Frederick Douglass Retake
When Frederick returns to Baltimore, what does he do?
Live with Master Hugh to learn a trade; worked in the shipyard
Who were Frederick's mother and father?
Mother—Harriet Bailey; a black slave Father— Thought to be a white master
Who helps FD and Anna in New Bedford? What does he do for them?
Mr. Johnson helped them find a job
Who teaches Frederick why black men are not taught to read?
Mr.Auld
What other examples does Frederick give on his statement "that killing a slave, or any colored person...is not treated as a crime, either by the courts or the community"?
Mr.Thomas Lanman killed two slaves, one with a hatchet. He used to boast about it Wife of Mr.Giles Hick murdered a 15-16 y/o by breaking her nose and breast bone, a slow death. She fell asleep, and when the baby was crying in the night she didn't here her, so she died. An old man, belonging to Colonel Lloyd, accidently crossed premises into Mr.Bondly's property while fishing for oysters, and killed the old man.
What happened to Frederick's grandmother after the deaths of Lucretia and Andrew? How does the anecdote help explain the value of slaves? How are slaves valued when compared to livestock?
She was sent to live alone in a shack in the woods. Once a slave can no longer provide services, they are dead weight. FD's grandmothers served Captain Anthony from young to old, source of his wealth, had peopled his plantation with slaves, she had rocked him in infancy, attended him in childhood, served him through life, and she was still left a slave.
Why does Frederick let master Thomas's horse run away?
So it would run down to his Master Thomas' father in law's house 5 miles away where he was sure to be fed.
Why is the life of a city slave so much better than the life of a plantation slave?
A city slave is almost a freeman compared with a slave on a plantation. He is much better fed and clothes, and enjoys privileges unknown on the plantation. Don't have to do such hard labor either.
Why does Frederick go to Master Thomas Auld?
After becoming ill when working and collapsing in the fields, Edward Covey hits him in the head and demands he get back up. He escapes to Master Thomas to show him the cruel treatment and to express his fear of possibly being killed.
How is it possible for Frederick and Anna to marry? Why is their marriage such an important event?
Anna is free, and they find a reverend that will wed them. One more thing that marked him a free man
What is Frederick's last name at birth?
Bailey
Why does Frederick suggest that Mr.Covey's "pious soul" adds to "his reputation as a "******-breaker"?
Because he has the divine support of God behind his act of training and "breaking" the poor slaves.
Why does Frederick decide to include the slaves in his Sabbath school in his plans to obtain his freedom? Why is this dangerous?
Because he loves them and thinks of them as family, and wants them to be free as much as he wants to be free. This is dangerous because word could get out, and they could be separated, punished, killed.
Why does Frederick call Mr.Auld's forbidding his learning how to read "invaluable instruction?"
Because him forbidding him to read, taught Frederick the pathway from slavery to freedom. It was what he needed at a time he least expected it. He realized the white mans power to enslave the black man.
Why does Frederick tell the story of Lloyd's Ned?
Because it was w/ Ned's interaction that led to FD's Aunt Hester brutal beating; wants to show result of disobeying master and the types of consequences people lived with
Why is Mr.Auld angry when he finds that Mrs.Auld is teaching Frederick his letters?
Because teaching a slave to read and write is unlawful, and unsafe. He would become unmanageable, discontent and unhappy.
Why does Douglass contend that the church turns the other cheek on the treatment of slaves?
Because the church is corrupted with slaveholders and the two are deeply intertwined
How was the value of the master's property determined? How were the slaves valued?
By their age, size, and strength and ability to do labor. They were ranked with the animals: pigs, cattle, sheep, and horses.
Who is Frederick's first master?
Captain Anthony
How were the wharves in New Bedford different from those in Baltimore?
Clean, quiet, beautiful
Why is the use of the verb 'to break' ironic?
Covey breaks Douglass's soul, body, and spirit. But transforms/ forms FD into a slave and as a brute.
What arrangement does Frederick eventually make with Master Hugh?Why is this arrangement to Master Hugh's advantage?Why does Frederick agree to it?
Douglass has to pay Master Hugh $3 at the end of every week and buy his own equipment/food/clothing. Frederick agrees because he can make extra money as well and save up to escape
What irony does Frederick find in his statement "It is almost an unpardonable offence to teach slaves to read in this Christian Country."?
FD is saying that is an unacceptable law to teach slaves to read in this country. But he says that it's a Christian country, which is definitely now what God would want. It's just ironic because by saying a "christian country" he's implying the holiness of the country, and the goodness of the country, but it's a country that allows slaves, and then also bans slaves form reading.
