Frederick Douglass-Lexci
How does Master Thomas propose to 'break' Frederick?
BY sending him to Mr. Covey
When did Frederick Douglass die?
February 20, 1895
How does Frederick win the fight with Mr. Covey?
Frederick does not back down and grabs Covey by the throat and fights off the others. Believes the root may have protected him.
Who teaches Frederick why black men are not taught to read?
Hugh Auld
Why does he return to Covey? Who convinces him to do so? What does Sandy Jenkins suggest that Frederick do?
Master Thomas Auld makes him return. Sandy Jerkins convinces him to go back to Covey and tells him to find a root in the woods and keep on his right side to prevent being whipped
Who owns Frederick by the end of chapter eight?
Master Thomas Auld, Lucretia die.
Where was FD burried
Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York.
Who helps Frederick and Anna in New Bedford? What does he do for them?
Mr. Nathan Johnson gave him his new name
When and to where does Frederick run away?
New York - September 3, 1838
Why does Mr. Ruggles suggest that Frederick not stay in New York and go to New Bedford, Massachusetts?
New York was not safe
What, according to Frederick, happens to Master Thomas Auld after his conversion to Christianity? Why?
Nothing. He actually found sanction in slavery from the bible. He becomes a leader but a worse slave holder.
Why does Frederick let Master Thomas's horse run away?
So he can chase it down to the neighbors and find something to eat.
What does Douglass discover about prejudice against color in New Bedford?
Some colored people were more wealthy than others
Was there a pecking order among slaves? Explain.
Some slaves got better jobs which came with less hard labor
What irony does Frederick find in this statement: "It is almost an unpardonable offence to teach slaves to read in this Christian country."
The irony is that fact that he knows how to read.
What happened to the slave who told Colonel Lloyd the truth about his master?
The slave got sold
What conditions did he find for "colored people"?
They were living in better conditions than slaveholders in Maryland
What is a maxim?
a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits
What, according to Frederick, changes her?
irresponsible power of owning another human being; being a slaveholder
Why would a slave whose life on a plantation was very bad fear being sold to a slave-trader?
the fear of the south
What other examples does Frederick give of his statement "that killing a slave, or any colored person,... is not treated as a crime, either by the courts or the community"
the girl who was killed for not getting to the crying baby fast enough. The slave that was killed for going onto someone else property by mistake
What year was he most likely born?
1818
What year was FD narrative most likely written?
1845
What is Frederick's last name at birth?
Bailey
Why is it "never safe to stop a single minute"
Because Covey might be watching
Why was the division of property between Mistress Lucretia and Master Andrew so horrifying to the slaves?
Because Master Andrew was known to be one of the meanest of all Masters.
Why are the slaves so fearful of Mr. Covey? Why does their work go on in his absence?
Because he sneaks up on them when they least expect it; he has paranoid the slaves into thinking he is always there, watching
Why does Mr. Covey buy a slave to use as a breeder?
Because he wants more slaves
Why does Frederick tell the story of Lloyd's Ned?
Because it was Ned's interaction that led to Aunt Hester's brutal beating; wants to show result of disobeying master and the types of consequences people lived with
Why is Frederick forced to leave Baltimore?
Because of an argument(between Thomas and Hugh) & Master Thomas said he'd never let FD return to Baltimore.
Why is the use of the verb 'to break' ironic? *
Because they are causing them to be manageable again
Why does Frederick find irony in the fact that the slaves sabbath school is discontinued?
Because they beat the slaves while in church.
Who is Frederick's first master?
Captain Anthony
Who were Frederick's mother and father?
Douglass's mother was Harriet Bailey. Douglass's father is unknown but thought to be Captain Anthony or a white master/man
How were the wharves in New Bedford different from those in Baltimore?
Everyone knew what they were doing with order and no one was being profane; they were just the sounds of normal work
What does Frederick mean by "Mr. Covey's forte consisted in his power to deceive"
Frederick is explaining that Mr. Covey excells at sneaking up on and scaring the slaves. Deceive is used to show that Frederick is saying, for example when the slaves think Covey will "Zig" he'll "Zag"
Why does Mr. Covey whip Frederick?
