It is a known fact that African Americans were prohibited from learning to read or write during the slave period. Despite this critical rule, there were a plethora of slave activist and former slaves that went against this strict demand, and risked their life to educate themselves on how to read and write.
Fredrick Douglass happened to be one of the courageous and determined individuals to learn to read and write and spread his knowledge with other slaves. Individuals like Douglass created a pathway for the justice and ultimate abolishment of slavery as a whole. Throughout this piece, Fredrick Douglass’ life, accomplishments, and anti-slavery movements will reflect his fight for black literacy, and the great impact his protest had on his society.
First off, Frederick Douglass was naturally introduced to slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. His mom, Harriet Bailey, was a slave; his dad was likely his mom’s slave proprietor. He saw little of his mom when growing up, and she passed away when he was ten years old. Young Douglass was raised by his grandma until the age of seven when he was sent to Baltimore to serve Hugh Auld (Deaton).
Despite still being a slave in Baltimore, the young Douglas was taught to read by the spouse of his master, Sophia Auld. Douglas had great memories of Sophia and felt he was dealt with like a human; these early approaches in learning to read would later be critical in the future success of demonstrating basic awareness and a greater aspiration to Douglass freedom (Finan). Extensively, Douglass believed that going to Baltimore was vital in empowering him to in the end escape slavery.
Moreover, in 1833, Douglass was sent to work for Edward Covey who was a notorious slave owner. Group normally whipped Douglass and his different slaves. The experience left Douglass with profound mental and physical scars, however it fortified his determination to escape from slavery (Finan).
Douglass began to conduct a master plan, unfortunately his arrangements were found and he was sent to jail. However, he came into contact with Anna Murray-Douglass a free black woman. The two of them fell deeply in love , and she later utilized her savings to assist Douglass’ escape.
In September 1838, Douglass, wearing a mariner’s uniform, got away by means of train and steamboat to Philadelphia and afterward on to New York. He stayed, incidentally, in the home of New York abolitionist David Ruggles. He later composed of his exhilaration in escaping the life of slavery and making himself a freeman on free soil (Warnick).
Next, once Douglass became a free man he took no time exercising his voice and using his knowledge to lead other slaves to freedom and literacy. In fact, he wrote several autobiographies and narratives that not only told his story, but advocated his fight for black literacy, and antislavery.
In addition, one of his popular writings titled “The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass” (Finan). Douglass believed that education is the most pivotal thing a slave must entail to gain their freedom. Education encourages Frederick to comprehend things that gradually will devastate his brain, and heart simultaneously (Warnick). Understanding the full degree of the horrors of enslavement can be destroying to an individual who has quite a set mind on the ethics and qualities of society.
More extensively, with the intent to remain dominant blacks was denied any access to anything that doesn’t involve with what the slave owners want them to do. Douglass often pondered into assumptions that slaves and education would never fit together. Throughout the passage he is continuously battling between a strong desire to become smarter and gain a better understanding and wanting to give up hope entirely.
Douglass states, “I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing.” (Douglass 61). For Douglass, finally being able to read and comprehend the facts on slavery sometimes made him more miserable. The hopelessness of the situation for himself and the slaves often saddened Douglass. Incorporating his education was a constant battle since he had to remain secretive since it wasn’t something that he should have been trying to obtain (Warnick). Douglass had discovered a whole new world with aid to him being completely literate. The worlds that he lived in begin to become more unbearable the more he understood.
Thirdly, Douglass uncovers that a simple spotlight on education as a professional endeavor dangers clouding other significant points, including self-awareness, moral development, and arrangement for community life. Developing students who can prevail in the workforce is a commendable objective, yet professional abilities should be enhanced by an increasingly all encompassing, humanistic point of view (Deaton).
Since their initial formalization in the antiquated world, the aesthetic sciences have built up this point of view. Once more, the human sciences and professional abilities are not oppositely contradicted, the sort of basic deduction empowered by the previous can be valuable in any calling, for example. Be that as it may, the aesthetic sciences offer more than backhanded financial advantages (Deaton). They can, for instance, sustain the mindfulness significant in a free society.
