FD
Birthdays (how old does Douglass think he is when he escapes from slavery?)
20
City Slaves v. Plantation Slaves
A city slave is almost a freeman, compared with a slave on the plantation. He is much better fed and clothed,
Edward Covey
A notorious slave "breaker" and Douglass's keeper for one year. Slave owners send their unruly slaves to Covey, who works and punishes them (thus getting free labor to cultivate his rented land) and returns them trained and docile. Covey's tactics as a slaveholder are both cruel and sneaky. He is deliberately deceptive and devious when interacting with his slaves, creating an atmosphere of constant surveillance and fear.
Sandy Jenkins
A superstitious slave who showed Douglass how to protect himself from Covey with a magical root. Following Jenkins' instruction, Douglass found himself able to confront Covey. This is a puzzling episode because Douglass does not really explain whether he believed the magical root worked or whether it simply gave him a psychological boost.
Monthly allowance of slaves
Adult =8 pounds of pork or fish and 2 shirts, 1 pair of pants, 1 jacket, 1 pair of winter pants, 1 pair of stockings, 1 pair of shoes children= their allowance was given to their mothers and 2 shirts
At this point in his life, why does Douglass find himself "regretting" his own existence?
After learning how to read, it have given him a view of his life compared to what his life would have been if he was white
The Liberator
An anti-slavery newspaper written by William Lloyd Garrison. It drew attention to abolition, both positive and negative, causing a war of words between supporters of slavery and those opposed.
Do Douglass and his fellow enslaved people feel contempt for Captain (Thomas) Auld primarily because he is so mean, or because he "commanded without firmness"?
Bc he commanded without firmness
When the first escape attempt fails and Douglass and his fellow enslaved men are in jail, why do they fear separation "more than any thing this side of death"
Because they are all friends and all of them equally want freedom
Lucretia
Captain anthonys daughter; marries thomas auld
Briefly describe Frederick's life on the plantation. What does he wear and eat? How does he spend his time?
Coarse corn meal boiled called mush; a coarse tow linen shirt; drive up the cows in the evening,keep fowls out of the garden, keep front yard clean,run errands for the masters daughter
What qualities does Mr. Gore possess making him "of all the overseers, the most dreaded by the slaves"?
Cruel; sharp shrill voice; didn't have humor or smiled; ruthless; painful; no conscience; painful; proud
Captain Anthony
Douglass's first master and probably his father. Anthony is the clerk for Colonel Lloyd, managing Lloyd's surrounding plantations and the overseers of those plantations. Anthony is a cruel man who takes pleasure in whipping his slaves, especially Douglass's Aunt Hester. He is called "Captain" because he once piloted ships up the Chesapeake Bay; 30 slaves; 3 kids (andrew, richard, lucretia)
Anna Murray
Douglass's wife. Anna is a free black woman from Baltimore who becomes engaged to Douglass before he escapes to freedom. After his escape, Anna and Douglass marry in New York and then move to New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Reasons for not providing escape details
He didn't want to get anyone in trouble and bring greater watchfulness among slaveholders; looking out for ppl who helped him escape and doesn't want to make it harder for those who want to escape
Why does any improvement in Douglass's everyday life increase his "desire to be free"?
He forgets his liberty
Why does Douglass seek the help of Master Thomas after he is severely wounded by Mr. Covey?
He wants him to move him to live somewhere else
Why does Douglass try to include other enslaved people in his first plan for escape, even though it requires him to "imbue their minds with thoughts of freedom"?
He was not willing to cherish this determination alone
What does Frederick think about leaving the Lloyd plantation to live in Baltimore?
He's happy about it
Sophia Auld
Hugh Auld's wife. Sophia was a working woman before marrying Hugh, and she had never owned slaves. The corruption of owning a slave transforms Sophia from a sympathetic, kind woman into a vengeful monster; taught Douglass his abcs
After describing Thomas Auld's particularly excessive cruelty toward Henny, why does Douglass then say that "Master Thomas was one of the many pious slaveholders who hold slaves for the very charitable purpose of taking care of them"?
Hurting them because the bible says so and he takes care of it
William Loyd Garrison
In 1831 he founded the American anti slavery society- goal was to end slavery immediately Wrote the preface He said that patrick henry never made a speech more eloquent in the cause of liberty Recruited douglass to be a spokesperson for the abolitionist movement and encouraged that he write a book about his experience of slavery
Is Douglass being sincere or ironic when he expresses sympathy for Mr. Covey because "he sometimes deceived himself into the solemn belief, that he was a sincere worshipper of the most high God"?
Ironic
Thomas Auld
Lucretia Auld's husband and Hugh Auld's brother. Thomas Auld did not grow up owning slaves, but gained them through his marriage to Lucretia. After attending a church meeting in Maryland, Thomas Auld becomes a "pious" man, but he uses his newfound Christianity to be even more self-righteously brutal toward his slaves; Upon the death of his wife, Thomas took control of all of her property, including Douglass. Douglass recalls him as a hypocritical and cruel master. Thomas loaned Douglass to his brother Hugh Auld in Baltimore, as well as to Covey, a slave-breaker.
Why doesn't Frederick Douglass know his true birth date or age?
Masters don't like to tell their slaves that info
Religion and Slavery
Masters use religion and the bibke to kind of justify their cruel actions
What is Douglass' relationship with his mother? Who is his father? Who raises Douglass?
