Central Idea
The Slave Trade
The act of slavery and owning people was wrong but many tried to convince themselves that it was the right thing to do. White Americans perfected a system of trade that used crops as currency to purchase Africans to become slaves and further develop the American economy
What is the history of slavery prior to the American Slave Trade?
Native Americans owned enslaved people and in Africa, blacks owned other black enslaved people who helped with domestic chores
Why did enslaved people sing?
The songs were a release of the emotions enslaved people felt about the torment of their captivity. They were expressions of sadness
Harriet Bailey
Frederick Douglass’ mother who visited him at nights on his plantation, died when he was young, never built a relationship with her son
Sandy Jenkins
Let Douglass stay with him after he left Covey; told him about a root that would prevent him from being beaten
Abolition
Increased talk of ending slavery led to a movement to end slavery.
Though the slave trade was abolished, and many people thought that slavery was wrong, why didn’t Southerners want to abolish slavery as a whole?
Slavery was very profitable and many Southerners thought it would cause great harm to the economy
Summarize Douglass’ plan for escape and what the end result was
Douglass anxiously waits for Saturday morning, because this was the morning of departure. He went to get breakfast like he normally did, with the other enslaved people, and noticed something was different. He was then called inside by his slaveholder, who quickly tied him up. Next, were the
others. Henry refused to be tied up and was beaten severely, until he complied. They knew someone had told the slaveholder of their plan to run,but also knew that th slaveholder had no evidence. Frederick burned his evidence (forged papers) and requested the others eat theirs, as they followed behind horses on their way to jail. They all agreed to present a case that insisted that they had no intentions of running, because, they now had no evidence to prove they were going to run. They were still placed in prison
Noah Willis
Overseer of Wye Town
Claude McKay
wrote “If We Must Die,” a prominent Jamaican author living and writing in Harlem, New York. This poem was published in 1919, about 55 years after slavery ended
Excerpt 2
Frederick Douglass had little to no information about his personal history as a result of the implications of slavery.
Why was Missouri’s decision between becoming a northern or southern state so important to the union as a whole?
Southern state would equal more votes for slavery and the Northern states would be outvoted in Congress. To ensure equality, when Missouri became a Southern state, Maine was founded to keep the balance.
What simile does the poet develop in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and what does it mean?
The speaker compares his soul to the rivers. He describes it as “growing deep”. A river carries on over centuries, carving out the landscape around it and growing deep. This comparison contributes to the idea that our souls are forged by the generations who come before us, growing deeper in knowledge with each generation.
Paul Lawrence Dunbar
famous American poet, wrote “We Wear the Mask” in 1895.
Langston Hughes
wrote “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” about 75 years after Douglass’ autobiography was published
Excerpt 4
Being chosen to move to Baltimore was a turning point for Frederick Douglass because he sees it as God’s favoring of him and despite city life being easier than life on the plantation, learning to read is the true path to freedom
What was Douglass’ relationship with his mother like?
She was sold when he was just an infant and didn’t get to see her often. She’d walk down to his plantation at night, risking being caught to lay with him while he slept. When she died, he felt more like a stranger had died
How does Douglass distinguish between the difference of enslaved life in the city versus the plantation?
Douglass discussed, by providing specific details, his life at each owner’s house in Baltimore, with a tone that was much more caring of them, than when he previously spoke about slave owners on plantations. He described his experience and allowed the readers to determine how it was different by remembering details from earlier excerpts
Booker T. Washington
prominent African American scholar and President of the Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington, presented a compromise between Southern black leaders and Southern white leaders. The compromise stated that African Americans should not agitate for social and political equality in return for opportunity to acquire vocational education.
Mr. Covey
Overseer while Douglass was a field hand; beat Douglass many times but was eventually beat by Douglass and never touched him again
Excerpt 5
Frederick Douglass struggles with his transition from being a house slave to becoming a field slave
What did enslaved people receive monthly?
Monthly – eight pounds of pork or fish, one bushel of corn meal; Yearly – 2 shirts, 1 pair of pants, one jacket, one pair of winter pants, one pair of socks, one pair of shoes
What did enslaved people receive monthly?
Monthly – eight pounds of pork or fish, one bushel of corn meal
Henrietta and Mary
Slaves belonging to Thomas Hamilton. Overworked, underfed, and physically beaten.
Betsy Freeland
Called Douglass a devil for plotting the escape attempt and influencing her son, despite the fact that it was interrupted before it could happen