Writing Assignment: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
For millions of African-Americans before the Civil War, slavery was a fact of life and an entire system of laws and customs sought to maintain the institution of slavery. For some, running away was the only course for survival, but often came at great risk. Those who escaped slavery often worked with the abolitionist movement to help free slaves. One of the most famous ex-slaves was Frederick Douglass. Born a slave in Maryland, he eventually escape to freedom and begin writing and speaking for the abolitionist cause.
One of his most important works recounted his own experience as a slave, The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, published in 1845.
In this assignment, you will write a 3-5 page paper describing its contents and significance. In your paper, you will need to answer the following:
– Who are some of the people Douglass describes in detail during his lifetime as slave?
– Why do you think these people are important to mention and what relationship do they have to Douglass?
– What are two different ways slave owners try to control slaves? How do these methods change the slaves according to Douglass and how did he feel personally about being controlled?
– What does Douglass think of religion in the South and its relationship with slavery?
– Why does Douglass have to clarify his position at the end of his work?
Formatting: Papers must be typed and double-spaced. The papers should be formatted with 1 inch margins on all sides and be written in a standard font, like Arial or Times New Roman, in size 12 font. A minimum of three full pages of text are required. No cover page is required. An example will be available on Canvas.
Citations: When quoting or paraphrasing from the text, use parenthetical citations (Author, Page #). The author’s name is only needed for the first citation, subsequent citations will just require the page or paragraph number. A Works Cited page is not required, however if you use an edition other than the Gutenberg edition, then provide the edition used.