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Journal Entry - Frederick Douglas

Frederick Douglass began learning to read from his mistress, but his education was terminated when her husband advised against it. He continued teaching himself using newspapers and other materials. Learning to read made Douglass realize how limited his freedom was as a slave and led him to despise his condition. He also taught himself to write by copying another boy's handwriting, which took him several years to accomplish as an self-educated slave in the 1800s, overcoming significant obstacles.

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408 views1 page

Journal Entry - Frederick Douglas

Frederick Douglass began learning to read from his mistress, but his education was terminated when her husband advised against it. He continued teaching himself using newspapers and other materials. Learning to read made Douglass realize how limited his freedom was as a slave and led him to despise his condition. He also taught himself to write by copying another boy's handwriting, which took him several years to accomplish as an self-educated slave in the 1800s, overcoming significant obstacles.

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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Campos1

Xochilt Campos
Anise Stevens
English 1A
11 December 2015
Becoming More
In Learning to Read and Write, by Frederick Douglass, we are shown a glimpse into how
hard it was to be a black slave and be educated during the 1800s. Frederick Douglass begins
his story by talking about his experience working for the Hughs Family and how the mistress
would start his path to education by teaching him to read. It was the mistress of the house who
would teach him to read, but after being advised by her husband to cease Fredericks teaching,
immediately terminated young Fredericks education. It was after this that Douglass would go
out and read whatever he could get his hands, from newspapers to ship parts deliveries. But it
was from his reading that Douglass began to learn more about slavery and in turn despised
knowing what it meant to be a slave. He would realize how limited his freedom was and he even
hated himself for knowing how to read. At times Douglass would feel envious of the other slaves
who didnt know how to read because it meant they would never know what was going on
outside the world they knew. But even with this knowledge, Frederick Douglass also taught
himself to write by copying over the handwriting of the young Hughs boy. However what would
take a young educated boy a few years to learn would take Douglass several years to
accomplish. Though that didnt stop Frederick and in turn he had learned to read and write,
despite being a slave. Frederick Douglass would overcome many obstacles, from being
forbidden to read, to having to trade bread with other boys just so he could have a lesson taught
to him, which is quite a challenge for anyone, especially a slave in the 1800s.

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