How Did Frederick Douglass Lose His Education

Picture this going through life without the ability to read or write. Without these abilities, it is impossible for a person to be a functioning member of society. In addition, imagine that someone is purposely limiting your knowledge to keep a leash on your independence. Not only is an American slave raised without skills in literacy, he cannot be taught to read unless someone breaks the law. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the reader is given a detailed explanation of why slave masters keep their slaves ignorant and the effects such a strategy has on the slaves’ lives. In his autobiography, Douglass describes how the knowledge he obtains has substantial positive and negative effects on his psyche. He is given renewed passion and hope for freedom while struggling with the burden of enlightenment of his situation. Ultimately, however, education shapes his fate, and he achieves freedom and prominence as an advocate for abolition.

Douglass had the unusual privilege of receiving the beginnings of an education from the wife of one of his masters, Mrs. Auld. Her lessons were cut short when she was discovered by her husband who, "forbade her. . . telling her it was unsafe to teach a slave to read . . . because he would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master". From this experience, Douglass learned that education was his "pathway from slavery to freedom". In essence, the act of keeping the black man ignorant was "the white man's power to enslave the black man"(Douglass 1776).

Frederick Douglass was determined man. He was born into slavery, but this did not stop him from learning how to read and write, becoming a free man, and giving multiple speeches about his opinion on slavery before his death in 1895. I read this in “Frederick Douglass” by Ed Combs. In “Oration” by Frederick Douglass, he gave a speech on slavery. He told the crowd that that the 4th of July was a mockery, as long as people were still held as slaves. Slaves were not allowed to learn how to read or write, but he became literate despite the fact that he could be whipped by his slave owner if he was caught. “He began reading everything he could lay his hands on” (Combs 163). This helped Frederick gain the knowledge that he would later use to become a

Douglass Realized that if he was not educated, he would have never have a meaning for life other than slavery; “...and the thought of being ~a slave for life~ began to bear heavily upon my heart,”(2). In other words, the thought of being a slave really hurt him and decided to find out more about it. This supports” Taking away someone’s education is a form of oppression”, because this is what made it so that he started to realize the other parts of life. He was only able to read those books because he was somewhat educated by other children around his age(People who were allowed to go to school) . He was able to read books like “The columbian Orator”, and eventually realized that he was not only a slave, but a person, and he was also able to get a denunciation of slavery from Richard Sheridan. He would not be able to do this without getting an education, and he would be a slave without one. This proves that “Taking away a person’s education is a form of oppression” because if he did not know how to read, he would always be a slave and be

First, Douglass explains that education and freedom are inseparable. When he is a young slave, his Mistress Hugh treats him like e another person and teaches him alphabet. However, Master Hugh perceives that his wife educates Douglass. He forbids his wife from teaching him to preserve their slaveholders’ power. Soon, Mrs. Hugh loses her kindness and becomes a cruel slave owner. In addition, she deprives his opportunities of learning. His master and mistress has a notion that “education and slavery were incompatible with each other” (Douglass 61). If slaves become literate, they can run away to escape from their masters’ control. As a victim of injustice on education, he enhances his perspective on the significance of education contributing to freedom.

Its hard to believe that in the past, it was widely accepted by society and allowed by the government to enslave fellow human beings. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave gives a first hand account of the brutality and hopelessness of slavery. Throughout Douglass’ narrative, a theme that he addresses is the only way to be free is through education.

For a slave education was hard to come across. What would you do if you didn’t have the education you had today and had to fight for your right to learn? Frederick’s yearn for freedom found him a new love in education. This new education helped him to take a stand for freedom. Frederick Douglass valued education because he took a stand for what he believed in which gave him freedom.

Why is education so important to Douglass? What does he mean by education will set him free?

Epictetus, the great Greek philosopher once said, “only the educated are free.” Epictetus was born a slave in Greece, and gained his freedom as he acquired knowledge. To those who are oppressed by the chains of slavery, education is a rarity. To oppressors, keeping slaves ignorant is ideal. African-American social reformer, Frederick Douglass, experienced the bondage of slavery and the influence education held in regards to gaining his freedom. Education was a major force for social change with regard to to slavery and African-American rights.

