FREDERICK DOUGLASS--

"Once the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall."

Gandhi

During the Civil War, many escaped fugitives helped other slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. One of the fugitives who helped was a man named Frederick Douglass. Douglass escaped the bonds of slavery when he was twenty-one, fleeing to Massachusetts and later to England. Douglass led a remarkable life and is today widely known for his courage to fight back against the chains of slavery. This rebellion against slavery is seen in three of Frederick's narratives: My Bondage and My Freedom, "The Battle with Mr. Covey," and "What the Black Man Wants."

In his first narrative, My Bondage and My Freedom, Frederick Douglass describes his early childhood as a slave. He talks about how his mistress is kind and educates him until her husband tells her she is no longer allowed to do so. Douglass becomes desperate and turns to his white friends for his education. When Douglass acquires enough money, he purchases a schoolbook. Upon reading the book, Douglass grows even more educated and begins to shape his views on slavery. Douglass has taken the first step in his fight against slavery by arming himself with knowledge. "Once awakened by the silver trump of knowledge, my spirit was roused to eternal wakefulness. Liberty! the inestimable birthright of every man, had, for me, converted every object into an asserter of this great right" (Bondage). Douglass realizes that he should be free, just like everyone else.
Douglass further describes his ordeals with slavery in "The Battle with Mr. Covey," a narrative that deals with Douglass (who is now an adult) under the care of a different master named Mr. Covey. After a fallout with Mr. Covey, Douglass escapes from the plantation and stays with his friend, who gives him a root. The root, if carried, will supposedly make it impossible for Mr. Covey (or any white man) to hurt Douglass ever again. The skeptical Douglass returns to the plantation, and, sure enough, Mr. Covey tries to hurt him again. By some unexpected burst of courage and resolve, Douglass gets up and fights back. This moment marks a turning point in Douglass' life, a point where he resolves to physically fight back against slavery. "This battle... rekindled the few expiring embers of my freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood. It... inspired me again with a determination to be free" ("Battle" 430). Douglass has now become determined to take a stand against slavery and oppose all those who would support it.

Finally, in his speech "What the Black Man Wants," Douglass is now an adult who is at last free from the chains of slavery. Douglass is now asking society to free the black man; let him vote, let him be accountable for his actions, give him the right to choose. But most importantly, Douglass wants the black man to be left alone so he can live on his own merits. In his speech, Douglass is merely asking for a chance for the black man to live on his own. "The constitution of the human mind is such, that if it once disregards the conviction forced upon it by a revelation of truth, it requires the exercise of a higher power to produce the same conviction afterward" (Speech). Douglass is saying that once a person has a revelation of truth, that person cannot go back unless some higher power makes him go back. Likewise, once someone believes he is no longer a slave, only God can make him think he is again. At this point in his life, Douglass has fought against slavery using the power of knowledge and the power of human strength. Now, Douglass has fought against slavery using the power of speech.

In conclusion, Douglass' three narratives illustrate a common principle: a rebellion against slavery in all forms. Douglass fights slavery with education in My Bondage and My Freedom. In "The Battle with Mr. Covey," Douglass physically fights back against slavery. Lastly, in "What the Black Man Wants," Douglass fights slavery with communication, inspiring people to fight for freedom. Clearly, Douglass has liberated himself on all forms: he has freed his mind, his body, and his voice.

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