What is the relationship of Colonel Lloyd to Frederick's master?
FD's master was Colonel Lloyd's clerk and superintendent. The overseer of overseers.
Why would a slave whose life on a plantation was very bad fear being sold to a slave-trader?
Fear of going deeper south where you would be treated worse.
How does Frederick win the fight with Mr. Covey?
Frederick does not back down. He fights Covey for two hours until he is exhausted and bleeding while Frederick has hardly suffered a scratch.
What does Frederick hope to gain by learning how to read?
Freedom. He knows that he has to learn how to read and write before he can escape and get his freedom. He knows it is useful for him.
What does Frederick ask of Master Thomas?What is he told?
He asks to be an independent hired worker and find his own jobs but Master Thomas says no he is just looking for a way to escape.
What, according to Frederick, happens to Master Thomas Auld after his conversation to Christianity? why?
He becomes even meaner because now he justifies his actions using scripture.
How does Frederick learn the meanings of the words abolition and abolitionist?
He consistently heard the context of the word, which was almost always used in a relation to a slave. He looked in the city newspapers that was praying for the abolition of slavery in D.C. and the slave trade.
How did Colonel Lloyd keep the slave boys from taking his fruit?
He created a fence with tar. If he saw any slave with tar on them at all, they would be punished.
Why does Mr.Ruggles suggest that Frederick may not stay in New York and go to New Bedford Massachusetts?
He deemed it unsafe for him to remain in NY and said that he would find work in New Bedford
How does Mr.Covey succeed in breaking Frederick?
He depletes Douglass of his happiness and will to live. He destroys Frederick's yearning for freedom and turns him into a brute.
Why does he feel so lonely?
He doesn't have his fellows slaves that he was so close with and there is no one to trust or help him. There is no one to trust or help him, nowhere to sleep and no money, and has to be careful so no one notices that he escaped/he is completely alone and a fugitive slave. "Trust no man!"
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
When and to where does Frederick run away?
He goes on the 3rd day of September in 1838 to New York. He is happy to be free but at the same time is experiencing sadness and loneliness of being alone as well as anxiety about being recaptured.
Where does Frederick go after leaving Mr. Covey's on January 1, 1834?
He goes to live with William Freeland who is a much kinder master than either Thomas Auld or Mr. Covey
What happened to the slave who told colonel Lloyd the truth about his master?
He got sold into Georgia traders. The chances of you being traded deeper into the south and get treated more cruel.
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.
Who is his new master, and how does he treat Frederick?
He is a poor, educated southern gentleman who has no ideas of religion and is a respectful master. Mr.Freeland.
Frederick again decides to fight when he is attacked. What happens to him? What does Master Hugh attempt to do for Frederick?
He is badly beaten with a large swollen eye and ends up running back to his master to tell him what happened. His master takes it to the authorities but nothing can be done even though there were witnesses because no white man would testify against another in the favor of a Negro.
Why does Frederick now know the date?
He is old enough and literate.
Why does Mr.Covey buy a slave to use as a breeder?
He is poor and only owns one female slave- Caroline, and is dependent on her to produce more workers. All the others are loaned to him by their masters to "break" them.
What does Master Hugh do when he discovers that Frederick has left town to find work?
He is really angry and threatens a severe whipping and then tells Frederick that he will no longer hire him as " the next thing he should know of, I would be running away."
Why are the slaves so fearful of Mr. Covey? Why does their work go on in his absence?
He is sneaky and watches them work even when they don't know he is present and in doing so instills a fear that makes them work the same whether he is there or not.
Why did Frederick, who was seven or eight, not know the month or year of his sailing?
He just had no knowledge of it. No one told him when he was born although he knew the year he didn't know the month or day.
What did Frederick learn from the book "The Columbian Orator?"
He learned the power of the truth over the slaveholder It enabled him to say his thoughts and meet the arguments brought forward to undergo slavery. In the Columbian orator the slave said intellectual things when replying to his master, and the conversation resulted in voluntarily emancipation of the slave.
What does he mean by "slaveholding religion"?
He means the religion that slaveowners follow/use to justify their actions. Frederick does not consider this to be "Christianity proper"
What plan did Frederick adopt to learn how to read now that Mrs. Hugh was no longer teaching him?
He met little white boys in the streets and when he would go on an errand, he would bribe them with bread in exchange for a lesson.