Fredrick takes to long and breaks a gate trying to complete a task of retrieving wood with team of ox which he is unfamiliar with
How did Colonel Lloyd keep the slave boys from taking his fruit?
He covered the perimeter with tar so if they had tar on them they would get in really big trouble.
What rule of slaveholding does Master Thomas Auld violate?
He did not feed his slaves enough
Why does Frederick contend that Mr. Covey does not turn him in?
He did not want to mess up his reputation as a first rate overseer
Why does Frederick decide to work hard despite the dissolution of their agreement?
He doesn't want Hugh to suspect Franklin of being discontented
Frederick again decides to fight when he is attacked. What happens to him? What does Master Hugh attempt to do for Frederick?
He fights back and the white men get angry; he flees away; Master Hugh tries to fix it and free Fredrick from blame
What does Master Hugh do to attempt to encourage Frederick to continue to earn money? What effect does his encouragement have?
He gives him a cent on every dollar
How does Frederick learn the meanings of the words abolition and abolitionist?
He got a city paper that had petitions from the north praying for the abolition and slave trade in the south.
What reason does Mr. Gore give for killing Demby the slave?
He had become unmanageable
Why does he hire Mr. Samuel Harrison, a married man? What irony does Frederick find in this?
He has him hook up with his slave Caroline to get her pregnant. Irony is he hires Mr. Harrison, a married man to commit adultery to get slave pregnant so he can enslave the children to add to his wealth.
What must Frederick do with the wages he earns each week as a caulker? Why?
He has to give them to his master because he had the power to compel him to give it up.
Why is Mr. Austin Gore a "first-rate overseer"?
He is the first-rate overseer because he was very brutal and cruel.
Why does Frederick now know the date?
He knows how to read now.
How does Frederick learn to write?
He learned to write by copying letters he saw on a ship port and then later on by copying Master Thomas' work book.
What plan did Frederick adopt to learn how to read now that Mrs. Auld was no longer teaching him?
He made friends with white boys that would teach him.
How does Frederick succeed in again becoming a man?
He stands up for himself
What does Master Hugh do when he discovers that Frederick has left town to find work?
He stops him from hiring his time
Why is this lesson so important to him?
He then realizes education & knowledge can get him to freedom.
What had Douglass believed about life in the North? Was he correct? What does he find about life in the North?
He thought that since they owned no slaves due to poorness there would be no refinement or wealth; he was wrong, there was wealth and it was very refined
What is ironic about Colonel Lloyd's treatment of his horses compared to the treatment of his slaves?
He treats the horses extremely well but dehumanizes the slaves.
For what two reasons does Frederick tell us that he cannot relate the means of his escape?
He wanted to help the people who helped him
Why does Frederick decide to include the slaves in his Sabbath school in his plans to obtain his freedom? Why is this dangerous?
He wanted to include them and didn't want to go into freedom leaving them behind; dangerous because they could be punished as well
What do we learn about Plummer, the overseer?
He was a drunkard, swears a lot, savage monster, beat slaves & got pleasure from it—would beat FD's Aunt
Why was Severe an appropriate name for the overseer?
He was a very severe man
How does Douglass become known to the "anti-slavery world"?
He was at a anti-slavery convention in Nantucket in 1841
How does Douglass make a living when he can't find work as a caulker?
He was at a anti-slavery convention in Nantucket in 1841
Why is Douglass at first reluctant to speak out against slavery?
He was still scared of being returned
Why was it particularly difficult to be the slaves in charge of Colonel Lloyd's horses?
He would blame them if the horse went slower or didn't hold it's head high enough even though its something they can't control.
What would have happened to Frederick had Mr. Covey turned him in?
He would have been regularly whipped by the constable for raising a hand against a white man and Covey's rep would've been ruined
How does he trick the white boys into teaching him new letters?
He would write the four letters he knew and ask them to beat that.
Why does Frederick make the point that a slaveholder who has fathered a child is likely to be tougher on that child?
His wife would be mad for treating them better than his kids and he doesn't want to look weak.
What arrangement does Frederick eventually make with Master Hugh? Why is this arrangement to Master Hugh's advantage? Why does Frederick agree to it?
Hugh lets him hire out his time and take care of himself
Why would slaveholders want to keep a slave ignorant of such a simple thing as the date of his birth?
