Frederick Douglass: From Chains of Ignorance to Freedom

Abstract

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) is one of the most famous African-American to escape slavery in the nineteenth century. He is also considered to be among the most influential AfricanAmerican leaders of the time. He was an author, activist and lecturer. During his lifetime, Douglass wrote three autobiographies, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave (1845), My Bondage and My Freedom (1855), and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881), each book becoming longer and more detailed than the others published before it. As Frederick Douglass is such a remarkable man, it is no surprise that he made a direct link between education and freedom. When the writer compares his two autobiographies, she sees a clear difference in detail in his latter due to maturity and a willingness to acknowledge others in his life. The education that he gained led him to freedom, which he was then able to call truly his in 1846. After this freedom was gained, he gained his maturity. The first part of this essay will briefly introduce Frederick Douglass’ life as well as the books and journals he published after his escape from slavery. It will also present information on education and the learning process that might be expected among slaves from the 1700s until after the American Civil War (1861-1865). It will then consider Douglass’ opinion on education and how it leads slaves on to the pathway of freedom. In addition, it will also draw from his first two autobiographies mentioned above, looking at details added by Douglass in My Bondage and My Freedom. The details looked at will be regarding conversations that are not in the Narrative, but added due to his maturity and his acknowledgement of others in his enslaved life. Furthermore, it will inspect the corrections made by Douglass and instances where he admits mistakes, ignorance or arrogance in his second autobiography. Lastly, it will look and compare Douglass’ growth as a character and maturity when discussing his education, first attempt and second successful attempt at escaping slavery.