Why is this lesson so important to him?
He realizes that education & knowledge can get him to freedom
Why does he return to Covey? Who convinces him to do so? What does Sandy Jenkins suggest that Frederick do?
He returns to Covey because his master rented him for a year and he must complete it. If he does not return he will be beaten terribly by Master Auld. Sandy Jenkins suggest he puts a special root in his right pocket that he has used and so far has prevented him from being whipped.
How does he trick the white boys into teaching him new letters?
He says how he can write as well as the white boy. The white boy wouldn't believe him so he FD would write and then the white boy would write, and FD learned.
Why does he not approve of the underground railroad?
He supports the cause but thinks the people involved are going about it the wrong way bragging and making the slave owners more watchful.
Why does Mr.Covey whip Frederick
He takes the oxen to the woods to get firewood and loses control of them allowing them to wreck the cart and his fence. Then he refused to take off his clothes when Mr. Covey told him to in order to whip him.
Why is Douglass at first reluctant to speak out against slavery?
He thinks others say their ideas better than he could and he is afraid of speaking to white men. Scared he could still be returned as a slave.
What had Douglass believed about the life in the North? Was he correct? What does he find about life in the North?
He thought that all people in the North lived poor lives because they did not have slaves and he did not expect any of the grandeur that he witnessed in the North. He was wrong and it turns out there were not nearly as many poor people in the North as in the South. He says some free black men that lived better than many of the white men in Talbot County.
What is ironic about Colonel Lloyd's treatment of his horses compared to the treatment of his slaves?
He treats his slaves like animals, like horses. And he treats his horses with value, like a person.
How does Frederick learn to write?
He uses his master's son's copy book. He copied all the letters from Webster's spelling book. When at the shipyard he would see letters and from there would copy the letters. He would challenges white boys to a letter writing contest and then studies their handwriting
Why did he particularly want to go to Baltimore?
He wanted to see Baltimore, his cousin Tom inspired him by his description of the place. At the great House farm there was nothing beautiful or powerful, but in Baltimore there was. He left with the highest hopes of future happiness.
Why was Severe an appropriate name for the overseer?
He was a cruel man. He seemed to take pleasure in this brutality. He was cursing, raving, cutting, and slashing among the slaves in the most frightful manner.
How does Douglass become known to the "Anit-slavery world"?
He was at a anti-slavery convention in Nantucket in 1841
What reason does Mr. Gore give for killing Demby the slave?
He was insubordinate, and Demby was setting a bad examples to other slaves, Mr.Gore thought that might start a rebellion.
Why was Frederick so happy to be leaving the plantation?
He was leaving the hatred, abuse, isolation. He was leaving hardship, hunger, whipping, and nakedness. He was experiencing change. He could now bathe, and own a new pair of trousers. He felt no connection to his home, there was nothing there for him.
Why was Mr.Covey's reputation for breaking slaves of great value to him?
He was poor and could not afford many hands but the other slave-owners would rent their slaves to him for a year in return for his services of training them.
What does Frederick mean by "Mr.Covey's forte consisted in his power to deceive"?
He was sneaky and would hide in the bushes or other hidden places. Also he managed to deceive people into thinking he was a good religious man and good singer.
What was life like for Frederick on the plantation?
He wasn't whipped very often, he had no bed, his feet were very cracked, kept almost always naked, Suffered from hunger but especially the cold. He was compared to pigs when wanting mush-the corn meal the slaves ate.
How does Douglass make a living when he can't find work as a caulker?
He works at the docks
What would have happened to Frederick had Mr.Covey turned him in?
He would have been severely whipped at the whipping post.
How does Master Thomas propose to 'break' Frederick?
He would send him to Mr.Covey
Why is Mr.Austin Gore a "first-rate overseer?" What is the irony of this description of him? What is ironic about his name?
He's strict and cruel, a horrible human being, and he's a gory person making slaves bleed constantly.
Why does Frederick relate the story of the slaves Henrietta and Mary?
Henrietta and Mary are city slaves who don't get fed well at all. They are among the worst that FD has witnessed being treated, from brutality to starvation. They are very much compared to pigs because Mary has eaten some of the pigs food.
What must Frederick do with the wages he earns each week as a caulker? Why?
His $1.50 a day are given straight to Mr. Auld even though he has done nothing to deserve the money and has no right to the money except that he compels Frederick to give it to him.
Why was Frederick forced to return to the plantation after the death of his master?