Likewise, Frederick Douglas was born in February 1818. “At the age of ten or eleven, Douglass is sent to live in Baltimore with Hugh and Sophia Auld. Douglass overhears a conversation between them and comes to understand that whites maintain power over black slaves by keeping them uneducated. Douglass resolves to educate himself and escape from slavery. Douglass struggles to free himself, mentally and physically, from slavery”. During this time, African Americans were very limited to do anything. All he wanted was freedom from slavery so he can feel like a man. Douglas was an abolitionist who was dedicated to learn. He was motivated to teach himself how to read and write because he did not want to be a slave for the rest of his life. Frederick Douglass was driven to succeed. Frederick Douglass was a slave at one point but gained his freedom through his education. He says, “What he most dreaded, that I most desired” (Douglass pg 19). Douglass knew his master did not want him to learn how to read and write, yet he was thirsty and attempted to better himself. Frederick Douglass is a man who had a lot of potential. Frederick Douglass saw the cultural differences between blacks and whites, yet he still focused on his goals and motivated himself. Even though Douglas knew that whites had the mentality that “They were better than blacks,” he still focused on his goals. Frederick Douglas never looked down on education

Frederick Douglass had few given opportunities for success in a country that claimed to be “ the land of opportunity”. If he wanted something then he had to create the right conditions for his success. He faced extreme prejudices that only seemed to strengthen his resolve. We can learn that adversity always builds character and we should draw upon all experiences, good and bad. Every waking moment was spent building himself up in one way or another rather than feeling sorry about his predicament. Poor urchin boys became his ideal teacher where in today’s world we would scoff at learning from someone on the street. The ability for Frederick Douglass to stay the course and diligently seek his freedom through learning

When Mrs. Auld first begins teaching Frederick Douglass how to read and write, he was ecstatic with his new knowledge. In chapter 6, however, Mr. Auld scolds his wife and forbids her from teaching a slave how to read and write. In spite of this, Douglass writes, “I now understood what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty - to wit, the white man’s power to enslave the black man,” (Chapter 6, page 20). This is the moment in which Douglass finally realizes the value the power of knowledge and education. Throughout his life, the idea that blacks could not learn was ingrained into his mind. This idea ultimately gave the whites the ability to oppress blacks. This passage was significant because this experience taught Douglass that he did in fact have the same mental capacity as whites and the same capability to learn. If blacks were taught, however, oppression would be far more difficult, and possibly even

Frederick Douglass, in his narrative, the life of a slave was giving an insight of the institution of slavery. From a realistic point of view; we see slavery as bondage that restrains the desire of humanity to gain knowledge. The declaration of independence articulates the fundamental rights of a human being including; the right to life, liberty and happiness. To a further extent if the quest of knowledge is hindered the human is thrown into a dungeon of mental darkness which makes them become sub humans. This kind of experience molds humankind into mindless creatures incapable of thinking of other things apart from serving their master. Denying an individual the right to education is indeed a violation of the of the fundamental rights of a human being. Rights, according to the American declaration of independence are inalienable from all men. Therefore, it would not be wrong to imply that slaves are entitled to the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

In an autobiography called Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, written by himself, the author asserts that the way to enslave someone is to probit he or she from all learning. Douglass supports his claim by first, learning to read and second, by gaining his freedom. His purpose is to influence change in order to abolish slavery by using ethos, logos, and pathos. Based on the purpose of the book as well as the stories he tells, Douglass is writing to influence powerful people to abolish the horrible reality known as slavery; developing a sympathetic relationship with the audience. Although slavery was common and many people thought nothing of it, Douglass realized that the real way to enslave someone was to keep them from all learning, which is proven throughout the book.

Douglass later refers to the theme of knowledge being a path to freedom when he realizes that Auld forbids his wife from teaching Douglass reading and writing claiming that slaves will be ruined by education. Through this, Douglass gets a revelation from Auld of how blacks are kept as slaves by the whites. He realizes that if the slaves got education, they can free themselves from slavery. Douglass uses his self-education to be the primary avenue of freeing himself and uses it to tool to free other all slaves. Douglass beliefs knowledge render slaves automatic freedom and this is not an illusion. The slaves can articulate for injustice of slavery to others & themselves through the help of education. This assists the slaves realize they are men and not just slaves. Instead of bringing immediate freedom, education awakens consciousness of the slaves that brings sufferings the way Auld had predicted. The