Fredrick Douglas

Justeen Tomlinson

History 17A

15 November 2006

Question #2

The year is 1845 and I am here sitting with the famous self-educated Negro man, Fredrick Douglas. After reading the "Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglas", I have some questions for him about the conditions and brutality he claimed slaves went through and also aspects of the life of a slave. As a white Southern reporter I feel that slavery is good, and many of the slaves are happy to be their condition. Slavery in many minds of southerners is a positive civilizing development for African Americans.

When a slave is out working in the hot sun, doing hard labor in the fields of there master they sing and whistle because they are happy. Many slaves if you were to ask them how their master treats them would answer with a positive answer, putting their master on a pedestal in a sense. This is the common perception of a white southerner, but the truth is different says Fredrick Douglas.

Reporter: Mr. Douglas, when a slave is addressed about their master and his treatment of the slave, what is the slave suppose to say and what does he truly want to say?

Douglas: When a slave is addressed by a common southerner about the character and treatment of his master towards him, a majority of the time slaves are lying when they say that it is fine. "If they have anything to say of their masters, it is generally in their master's favor, especially when speaking to an untried man" (Douglass, 54). Slaves finding fault with in their masters in an insult, so many of the slaves complaining about their masters would be sold down the river. "This is the penalty of telling the truth, of telling the simple truth, in an answer to a series of plain questions."(54)

From my views, slaves seem to be happy with their master and the treatment they are given, I find this to be true for various reasons, one being because you hardly see any slaves complaining or showing misconduct towards their masters. Another reason is that slaves from various plantations would get together and argue and also quarrel over who had the better master. They would argue such cases as to who has the richest, the smartest, or the kindest master. I asked Fredrick Douglass about his feelings towards this assessment.

Reporter: How can it be said that slaves are unhappy with their masters, when it is obvious that many slaves are fighting each other over the reputation of their master? What are your feelings towards this whole incident?

Douglass: Personally, I find this whole matter, embarrassing and pathetic of many of the slaves. The slaves are arguing over their masters about who has the wealthiest, strongest, or smartest master, yet foolishly they are fighting over and defending, the men that are keeping them enslaved. "They seemed to think that the greatness of their masters was transferable to themselves. It was considered as being bad enough to a slave; but to be a poor man's slave