His master-Captain Anthony died unexpectedly not leaving a will and his possessions had to be valued and divided between his son and daughter.
What relationship did his newest master have to his oldest master?
His new master was Mr. Hugh Auld and Mrs.Sophia Auld. Hugh Auld was the brother of Thomas Auld. Thomas Auld was married to Lucretia-Captain Anthony's daughter
Why does Frederick contend that Mr.Covey does not turn him in?
If he does he will lose his good reputation as a slave breaker and so will not have any workers.
Why does Frederick make the point that a slaveholder who has fathered a child is likely to be tougher on that child?
If the slaveholder has fathered a child after an affair with a slave, the slaveholders wife remains upset and the mulatto child is a constant reminder of that affair. She is only happy when that child is being whipped, and especially if she suspects her husband of showing the mulatto child favors which he withhold from the other black slaves. Now this might strike a man to sell his own children, because this would avoid him whipping his son, and for the white son to tie up his brother, only a few shades darker, so be whipped. And if the white son disproves the matter gets worse.
How does he criticize the church of the north?
It does not try to help slaves or oppose slavery
Again, Frederick compares the treatment of slaves to the treatment of horses. How?
It is ironic because when a horse is untrained, its training/learning to be obedient is called breaking.
Why does the inability to read keep men enslaved according to Frederick and to Mr. Auld?
It keeps the slaves content and happy. They don't realize what is really happening to them. If a slave gets education he will become unmanageable and will have no value to his master. Once a slave has education, the mans power to enslave you disapears.
Why is Frederick's battle with Mr. Covey "the turning-point in my career as a slave"?
It marks a turning point in Frederick's life and he regains his confidence and sense of humanity and resolves to defend himself.
What were Frederick's initial impressions of his new mistress, Mrs. Sophia Auld?
It was a white face beaming with the most kindly emotions, it was brightening up his pathway with the light of happiness. A woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings.
For what two reasons does Frederick tell us that he cannot relate the means of his escape?
It would embarrass others that were involved and induce greater vigilance among slaveholders of means of escape. In doing so he gives fellow slaves a greater chance of escape.
Why is it ironic that he bribed the little white boys to teach him to read?
It's ironic because he's a slave so he should have nothing, he should be hungry. But instead the white boys are hungry and wanting food.
Why was the division of property between Mistress Lucretia and Master Andrew so horrifying to the slaves?
Master Andrew was horribly cruel and it would mean the separation of family and friends; the only ties they had in the world.
How does Master Auld's prediction about Frederick and learning come true?
Master Auld said that when a slave is educated they will become unmanageable and have no value to his master. It would make the slave discontent and unhappy. Which is exactly what happened to FD. The more he read, the more he hated his enslavers. He became discontent, he experienced unutterable anguish. He realized his awful condition. It opened his eyes to a horrible pit, which to latter to leave it.
Who is Frederick's newest Master?
Master Thomas Auld
Who owns Frederick by the end of chapter eight?
Master Thomas Auld - who is Master Hugh Auld's brother, because Lucretia died.
Why is Frederick forced to leave Baltimore?
Master Thomas takes him from his brother Master Hugh because they get in a fight.
Who helps Frederick in New York? How?
Mr. David Ruggle (black journalist and abolitionist); Ruggle saw him and his fiance get married, gave them money and board
How did Mrs.Auld change and why did she change?
She changed because of slavery. Under slavery, the tender heart became stone, and the lamb-like disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness. She stopped teaching him. She became more violent than her husband had been; wanted to do better then him. Nothing made her angrier then seeing Frederick with a newspaper.
To what does Frederick attribute the kindness of Mrs. Auld?
She never had a slave under her control. She had been in a good degree preserved from the dehumanizing effects of slavery.
Why does Frederick only rarely see his mother?
She was sent to a different plantation right before Frederick was about 12 months.
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, because slaves getting education is illegal.
What, according to Frederick, changes her?
The influence of slavery
How are the holidays used to "disgust the slave with freedom"?
The masters force them to get drunk and do unholy things and play games so that they have bad memories associated with this so called "freedom". A slave would either experience the most freedom possible that is unjust, or no freedom at all.
What rule of slaveholding does Master Thomas Auld violate?
The rule of feeding them enough.
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 to escape to the North would bring unknown dangers and the fear of being caught and treated much worse was hard to overcome
What does Douglass discover about prejudice against color in New Bedford?
