Definitions
What is an optimist?
Someone who blocks out what is bad and only sees things in a positive light.
When was Frederick Douglass born?
1818
Who is Mr. Gore?
The overseer who was absolutely brutal in his treatment of the slaves including shooting and killing a slave who did not listen to his command.
How does G.K. Chesterton tell us we should see our nation even with its past and present sins?
Chesterton tells us to view our nation with love as that will adorn it with beauty.
(Connect this to a modern application)
What is a pessimist?
Someone who does not see the positives and only views things in a negative light?
When did he escape to freedom?
1838
What events of Douglass's childhood gave him hope for freedom?
Being sent from the plantation to the city of Baltimore as well as learning how to read and write.
(connect this to him seeing this as God's Providence)
Why is hope important?
Hope gives us the ability to look past our present circumstances to the God who is working all things for our good which gives us strength to survive even terrible times.
What is hypocrisy?
When words and actions don't match or fake appearances to disguise an ugly heart.
What is the setting of Douglass' early years of slavery? Why is this significant?
Antebellum Maryland. Border state. Less brutal than the deep South.
How did Douglass survive the slave breaker, Mr. Covey?
Douglass ended up fighting with him instead of being beaten to death and Mr. Covey didn't kill him for it, probably because with his reputation as a slave breaker, he didn't want the story to get out that his slave had beaten him in a fight.
Describe two injustices of slave masters. How does Douglass remain more free than his slave masters?
Examples will vary. They are enslaved to their guilt and their consciences. Douglass leaves vengeance in the hands of the Lord. He will repay them for their crimes even though their crimes were not punished on earth.
What is a Negative Memorial?
A negative memorial is something that causes you to remember a negative event or a failure.
What important American historical figures were alive during Douglass's early life? Why is this significant.
Many of the founding fathers including Madison, Adams, and Jefferson. Jefferson himself had penned the words that in America, all men were created equal. However, slavery strongly contradicted this writing.
Give three specific examples of how masters forced and manipulated slaves to remain in the life of slavery?
How did slave masters justify slavery through religious arguments?
-removing sin from the slaves and taking care of them
-God condoned slavery throughout scripture
-descendants of Ham so they are cursed
Give a Biblical example and a contemporary example of a negative memorial.
What were the fugitive slave acts and how did they shift between the early 1800s and the 1850s?
The fugitive slave acts protected the slave owners rights to their escaped slaves. The fugitive slave act prior to 1850 allowed for masters to come and reclaim their escaped slaves. The fugitive slave act of the 1850s required people to report and return escaped slaves to their masters.
What was life like for Douglass even after escaping to freedom?
Prejudice in the workplace. He could only receive low down jobs that were separated from white employees. Served mightily in the abolition movement even though he still felt inferior to white men. After the civil war, he served in the government positions of US Marshall for the District of Columbia and Ambassador to Haiti.