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The slave trade and slavery left behind a peculiar trace the poisonous fruit of racism and discrimination, which still affects people of African descent. Frederick Douglas was one of the most influential writers about American slavery as he experienced the hard times himself. He was born in 1818 and barely knew his mother; at the age of seven, he was sent as a slave to Baltimore, where he learned to read the King James Bible and sermons (Douglass 2). Douglass was sent to brutal labor under the supervision of a cruel farm owner. He failed in the first attempt to escape, but later, having dressed in a sailor uniform, he went north to freedom and a place in history. Even though Douglas managed to escape, he experienced all the struggles of being a slave and wrote a book about the life of the enslaved who tried to resist the regime.
Frederick Douglass left an enormous legacy contributing to the history of slavery in the territory of the U.S. In his work, he described life in struggles how black people were used as free labor by the whites. The legacy of slavery and racial inequality can still be seen in countless other ways in American society. The author disclosed the ideas of black men who fought for freedom and what methods they used to resist the owners.
One of the most common forms of slave resistance was theft. The enslaved people were barely paid for their hard work and could not afford to buy even food. In addition, their diet was often extremely insufficient to provide the nutrition and calories needed to maintain daily loads on the plantations (Douglass 23). The hungry slaves claimed that the abundance of the owner should be shared with those who produced it (Douglass 14). As a result, they would steal groceries from their owners, paying a higher price in the form of punishment.
What is more, if the slaveholder increased the workload, provided meager rations, or punished slaves too severely, according to Douglass, the enslaved people expressed their dissatisfaction by slowing down work, feigning illness, breaking tools, or sabotaging production (10). He said that these simple forms of resistance irritated the slaveholders, but they could not do anything to stop them without requiring larger-scale interruptions in production (Douglass 14). Thus, the enslaved often agreed on the primary conditions of their daily life. The owners stopped benefiting from these negotiations as the satisfied slaves worked harder, increasing productivity and efficiency.
However, the most popular types of resistance were riots and rebellions. Slaves appropriated weapons, burned property, stole items, and even killed their masters and other whites. In his writing, Douglass said that after he freed himself, he became the leader of the abolitionist movement (36). The author expressed his resistance through the newspaper claiming his disgust with the slaveholders who kept torturing innocent men. It was his protest which has dramatically impacted the lives of enslaved people.
In conclusion, the story of slavery challenges people to find solutions to the pressing problems of a society freed from slavery, including issues of cultural pluralism, mutual respect, reparations, and national reconciliation. Among the most common types of slave resistance were theft, neglecting the routine, and rebellions. Frederick Douglass attempted to overthrow slavery by presiding over the abolitionist movement and proclaiming anti-violence ideas in the newspapers.
Work Cited
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. Elegant Books, 1845.
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