Mom and him were separated but she visited him a few times; father is white and his master; his grandmother raises him
Why does Douglass credit both Mr. and Mrs. Auld with helping him learn to read?
Mrs. Auld taught him A B C and how to spell and when Mr. A found out he stopped it but this only inspired Douglass to learn how to read more
Colonel Lloyd
Owner of the large plantation in Maryland where Douglass was born; extremely wealthy plantation owner who raised tobacco, corn, and wheat. The plantation ran like a small village (shoemaking, blacksmithing, weaving, grain-grinding, etc.) He kept several hundred slaves on his home plantation; owned the great house farm; own a thousand slaves
Why would Douglass believe that the root given to him by Sandy Jenkins may have played a part in his never being whipped again?
Sandy told him it would protect him
Why does Douglass write that his grandmother was the source of all his old master's wealth?
She served him from youth to old age; she had peopled his plantation with slaves; she had become a great grandmother in his service. She had rocked him in infancy, attended him in childhood, served him through life
What happens to Aunt Hester?
She snuck out and was caught w a man and she was tied up and whipped
Why does Douglass learn how to write?
So he could write his own pass
Separating children from their mothers -- why do it?
So there isn't love or affection between mother and child
Why do the slaves say nothing or praise their masters when they are treated so badly?
So they don't get in trouble. If they speak bad ab their masters, they get punished
Lloyd's fruit garden (how does he prevent stealing?)
Tar around the garden fence and any slave that is caught w tar in them gets whipped. This system is greedy because the slaves don't get to eat much and it's on just because the only proof is that they've tar on them when something else could've happened for them to get tar on them
New Bedford
The city Frederick Douglass traveled to obtain employment and distance himself from the threat of bounty hunters tasked with capturing escaped slaves. Beautiful and clean; Douglass was disspointed bc he thought that without slaves, ppl would be living in poverty but no ppl there are more rich than ppl in the south
Why do the slaves, who are also the illegitimate children of the slaveholder, suffer more than otherslaves?
They are a constant offense to their mistress
The singing of slaves (misperceptions v. reality)
They sing songs about the highest joy and the deepest sadness. They are excited. They were tones loud, long, and deep. Every tone was a testimony agonist slavery and a prayer to god to be free. White ppl think these are happy songs
Why do the slaves consider it a great honor to be asked to run an errand to the Great House Farm?
They think it means that their overseerer has confidence in them and they are good slaves
For Douglass, why was teaching other enslaved people to read the "sweetest engagement with which [he] was ever blessed"?
They wished and wanted to read and he was able to provide that for them. It bettered the condition of his race
St. Michael's
Thomas (in a fight with his brother Hugh) remarries and takes him here; covey was sent to set Douglass straight and "break him" so that he obeys Tomas better; Douglas fights mr covey; hire his time; where he escapes from
Hugh Auld
Thomas Auld's brother and Douglass's occasional master. He lives in Baltimore with his wife, Sophia. Thomas and Lucretia Auld allow him to borrow Douglass as a servant for his son, Thomas. He is well aware that whites maintain power over blacks by depriving them of education, and he unwittingly enlightens Douglass in this matter. He is not as cruel as his brother Thomas, but he becomes harsher due to a drinking habit in his later years. He seems to suffer some consciousness that slavery and the law's treatment of blacks are inhumane, but he does not allow this consciousness to interfere with his exercising power over Douglass; doesnt let sophia teach him
Why does Douglass describe at length the treatment of enslaved people under the Reverends Daniel Weeden and Rigby Hopkins?
To show how religious slaveholders are the worst bc they justify their bad deeds with their religious beliefs and the Bible
Examples of white slave owners going unpunished for harming, even killing, slaves
When mr gore shot and killed a slave it wasn't a crime; mr Thomas killed 2 slaves and wasn't convicted and even brags about it;Mrs hicks killed a slave and wasn't punished
Tuckahoe, MD
Where Douglass was born
New York City
Where he went to first when he escaped; he met mr ruggles who helped him and told him its unsafe in NY FD got married there to Anna
Literacy (Learning to read/write), Education, Feelings of discontent
Wish he didn't learn to read bc he is more aware of his situation and slavery and feels unhappy
According to Douglass, why are masters who are not born enslavers "the worst"?
cruel, but cowardly; commanded without firmness;
Douglass' views on the Underground Railroad
feels that although the intent is honorable, the slaves themselves are lost when they attain their freedom.... they're unprepared. He also believed that the publicity that accompanied the underground railroad made the slave owners all the more aware, and that the owner's awareness was a hindrance to the desired result.
How is the Colonel cruel to Old Barney and Young Barney, the caretakers of his stable?
frequently whipped when least deserving, and escaped whipping when most deserving; depends on his state of mind and the look of the horses
Why does Douglass regret not trying to escape while living with the Auld's?
the chances of success are tenfold greater from the city than from the country
Baltimore
the city he lived in with the Aulds (Hugh- got mad at Sophia for teaching him (inch and ell) and Sofia- tried to teach ABCs); taught to read and write; had more freedom
What happens to his grandmother that fills Douglass with "unutterable loathing of slaveholders"?
their base ingratitude to his poor old grandmother and shes never gonna be free
Great House Farm
what all of Colonel Lloyd's slaves refer to the central plantation, on which Douglass grew up as because it resembles a small village; Slaves from other plantations feel privileged to be sent there on an errand bc it means theyve done well