Slavery and the Tale of Frederick Douglass In 1845, Frederick Douglass told his gripping story of life as a slave and a free man. Through the words of someone who endured slavery, we can only get a glimpse of what it was like, because we will never truly know the feeling of the severe physical punishment and cruelty slaves endured. Whippings, beatings, and lynchings were all too common during the era of slavery. However, not only were their bodies treated so harshly, but also their minds and souls. These slaves suffered a tremendous amount of mental and physical abuse. Slaves were deprived of what the common man takes for granted. They were forbidden to educate themselves. They were separated from their families. They were not allowed to think for themselves. In fact, they were not treated as human beings, but as objects without feelings. Using the narrative of Frederick Douglass I will discuss the oppression and survival of slave life and show how analysis of American history supported Dougalss' interpretation of slave society. The account of Frederick Douglass' life is a first-hand account of what slavery was like. It describes real events in history based on one man's experience. That man is Frederick Douglass. He was born into slavery and was a slave for most of his life. His accounts of what happened to him show that slavery in the Old South was an evil institution that turned humans into animals and an institution that dehumanized people to keep them ignorant. African Americans suffered tremendously during the terrifying years of slavery. They were beaten, overworked and mistreated by their oppressors. In many cases, slaves would rather die than be used in this… medium of paper… They enjoyed whipping people for two main reasons. The first reason was to punish a slave, the second reason was to use the whipped slave as an example to other slaves. Whipping them and making other slaves watch was one way slave owners attempted to control their slaves. They would set an example with these whippings. It was important to keep slaves fearful of their masters otherwise they would rebel. This is exactly what they did. “Resisting the innovations of gang work and forced separations…planning mass riots and assassinations” (America’s History p. 298). Bibliography: Douglass, Frederick, Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997. Henretta, James A., Brody, David, Ware, Susan, Johnson, Marilyn S., America's History Volume 1: To 1877. Boston: Bedford St. Martin's, 2000