD CRAWL INTO THIS BAG AND THERE SLEEP ON THE COLD DAMP CLAY FLOOR WITH MY HEAD IN AND FEET OUT MY FEET HAVE BEEN SO CRACKED WITH THE FROST THAT THE PEN WITH WHICH I AM WRITING MIGHT BE LAID IN THE GASHES AS A YOUNG BOY FREDERICK IS SENT TO LIVE WITH CITY RELATIVES OF HIS OWNER HIS NEW MISTRESS BEGINS TO TEACH HIM TO READ MR AULD FOUND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON AND AT ONCE FORBADE MRS AULD TO INSTRUCT ME FURTHER TELLING HER AMONG OTHER THINGS THAT IT WAS UNLAWFUL AS WELL AS UNSAFE TO TEACH A SLAVE TO READ FROM THAT MOMENT I UNDERSTOOD THE PATHWAY FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM I SET OUT WITH HIGH HOPE AND A FIXED PURPOSE AT WHATEVER COST OF TROUBLE TO LEARN HOW TO READ DOUGLASS TRICKED WHITE NEIGHBORHOOD BOYS INTO TEACHING HIM HOW TO READ LETTERS AND HE BEGINS TO COPY THE LETTERS THE CARPENTERS AT THE LOCAL SHIPYARD LABEL THEIR TIMBERS WITH I IMMEDIATELY COMMENCED BEGAN COPYING THEM AND IN A SHORT TIME WAS ABLE TO MAKE THE FOUR LETTERS NAMED AFTER THAT I WHEN I MET WITH ANY BOY WHO KNEW I COULD WRITE I WOULD TELL HIM I COULD WRITE AS WELL AS HE THE NEXT WORD WOULD BE I DON'T BELIEVE YOU LET ME SEE YOU TRY IT I WOULD THEN MAKE THE LETTERS WHICH I HAD BEEN SO FORTUNATE AS TO LEARN AND ASK HIM TO BEAT THAT IN THIS WAY I GOT A GOOD MANY LESSONS IN WRITING
