Frederick Douglass Research Paper

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Frederick Douglass transformed his life from execrable slavery to freedom, by using his experiences and struggles throughout his life. Housing, education, and employment were the key to his success. Frederick Douglass has lived in many different homes and areas throughout his life. He was born a slave at Holme Hill Farm, in the name of Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, Talbot County, Maryland, around 1818. He lived with his grandmother until he was six. He then lived with Aaron Anthony, until Anthony died two years later. After that Douglass was sent to live with the Aulds’, who lived in Baltimore. Douglass also lived with Colonel Lloyd, Edward Covey, and William Freeland. After one of Douglass’s escape attempts, he was sent to jail…show more content…
At a young age Douglass was sent to live in his first home as a slave. He lived with Colonel Lloyd for a couple years, until he died. The next family he lived with was the Aulds’. The owners’ spouse, Sophia Auld, taught Douglass to read and write. “...she very kindly commenced to teach me the A, B, C. After I had learned this, she assisted me in learning to spell words of three or four letters” (Douglass 20). This was a defining moment for Douglass because for the first time, someone treated him like a human being rather then property. The lessons between them continued until Sophia’s spouse, Hugh Auld, forbade the lessons. Douglass continued to learn from others in his neighborhood. He even gave bread to the hungry white children, in exchange for lessons. Frederick continued to try to find as many lessons as possible, because one of his main goals in life was to be educated. Douglass believed that education was the key to becoming a free…show more content…
When Douglass was about twelve years old, he found a book called The Columbian Orator, which defined the human rights between master and slave. “Every opportunity I got, I used to read this book. Among much of other interesting matter, I found in it a dialogue between a master and his slave” (Douglass 23). Douglass shared his knowledge with the other slaves. He then began to teach the other slaves to read and write. He was then later sent to another slave owner. Once Douglass left the Aulds’, he worked for Edward Covey, who was known as a “slave breaker”. This title fit him perfectly, because of the cruel treatment that he gave the slaves. “I lived with Mr. Covey one year. During the first six months, of that year, scarce a week passed without his whipping me” (Douglass 36). The abuse that Douglass endured nearly destroyed his motivation to become free and educated. Luckily, he regained his motivation and continued to seek freedom and
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