Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Maryland, New York, Massachusetts from about 1820 to 1841

In this life story, Douglass offers a glimpse into the cruelty of slavery. His experience was not so tragic as those of many slaves, since he spent much of his enslavement as a house servant, but it does reveal the injustice of the cruel institution. Douglass moved from home to home in his youth, either sold, rented, or traded away. His moves exposed him to people and experiences that shaped his life. Douglass would become a major figure in the abolitionist movement as a writer and speaker.

• The role of Christianity in slaveholding households and in society.
  
• The power of speech in contrast to the powerlessness of enslavement.
  
• Civil rights, then and now.
  
• The effects of slavery and lessons learned.
  
• Education: how it was achieved and valued by Douglass and others.