Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave: Written by Himself

Book Description

In 1845, just seven years after his escape from slavery, the young Frederick Douglass published this powerful account of his life in bondage and his triumph over oppression. The book, which marked the beginning of Douglass’s career as an impassioned writer, journalist, and orator for the abolitionist cause, reveals the terrors he faced as a slave, the brutalities of his owners and overseers, and his harrowing escape to the North. It has become a classic of American autobiography.
This edition of the book, based on the authoritative text that appears in Yale University Press’s multivolume edition of the Frederick Douglass Papers, is the only edition of Douglass’s Narrative designated as an Approved Text by the Modern Language Association’s Committee on Scholarly Editions. It includes a chronology of Douglass’s life, a thorough introduction by the eminent Douglass scholar John Blassingame, historical notes, and reader responses to the first edition of 1845.
“None so dramatically as Douglass integrated both the horror and the great quest of the African-American experience into the deep stream of American autobiography. He advanced and extended that tradition and is rightfully designated one of its greatest practitioners.”—John W. Blassingame, from the introduction

Customer Reviews:

Forgotten American Political Classic, Best Slave Narrative Reading .......2007-10-07

I read this book some years ago and thought it the best American personnal slave narrative ever written.A forerunner of the 20th century's ,'Autobiography of Malcolm X'.This book is sadly forgotten by many,both among black and white educators.Frederick Douglass was more than an "American Moses",he could have been called ,an 'American Frederick Engels'.Douglass had the power of literacy,which the European-American christians always wanted surpressed and restricted for everybody,especially slaves and the church laity.Douglass had the power of knowledge,and the ablity to reason,which in turn leads to a better society.The more freedom of knowledge is restricted by authorities,the more explosive the base of society becomes.The free exchange of ideas has always allowed a democracy to flourish,and inturn a more stable and progressive society,a 'Great Society'.Frederick Douglass' Washingtonian beacon house still stands proudly on the hill overlooking the scenic and political landscape.This book is a short classic narrative,yet still worthy of investing one's time reading today.

fantastic reading.......2007-07-31

I love reading about history,part of history that everyone should read about. I would recommend to everyone...

Simply the best narrative I have read..........2007-07-18

As society moves about, the slavery of the past remains alive and well. "Sweep it under the rug and do not bring it up" is the mindset of many. This type of suppression is often brought about because of the known guilt of an unfair past. American slavery has deep roots, reading the life of Fredrick Douglass, will help unveil some of the true history of America.

At one point in the book Douglass realized he had past the time of being an indentured servant and knew that being a slave for life was his fate. He was treated with little if no respect. Douglass described Mr. Severe, one of his "masters", as a man who would whip a slave for almost no reason at all (22). Dougless illustrated that Mr. Severe had no respect for his slaves, but treated them as if they were not human.

Many people may think that Douglass story was the exception, but that's not the case. Many times through out the book Douglass spoke of other slave's punishment as far worse than his own. He even recorded the murder of two slaves in Talbot, Maryland and stated that the slave owner never paid for the crime (31-33). This type of abuse almost seems unfathomable, but it's reality.

Studying the origins of slavery can allow us to see the disgusting progression of the enslavement of human life and stripping of human character. Douglass' narrative provides the reader with a glimpse into the life of a slave. The emotional state of Douglass was strong, considering the abuse that he underwent during his life. The narrative of Fredrick Douglass is a superb read for anyone wanting to get a first hand understanding of the life of an American slave.

must read, best on the psychology of slavery, particularly on owners.......2007-01-18

This is an absolutely amazing narrative, of the growth of an individual from the most brutish of slave lives to a free man who took pride in his work and his mind, which he then bent to political action. While told as a story, this book is actually an essay on personal struggle and development: to respect himself, to change his circumstances, to be re-born. At that, it is extremely powerful and moving. The reader empathizes completely with his rage, his awakening, and his striving to grow. He came to the point where he would rather fight back than die slowly, never to be dominated in his spirit.

