How Does Frederick Douglass React To The Evil Of Slavery
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Born as a mixed-race slave, Douglass is subjected to the terrors of slavery his whole childhood. Amongst the events that influenced him the most is a particularly violent whipping of his Aunt Hester.
• Douglass mentions that it was the slaves’ songs that first made him realize the evil of slavery.
• In 1833, Douglass is chosen by his temporary master Covey to guide two unbroken oxen into the forest to chop wood, although he has no experience in it. The oxen destroy the farm’s gate, and Douglass barely makes it out alive. Upon hearing the story, Covey takes him back to the woods, and orders him to take off his clothes to whip him. Douglass does not respond, infuriating his master, which leads to Covey beating him on a regular basis for minuscule reasons.…show more content… Covey arrives and proceeds to beat him mercilessly. Douglass decides to enter a complaint to his “real” master, Thomas Auld, and does so after a dangerous run to his place, only to find out that Auld won’t be much help.
• Upon returning, Douglass sees Covey running towards him with a cowskin, and so flees into the woods. There he meets a fellow slave Sandy Jenkins, who invites him to stay with him and his free wife. Sandy instructs him to go back to Covey’s with a supposedly magical root that would make the master kinder.
• Douglass ultimately decides to go back to Covey’s. He feels reassured with Covey’s friendly behavior. One night however, the cruel master attempts to tie Douglass’s legs. This prompts Douglass to truly fight back for the first time, and he attacks Covey. After two hours, Covey finally gives up. Douglass was never whipped again.
• On January 1st 1834, Douglass moves to William Freeland’s farm. He finds out that many slaves want to learn how to read, and so he starts teaching them. Douglass feels safer and happier in a true community formed by the slaves, this however only strengthens his desire to be