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Noah Santana

Calvin Schermerhorn

History 109: United States to 1865

3/28/2023

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself is

a powerful and compelling book that challenges the institution of slavery in America. As a

western settler in 1845, I would have been confronted with a different perspective on the issue

of slavery than my fellow Americans living in the southern states. Douglass’s contentions,

therefore, would have held different weight for me. In this essay, I will examine Douglass’s

arguments and consider what would sway me to oppose slavery, as well as what shortcomings,

gaps, or contradictions in Douglass’s life and writings would make me hesitate to join an

abolitionist organization.

As a western settler, I would likely have had limited personal experience with slavery.

However, I would have been aware of the debates surrounding the issue, and Douglass’s book

would have been an eye-opening account of the harsh realities of slavery. Douglass’s vivid

descriptions of his experiences as a slave, including the brutality of slave owners and the

inhuman conditions that slaves were forced to endure, would have had a profound impact on

me. His account of the physical and emotional abuse that he suffered would have elicited

sympathy and outrage. For example, Douglass argues, “The white children could tell their ages.

I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege” 1. This statement highlights the
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fundamental injustice of slavery, where human beings are stripped of their basic rights and

treated as property.

Douglass’s contentions that slavery is not only harmful to slaves but also to slave owners

would have swayed me to oppose slavery. Douglass argues that slavery degrades and

dehumanizes both the slave and the slave owner. He states, “Slavery proved as injurious to her

as it did to me”2. Douglass’s argument that slavery corrupts the moral character of slave owners

challenges the notion that slavery is a benign institution that benefits both parties. Instead, he

suggests that slavery is a corrupting force that destroys the moral fiber of both slave and slave

owner.

Douglass’s book would have provided compelling evidence of the evils of slavery and

would have likely convinced me to join an abolitionist organization. The notion that one person

can own another, and treat them as property, is fundamentally immoral and unjust. Douglass’s

book would have convinced me that it was not enough to simply oppose slavery in principle but

that it was necessary to take concrete actions to bring about its abolition.

However, there are some shortcomings and gaps in Douglass’s life and writings that

would have given me pause. For example, Douglass’s book is primarily focused on his own

experiences as a slave and does not provide a comprehensive analysis of the institution of

slavery as a whole. Additionally, his book is focused on the experiences of male slaves and does

not provide a complete picture of the experiences of female slaves. These gaps in Douglass’s

writing might have made me hesitant to join an abolitionist organization that was solely

focused on his writings.

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Furthermore, Douglass’s book is primarily focused on the experiences of slaves in the

southern states, and it does not address the issue of slavery in the western territories. As a

western settler, this gap in his writing would have been particularly significant for me. It would

have been important for me to understand how Douglass’s arguments about the evils of slavery

applied to the western territories, where the issue of slavery was a subject of intense debate.

In conclusion, as a western settler in 1845, I would have been confronted with a

different perspective on the issue of slavery than my fellow Americans living in the southern

states. Douglass’s book would have been an important source of information about the realities

of slavery and would have likely convinced me to join an abolitionist organization.

1
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by
Himself, Benjamin Quarles, ed., (Cambridge, Ma.: Harvard University Press, 1960 [1845]), 26.
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ibid., 63