But it also points to the effect of slavery on their owners. While there are the standard cruel and selfish ones, who are attempting to "break" his spirit in order to domesticate him, the story of how it twists the souls of essentially good people that is the most interesting and shocking. It is like a sickness, their total and unresponsible power, that extingusihes their empathy and replaces it with the most horrible selfishness, as they debase themselves with cruelty. You get the whippings and routine humilations, but also what that does to the perpetrators. This means that the book never descends into stereotypes, but reads as an extremely fresh story by a thoughtful, indeed brilliant, man.

THere are also many interesting asides, which are often philosophical. He points out the hypocrisy of southern christians, who make the worst and most cruel and self-righteous slavers, all while justifying their behavior by the bible. He also recounts how he expected that the "refinement" of the southern gentleman and their leisure would be impsooble in the North, which he pictured as poor as the non-slave holding population in the South - but he discovers an entirely different kind of economic life, in which men worked and prospered and deveoped themselves even more than what he had observed on plantations. But the most important thing is his recounting of his inner journey, which was encouraged by his learning to read as a way to overcome the ignorence that made for "contented slaves."

There is so much food for thought on the human spirit as well as wonder at how the US has evolved. Highest recommendation. If you like this, you should also read Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriat A. Jacobs.

Breaking the bonds of slavery.......2006-07-14

This nonfiction revels in importance simply because of its magnitude in not only the fight against slavery in the latter part of the 1800s (and the subsequent abolition), but also because of its brutal honesty for an individual who should be considered an ancestor of civil rights. Fredrick Douglass narrates in detail many of the terrors, horrors, and injustices that he and those around him had to endure during his years as a slave in Maryland. He describes the beatings, whippings, tortures and even deaths that he was close to and had no power to stop. He makes the point that slaveholders gained control over slaves by dehumanizing them, making them ignorant against their own accord, and ultimately having control over them. Frederick does everything in his power to negate this dehumanization, and begins to learn to read and write, but with more knowledge gained he has a stronger sense of loathing those who enslave him: "The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. I could regard them in no better light than a band of successful robbers who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen us from our homes..."

He should be considered a hero for standing up to hardships with little or no support on his side, and finding strength to get past these when he had seemingly had his spirit broken. One important moment is the incident with Edward Covey, the notorious "slave breaker", when rather than giving in, Frederick gets into a rather lengthy physical fight. From this time onward, Frederick is resolved to never let others get the best of him, try to force him to do anything against his will, without a fight. Later he resolves that when the right time comes, he will try to run from slavery and escape. When he is able to land in New York, a kind-hearted man, David Ruggles, comes to his aid and helps him get work.

Historically, this is an important story for Americans to know. Douglass' account is a short narrative (a little over one hundred pages), and reads rather quickly, but in that short time he is able to illustrate just how degrading the issue of slavery had become. His autobiography shows the importance of change, the lows with which others sometimes subject each other to, and the essence of taking up a fight against injustices.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)

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The Rest of the Story
Not Just a African, but an American Hero!
Required Reading
My heart broke

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)
Frederick Douglass
Manufacturer: Bedford/St. Martin's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312257376

Customer Reviews:

The Rest of the Story.......2007-07-07

In the classic slave narrative genre, Frederick Douglass' narrative of his life brings to life, in all its horrors, American slave society, and one slave's life-long protest against it.

When we read Frederick Douglass in his own words, he is less the radical and more the reformer than we've been led to believe. He is also more the Christian statesmen and less the Christianity critic than we might imagine. Douglass' oft quoted comments about Christianity had much more to do with a righteous critique of distorted Christian living practiced by white masters than with any critique of Christianity or of Christ. In reality, Douglass, like so many enslaved African Americans before and after him, saw in Jesus a Savior they could identify with--a suffering Savior.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Soul Physicians, and Spiritual Friends.

Not Just a African, but an American Hero!.......2005-10-10

Frederick Douglass is the complete ressurection of the saying, "Knowledge is Power." With the more information he aquired as a slave the more he lusted for freedom. He also provides an excellent example of what black people in this country could do for themselves, interms of their economical status. Looking further, Douglass loved to think and imagine the endless possiblities, while he was still in bondage physically. When he began to read and understand the "Hypocrasy" that this country was based on, using christianity as it main tool, and what every human should be allowed by right, this released his psychological enslavement. If blacks throughout this country could read and understand there were blacks that went through worse situatians and overcame them, and the current situation that destroy the black communities were created for them to fail, just like slavery, many would wake up and take on the mask of Douglass. The mask that says, "regardless of class, race, or creed, this world was created for everyone to enjoy including me."