There is still some prejudice by whites against black workers and he cannot find work as a calker but the blacks in the community supported and defended each other, especially the fugitives. There was a rare case of a free black man threatening to turn an escaped slave but the punishment for that was surely death.
Why does Frederick suggest that slaves sing out of sorrow rather than out of joy?
These were not songs of contentment, they came from deep sorrow, sadness, loneliness. When talking about the songs, Douglass shamefully laments the tone.
Why is it "never safe to stop a single minute"?
They are always being watched and sneaked up upon.
Why does Frederick say that "adopted slaveholders are the worst"?
They didn't really know what they were doing. They were cruel but cowardly, at times rigid and at times lax, never knew what to expect which was worse than knowing what was coming.
What do the two Irishmen encourage him to do? Why does he not trust them?
They encourage him to run away to the north and that he should find friends there and that he should be free. He doesn't trust them because he knows that white men have been known to encourage slaves to escape and then to get the reward, catch them and return them back to their masters.
What would the slaveholders like the slaves to do on the Sabbath? Why is this ironic?
They want the slaves to drink and play ungodly games on the Sabbath day which is the opposite of what God would want.
Why does Frederick find irony in the fact that the slaves Sabbath school is discontinued?
They wanted the slaves to learn the bible without actually teaching them how to read the New Testament.
How did the slaves get food?
They were allotted less than ½ a bushel of corn a week and the rest they begged for or stole from neighbors.
What conditions did he find for "colored people"?
They were living in better conditions than slaveholders in Maryland. They were more spirited and determined in keeping each other out of slavery, they also lived in finer houses and had more comfortable lives than the average slaveholder in Maryland
Why would slaveholders want to keep a slave ignorant of such a simple things as the date of his birth?
This was a way for slaveholders to dominate and subjugate the slaves . The less the slave knows the less freedom he/she will want to have, and know of.
Why do you think Douglass added the appendix?
To describe how the religion Christianity is much different from the religion of the land. That they are the complete opposites.
Why does Frederick decide to work hard despite the dissolution of their agreement?
To rid Hugh of any suspicion that he is not satisfied and still was trying to escape. (Frederick works at Mr. Butler's shipyard during this time and is earning a fair amount of money which satisfies Hugh)
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
Why does Frederick include the anecdotes about the two religious slave holders Mr.Hopkins and Mr.Weeden? What point is he attempting to make?
To show that religion is not a good thing in a slave owner. The most cruel owners are often the most "religious" ones and they use it to back up their horrendous deeds.
What is the role of an overseer on the plantation?
To watch over slaves and make them work
Who were the family members of Frederick's master, colonel Edward Lloyd?
Under Colonel Lloyd was his master Captain Anthony, who had a daughter-Lucretia, who was then married to Thomas Auld, and 2 sons- Andrew and Richard. Colonel Lloyd had three sons Edward, Murray, and Daniel- and three sons in law, Mr.Winder, Mr. Nicholson, and Mr.Lowndes.
Why is it difficult to find copies of slave songs?
Were never really written down because slaves couldn't write.
How does Frederick succeed in again becoming a man?
When he is terrified of Mr. Covey's punishment, and about to be whipped he fights back against him and in doing so resolves to never be whipped by a white man again and regains some of his old confidence.
Is Frederick's relationship with his mother typical of other slave children?
Yes, it is common to part children from there mothers at an early age. Before the child has reached its twelfth month, its mother is taken from it, and hired out on some farm a considerable distance off, and the child is placed under the care of an old woman, too old for field labor.
Was there a pecking order among slaves? Explain.
Yes, some slaves were chosen to man the Colonel's Sloop, Sally Lloyd, enabled a slave to see Baltimore; As well as slaves from the out-farms being selected to do errands at the Great House farm. These roles were regarded as evidence of great confidence reposed in them by their overseers.
Why was it particularly difficult to be the slaves in charge of Colonel Lloyd's horses?
Yes, the smallest issue with a horse, would result in a slave being whipped or beaten. If a horse did not move fast enough, or hold his head high enough, it was owing to some fault of the slave who takes care of him.
What do we learn about Plummer, the overseer?
a drunk, a profane swearer, a savage monster, and he caries around with him a cow skin and a cudgel. He is known to cut the women's head.
How does he compare the slaveholding religion to the pharisees and ancient scribes?
compares the immoral slaveholding Christians to the Pharisees who persecuted Christ
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
How do the slaves plan to run away?
they would get a canoe and sail through the Chesapeake. This would be less risky than taking a land route because they would only really encounter fishermen who would ask less question.
