A slaves life
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave
Frederick is a slave and he doesn't know how old he is. The most masters want that the slaves don't know their age. The master of Frederick seperates him form his mother as he is an infant. His mother visits him very often by foot. It's a very long and dangerous distance. Fredericks master is very cruel. One day Aunt Hester goes out without a permission. The master is so angry that he punishs her very horrible.
This plantation is the government of the other 20 plantations. Here the slaves f.e. gets their monthly allowance of food and their yearly clothing.
On the allowence day when slaves come to the Great house farm they sing songs. These are songs about their sorrow and the cruelty in their life. A slave is not allow to say somthing negative about his master. Colonel has so many slaves that he doesn't know them all. One day he sees a black and doesn't know that he is his slave.
The new overseer on the plantation is the most cruel they ever had. He kills a slave because he disobeys. Although this he is no murderer. The master says that he has done his job very well.
Frederick comes away from his old plantation and comes to Baltimore to Mr. and Mrs. Auld. He has many hopes for a better life. The new mistress is very nice and learns him how to read until Mr. Hughs forbids it.
An other slave in an other family has instead a very horrible life. Her mistress whips her every day so that the slave is so cut to pieces that she has the name "pecked".
When he is 12 years od he is able to read because he learned it secretly from his white friends.
One day he hears the word abolistionist and he doesn't know what ist is. A few days later he knows the word.
On this day he helps some man to load their ship. They ask him if he is a slave. As he agrees they says that he should run away. Frederick is very afraid of these men but since this day he thinks every day about escaping.
Now he wants to learn how to write. He learns it by his self, asks his friends and looks in the books of Thomas ( the son from Mr. and Mrs. Auld ) who goes now to school
After his old master died he is the property of his daughter but he goes although back to Baltimore.
When his new mistress dies, he has to go to master Thomas. Thomas Auld is very mean and cruel to his slaves. The slaves don't say master to him because he isn't a born slaveholder. Although he wants the title master the slaves say
Captain Auld. Nine month later Frederick comes to Mr. Covey.
This master is very cruel and whips Frederick every day. He gives the slaves enough to eat but they have often only five minutes for their food.
At that time Frederick works the first time on the field. Mr. Covey watches his slaves secretly.
At this time Frederick thinks the second time of run away.
One day Mr. Covey whips him so hard on the head that the blood is on the whole body of Frederick. He runs to his master Thomas to ask him to give him away from Mr. Covey. He neglects and sends him back to the farm. When he reaches the first field Mr. Covey sees him and wants to beat him. Frederick hides in the high corn. Mr. Covey searches him but he gives it up after a few time. Frederick stays in the wood and meets Sandy Jenkins. It's Saturday and he wants to visit her free wife. Frederick comes with him.
Sandy gives him a root who should protect him. As Frederick comes back to the plantation he has a fight with Mr. Covey. From this time he is never again whiped. This is the spirit of the root.
In 1832 he comes to Mr. Freeland. He is religious and not very good. At this time by Mr. Freeland Frederick teaches the other slaves on Sunday how to read in the house of a free black man secretly. He loves this doing and the year passes very fast. One day Frederick and some other slaves make a plan to run away. But the whites experienced it and they comes in the jail in Easton. Soon Mr. Freeland catches the slaves without Frederick home. Now Frederick is alone.
He feels not very good. Some day later Mr. Thomas comes to catch him to Baltimore to Mr. Hughs. Mr. Hugh hired him to Mr. Gardener.
One day the workers of Mr. Gardener beat Frederick down and he runs to Mr. Hugh. He decides to protect Frederick. Some weeks later he gets a new job and he earns money for the first time. He has to give the wages to Mr. Hugh.
One day he asks him if he can hire his time. He agrees and so Frederick feels like a free man. He has to give Mr. Hugh 3 dollers every week. One day he forgets it and he isn't allow to hire his time longer.
Now he works very hard and earns a lot of money and so Mr. Hugh is well pleased. Frederick wants to run away but it's hard for him to leave his friends. He is very afraid of running away because when they catch him he would be a slave forever or dead.
One day he escapes to New York. There he is very alone and he trusts nobody. Mr. Ruggle helps him. Frederick is very happy and writes his free wife to come to him. They marry and Mr. Ruggle says to them that it's better to go to New Bedford. When he reachs Bedford he has to change his name the third time. He lives by Mr. Johnson, an abolitionist, and he gives him the name Frederick
Douglass becaue he read "Lady of the lake". This town is very strange for him. There are no men who get whipped. There are no half-naked children and barefoot women. Every thing looks very clean, new and beautiful.
The people look more happier, stronger and healthier. He makes every job he finds.
He begin to read the "Liberty" and he enjoys to meet Anti-Slavery meetings.
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