Frederick Douglass: An American Slave

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Throughout the time in which slavery was prominent in America, the life of a slave is one in which most people today could never fathom. Stripped of their rights, values, and sense of identity, African American slaves often experienced unthinkable acts of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment. Frederick Douglass speaks about such horrors of his own personal experience as a slave in antebellum America throughout his work Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. During both the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, many often believed that the majority of slaves lived their life on plantations. However, in reality, only about one half of the slaves during this time lived their lives on plantations. The remaining individuals …show more content…
Upon arrival to America on crowded, unsanitary ships, Africans were cleaned and shaved, often being oiled as well to make themselves appear healthier and more profitable for their seller. Once sold, individuals were stripped of their identity and given new names, while most were separated from their families. Many endured training periods in which they were instructed to become subservient to their owner and obey any commands they were given. For slaves living on plantations, life was much more grueling than it was in cities and on small farms. As Frederick Douglass described it, “A city slave is almost a freeman, compared with a slave on the plantation. He is much better fed and clothed, and enjoys privileges altogether unknown to the slave on the plantation” (Douglass 34). Despite where slaves were placed, living conditions and treatment were both inhumane and unsafe. For most slaves, work lasted from sunrise until sunset, no matter what age the individual was. Diet supplied by slave owners …show more content…
Many were provided with a yearly bundle of clothing consisting of “two coarse linen shirts, one pair of linen trousers, like the shirts, and one jacket one pair of trousers … the whole of which could not have cost more than seven dollars” (Douglass 10). With no replacement of clothing until the next allowance year, many often were forced to complete their work naked until slaveholders allocated them new clothing for the next year. Regardless of gender, children were often victims of such abuses, no matter what season of the year it
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