If slaves knew this information then they'd ask more and more questions. Knowledge is considered power
Where does Frederick Douglass get his ideas about human rights and emancipation?
Irish Catholics
How does Master Auld's prediction about Frederick and learning come true?
It comes true because now he understands how bad his condition really is without a way to cure it.
Why was Mr. Covey's reputation for breaking slaves of great value to him?
It enabled him to get his farm tilled for less expense.
Why is it ironic that he bribed the little white boys to teach him to read?
It is ironic because the white boys are privelaged enough to know to read it's a standard and that a black person has more/less poor/better off than a white person
Why does he not approve of the underground railroad?
It is too well known
When Frederick returns to Baltimore, what does he do?
Live with Master Hugh to learn a trade; worked in the shipyard
Who were the family members of Frederick's master Colonel Edward Lloyd?
Lucretia Auld (daughter married to Thomas Auld), Andrew Lloyd, and Richard Lloyd.
Where does Frederick go after leaving Mr. Covey's on January 1, 1834/Who is his new master and how does he treat Frederick?
Mr. William Freeland; not as religious slave master, nicer, gave them enough food and time to eat it
Why is Frederick's battle with Mr. Covey "the turning-point in my career as a slave"
Rekindled all his ideas of freedom; awarded by his little triumph
Who helps Frederick in New York? How?
Ruggles gives him passage to NB
How is it possible for Frederick and Anna to marry? Why is their marriage such an important event?
Ruggles performs the wedding, Franklin's first legal document
How did Mrs. Auld change and why did she change?
She stopped teaching FD letters/to read and she became more mean.
Why does Frederick only rarely see his mother?
She was sent to a different plantation right before Frederick was about 12 months.
What is the relationship of the slaveholder to the overseer to the slave on the plantation?
Slaveholder—owner of farms, owner of slaves/overseer boss Overseer—watches over farm & slaves Slaves—work on farms
What happens to their plan, and how do the "protections" nearly cause their deaths?
Someone sold them out; the protections would have sold them out completely
Why does Frederick include the anecdotes about the two religious slave holders Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Weeden? What point is he attempting to make?
That religion in the South was used as a cover for the crimes and horrible treatment done against slaves. Religious slaveholders were the worst.
Why and where does Frederick begin a Sabbath school? Why is it essential that the slaves tell no one about it?
The house of a freed colored man; they didn't want to get in trouble with the white masters for learning to read
What is ironic about his name?
The irony of his name is it sounds like gory.
What did Frederick learn from the book "The Columbian Orator"?
The power of truth and conscience of even a slaveholder
What would the slaveholders like the slaves to do on the sabbath? Why is this ironic?
The slaveholders want them to wrestle and take part in other degrading sport like that; ironic because the masters are practicing Christians who should just want the slaves to be converted
Frederick makes the point that many slaves would "rather bear those ills we had, than fly to others, that we knew not of" How does this help explain why so few slaves escaped?
The slaves at least knew what to expect if stayed where they were but leaving to escape to the North would bring unknown dangers and the fear of being caught and treated much worse was hard to overcome.
What do the two Irishmen encourage him to do? Why does he not trust them?
They encourage him to run away to the North. He doesn't trust them because white men often do this to catch the slave and bring them back for reward.
How are the holidays used to "disgust the slave with freedom"
They lead the slaves to think that being drunk and sick is what freedom is like
How was the value of the master's property determined? How were the slaves valued?
They ranked with horses, sheep, and swine. Old, sickly, or very young worth less. Young, fit worth more. It was a "valuation"
What happens to each of the slaves who attempted to run away?
They were all taken to jail and then all of them were taken out of jail except for Frederick
Why was Frederick forced to return to the plantation after the death of his master?
To be divided between Lucretia and Andrew
What does Frederick ask of Master Thomas? What is he told?
To hire out his time, no
Why does Frederick go to Master Thomas Auld?
To lodge a complaint against Covey
Why did Frederick change his name so many times? Who chooses Douglass? Why?
To shorten his name because of length and to not have the name Johnson like everyone else; Mr. Nathan Johnson chose it because it was from Lady of the Lake which he was just reading
What is the role of the overseer on the plantation?
To watch over slaves and make them work.
Where was FD born?