Required Reading.......2004-08-27

I read this book as part of a summer assignment entering into the 11th grade in addition to "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" by Harriet Jacobs. Both are great pieces of African-American historical literature and well worth the read. I couldn't read this book all in one sitting, due to the need to fight the urge to throw up. He detailed descriptions of physical, psycological, and emotional abuse are enough to sicken any one and make you disgusted with the human race.

My heart broke.......2004-06-11

The honesty with which this is written is amazing. I was glued to it from page one. I felt disgusted by the human race, saddened by his traumas and guilty just for being white. I think this needs to be read more. Especially in schools. Why isn't it???

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself (Enriched Classics)

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narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas: An American Slave, Written by Himself
A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself (Enriched Classics)
Frederick Douglass
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 074348777X

Book Description

ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED

BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP

Frederick Douglass's powerful autobiographical account of life in bondage and his triumphant escape to freedom.

EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES:

• A concise introduction that gives readers important background information

• A chronology of the author's life and work

• A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context

• An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations

• Detailed explanatory notes

• Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work

• Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction

• A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience

Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.

SERIES EDITED BY CYNTHIA BRANTLEY JOHNSON

Customer Reviews:

narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas: An American Slave, Written by Himself.......2007-09-09

I ordered this book for my daughter,for college. She is very pleased with it.

A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.......2007-07-29

Frederick Douglass was a social thinker in his time. The book was
first published in 1845 by the Anti-Slavery Office. A memorable
quote is presented:
" I was born in Tuckahoe near Hillsborough and about 12 miles
from Easton in Talbot County, MD. I have no accurate knowledge of my
age, never having seen any authentic record containing it.
By far, the larger part of slaves know as little of their ages,
as horses know of theirs and it is the wish of most masters within
my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant."

Frederick Douglass tells of the cruel whippings of slaves.
He describes Mr. Severe who was both cruel and profane. There are
recitations of trips to the Great House Farm in order to pick up the
monthly allowance by slaves. The book chronicles his plan and
success in escaping slavery. He was wary of the "Underground
Railroad" because it stimulated masters to increase their
general surveillance and watchfulness over the slaves.
The work contains an eye-opening recitation of the treatment of slaves
even a half century after the Constitution was written.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself (Norton Critical Editions)

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself (Norton Critical Editions)
Frederick Douglass
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393969665

Book Description

Upon its publication in 1845, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself became an immediate best-seller. In addition to its far-reaching impact on the antislavery movement in the United States and abroad, Douglass's fugitive slave narrative won recognition for its literary excellence, which has since earned it a place among the classics of nineteenth-century American autobiography This Norton Critical Edition reprints the 1845 first edition of Douglass's compelling autobiography Explanatory annotations accompany the text. A rich selection of "Contexts" provides readers with contemporary perspective. Included are the little-known preface that Douglass wrote in 1846 expressly for the second Irish edition of his Narrative; a public exchange of letters between A. C. C. Thompson, a former slaveholder, and Douglass; three autobiographical portraits of Douglass's parents; Douglass's account of his escape from slavery which he chose not to include in the 1845 Narrative; samples of Douglass's use of his slave experience in two of his most influential antislavery speeches; and reminiscences of Douglass as both orator and friend by James Monroe Gregory and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. "Criticism" collects six essential assessments of the Narrative's historical and literary significance by William S. McFeely Peter Ripley Robert B. Stepto, William L. Andrews, Houston A. Baker, Jr., and Deborah E. McDowell. A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are also included.

Book Description

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey in Maryland. As a young boy he was sent to Baltimore, to be a house servant, where he learned to read and write, with the assistance of his master's wife. In 1838 he escaped from slavery and went to New York City, where he married Anna Murray, a free colored woman whom he had met in Baltimore. Soon thereafter he changed his name to Frederick Douglass. In 1841 he addressed a convention of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society in Nantucket and so greatly impressed the group that they immediately employed him as an agent. He was such an impressive orator that numerous persons doubted if he had ever been a slave, and he wrote this classic book about his life story.

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