Tuckahoe, Maryland
Where did Frederick Douglass die?
Washington, D.C.
Is Frederick's relationship with his mother typical of other slave children?
Yes, mothers would get sent to a different plantation after the baby was a couple of months. The babies would be watched over by an elderly woman slave who couldn't work.
Why does Frederick suggest that Mr. Covey's "pious soul" adds to "his reputation as a 'n!gger-breaker'"?
because the religious slave-holders were the worst
How did the slaves get food?
begging and stealing
How does Mr. Covey succeed in breaking Frederick?
by breaking his spirit and will to learn to read, escape, or live.
What is the relationship of Colonel Lloyd to Frederick's master?
frederick's Master is Colonel Lloyd's clerk and superintendent.
Why is Mr. Auld angry when he finds that Mrs. Auld is teaching Frederick his letters?
he knows that keeping slaves ignorant is the only power they have over them
Why does Frederick call Mr. Auld's forbidding his learning how to read "invaluable instruction"
he unwittingly gives him the key to mental freedom
Why was Frederick so happy to be leaving the plantation?
he was getting a pair of pants and he'd heard baltimore is beautiful
Why did Frederick, who was seven or eight, not know the month or year of his sailing?
he was kept ignorant of everything, even time (dehumanizing)
What is the purpose of the "protections" written by Frederick?
hey were notes that said the slaves were on Easter holiday
Why did he particularly want to go to Baltimore?
his cousin had told him how wonderful it is
What relationship did his new master have to his old master?
his new master is his old master's brother
Why does inability to read keep men enslaved according to Frederick and to Mr. Auld?
knowledge is power
Describe the plantation system of Colonel Lloyd; discusses the daily existence of slaves on the plantation.
large plantation, with three to four hundred slaves. Slaves received little to no food and clothing Children were often naked, a rough wool blanket was all they had to sleep on, and the food was fit for hogs. When they finished working in the fields they returned home to more work, not getting to sleep until the early hours of the morning. At dawn they had to be up and ready to be back in the fields or face the wrath of the overseer, the aptly named "Mr. Severe." Douglass is almost as offended by Mr. Severe's foul language as he is by his cruelty in punishing slaves at the slightest provocation. When Mr. Severe dies, Douglass calls it a mercy from heaven. He is replaced by a man the slaves regard as a good overseer: Mr. Hopkins. Mr. Hopkins still whips the slaves, but he doesn't enjoy his job. Douglass describes how happy it made slaves to be selected to work in the "Great House Farm": Colonel Lloyd's plantation. It was the highest honor a slave could hope to achieve. When slaves were happy or sad, they sang a particular kind of song. Some people claimed that these songs were proof of the slaves' happiness, but Douglass says they sang the most when they were the most unhappy.
How did Frederick DOuglass die?
massive heart attack or stroke
What was life like for Frederick on the plantation?
pretty easy since he was too young for field labor, although he was often cold and hungry
To what does Frederick attribute the kindness of Mrs. Auld?
she never owned a slave
What were Frederick's initial impressions of his new mistress, Mrs. Sophia Auld?
she was very beautiful and kind
Why is Frederick not sure when he was born?
slaves did not have a record of birth and they were not allowed to ask questions
Again, Frederick compares the treatment of slaves to the treatment of horses. How?
the horses have enough to eat and the slaves don't
Why is Douglass at first reluctant to speak out against slavery?
the idea of speaking to white people was slightly intimidating
What does Frederick hope to gain by learning how to read?
the key to freedom, he would be able to write his own pass
Why is the life of a city slave so much better than the life of a plantation slave?
there is a sense of shame in punishing a slave in the city
Why does he feel so lonely?
there is no one to trust or help him; motto= "trust no one"
Why does Frederick say that "adopted slaveholders are the worst"?
they are used to the rules of slave-holding, they over compensate with meaness
Why is it difficult to find copies of slave songs?
they couldn't write and didn't want their cries for help to be recorded
Why does Frederick suggest that slaves sing out of sorrow rather than out of joy?
they sang most when they were sad
How do the slaves plan to run away?
they would get a canoe and sail through the Chesapeake until they get to Marlyand
Why does Frederick relate the story of the slaves Henrietta and Mary?
to show that not all slaves were treated kindly