Escape from Slavery: The Boyhood of Frederick Douglass in His Own Words

by Frederick Douglass

Illus. in black-and-white. Opening note by Coretta Scott King. For the first time, the most important account ever written of a childhood in slavery is accessible to young readers. From his days as a young boy on a plantation to his first months as a freeman in Massachusetts, here are Douglass's own firsthand experiences vividly recounted--expertly excerpted and powerfully illustrated.

Genres: History, Classics, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, African American

80 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Frederick Douglass (né Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey) was born a slave in the state of Maryland in 1818. After his escape from slavery, Douglass became a renowned abolitionist, editor and feminist. Having escaped from slavery at age 20, he took the name Frederick Douglass for himself and became an advocate of abolition. Douglass traveled widely, and often perilously, to lecture against slavery.

His first of three autobiographies, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, was published in 1845. In 1847 he moved to Rochester, New York, and started working with fellow abolitionist Martin R. Delany to publish a weekly anti-slavery newspaper, North Star. Douglass was the only man to speak in favor of Elizabeth Cady Stanton's controversial plank of woman suffrage at the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. As a signer of the Declaration of Sentiments, Douglass also promoted woman suffrage in his North Star. Douglass and Stanton remained lifelong friends.

In 1870 Douglass launched The New National Era out of Washington, D.C. He was nominated for vice-president by the Equal Rights Party to run with Victoria Woodhull as presidential candidate in 1872. He became U.S. marshal of the District of Columbia in 1877, and was later appointed minister resident and consul-general to Haiti. His District of Columbia home is a national historic site. D. 1895.

More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic...

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1...

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhi...

http://www.loc.gov/collection/frederi...

http://www.nps.gov/frdo/index.htm

http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits...

Reviews

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always struggle doing this with Frederick Douglass. He uses simple words and phrases to such a powerful effect, one can't help wondering how far he would have gone with his intelligence in a time that wasn't tailored to undercut his demographic at every turn.

But nonetheless, I have tried to arranged my takeaway thoughts into a haiku, as is my way:

"Prejudice's bite
Takes years to sting, fighting just
To start at zero."

[Ericka Clou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a follow-up to Douglass's autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and fills in the missing information about how he escaped from slavery.

Frederick Douglass is one of the best writers of all time. His subject matter is captivating, but his skill as a writer is both technically perfect and extremely moving.

Some favorite sentences:
"This contest was now ended; my chains were broken, and the victory brought me unspeakable joy."
"I was without home, without acquaintance, without money, without credit, without work, and without any definite knowledge as to what course to take, or where to look for succor."

And this! I love this: "While in this situation I had little time for mental improvement. Hard work, night and day, over a furnace hot enough to keep the metal running like water, was more favorable to action than thought; yet here I often nailed a newspaper to the post near my bellows, and read while I was performing the up and down motion of the heavy beam by which the bellows was inflated and discharged."

Available free here: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~drbr/doug...

[Blake Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will be reading w/ my 5th graders this year. I now need to read the original version.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am amazed at his prose. He describes the cruelty and heartache of his youth, without being too gruesome.

This is a great intro to his book.

Quote:

It was new business to me but I never did better work or more of it in the same space of time on the plantation for Covey the negro-breaker than I did for myself.

[10~11 Madison Markwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a book to get you into gear with a biograghy.This would be a great one to read it's not to short and not to long.It's a good book to capture your attention on slavery and how Frederick Douglas contributed to helping slaves read and write.Go to your library and get to reading.

[Zach · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was a little hard to follow but it had a wealth of information on Fredrick Douglass and slavery. there where some parts where I was utterly shocked and others parts that where hard to follow and lost my interest in minutes.

[Kathryn Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good! Gives you a good idea of his life through his own words written back in 1845 or so! The editor does a good job filling in between Douglass's actual words what has been going on in his life so it is easy to understand.

[Jamie Gottlieb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assigned reading for the kids (and myself!) - excellent.

[AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is slow but it shows life of a slave

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A microcosm of the contradictions of slavery

With so much of the sordid history of slavery in the United States behind us, many of the major wounds have been healed. However, that does not mean that we should forget what it did to people. Slavery turned otherwise kindly people into beasts. Eventually, it was the wedge that drove two segments of the U.S. into overt warfare.
Frederick Douglass was one of the most articulate voices opposed to slavery among free blacks. A natural writer, he describes his life in slavery and how dehumanizing it was. The time he spent in slavery was a microcosm of most of the contradictions of slavery. Taken from his mother at a young age, he knew nothing about his white father. A slave was property to their owner, somewhat on a par with a horse or cattle. And yet, many slaveholders fathered children with their female slaves. Many slaves were severely beaten or killed for disobedience. Chivalrous gentleman who would not tolerate a man beating a horse would speak approval of similar actions being performed on a defenseless slave. Douglass was beaten many times, even to the point of possible permanent injury, for actions that were simply human. Finally, there was the bizarre spectacle of slaves and free blacks living in the same areas, sometimes even being relatives by blood or marriage. The woman who eventually became his wife was a free woman while he was a slave, joining him after he escaped to freedom.
It does us all good to be reminded how destructive slavery was to the structure of American society. Douglass lived on both sides of the issue and his story of the slave years are a powerful tale of human destruction. Written for older children, this book should be required reading for graduation from high school.

This review also appears on Amazon.

[W Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a riveting book that not even my out-of-town guest could put down! This is a wonderfully edited and beautifully scratchboard-illustrated excerpt of Frederick Douglass's auto-biography, I intend to add it to my school library as soon as possible. The forward by Coretta Scott focused my attention and reminded me of Frederick Douglass's role in history. However, I would skip the introduction which repeats exact words from chapter one. It was an amazing opportunity to learn about Frederick's life as a slave from childhood to early adult. From his perspective, you gain the well-earned loathing of slaveholders, gritty details of clothing, food, and punishments, beratements from fellow shipyard workers, the details of his final escape, and an understanding of the evolution of his name. What a strong, inspiring man!

[Julie Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally don't like autobiographies, but this one was very well written! There's a foreword by Coretta Scott King (Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife) and it just gets better as you go along! This version isn't the full version that Frederick Douglass wrote; it's been shortened slightly with chapter notes at the beginning of each chapter to summarize. Great style to introduce young adults to autobiographies. It tells the story of when Frederick was young and the struggles of being raised on a plantation, moves through his earlier years where he gets sold and passed around, and tells the amazing story of his escape to freedom! Great book!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slave who would work during the holidays considered by our masters as scarcely deserving them. He was regarded as one who rejected the favor of his master. It was deemed a disgrace not to get drunk at Christmas; and he was regarded as lazy indeed, who had not provided himself with the necessary means, during the year, to get whisky enough to last him through Christmas. From what I know of the effect of these holidays upon the slave, I believe them to be among the most effective means in the hands of the slaveholder in keeping down the spirit of insurrection. - Frederick Douglas

[Ephraim Burrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fredick Douglass, and his story from boyhood to adulthood. In mostly his own words, but also the shortened by editing. We learn in this story of how Fredrick Douglass was born, taken from his parents and given to people who were his masters. The difficulties of being a slave and also how to escape that slavery.

Well written, with a education surprising coming from a slave, also you are able to see the hard work conditions, and the mistreatment of slavery in your mind. Really liked this book, and loved how it is autobiographical.

[Clayton Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In the country from which I came, a white man holding no slaves was usually an ignorant and poverty-stricken man, and men of this class were contemptuously called "poor white trash." Hence I supposed that, since the non-slave-holders at the South were ignorant, poor, and degraded as a class, the non-slave-holders at the North must be in a similar condition. I could have landed in no part of the United States where I should have found a more striking and gratifying contrast, not only to life generally in the South, but in the condition of the colored people there, than in New Bedford.”

[Frank Chiaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! This book gave me so much more of a clear view o the slavery in the late 1800s. This book was all about the life of Fredrick Douglass, and how he became a free person. This book has a lot of disturbing parts to it, but it dose make you appreciate what the slaves had to go through back when slaves where still legal. The main reason I liked this book so much was because it was a true story. You should read this book.

[Anup Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the way the author described his journey. In spite of suffering through all the torment of slavery the focus was on freedom. Given the kind of treatment the author received there is hardly any bitterness noticeable. Although the theme of the book is specific I believe the lesson could be applied in many situations. In the worst of the situations the last of the freedoms one has is to choose their attitude and this book serves as a perfect example .

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was able to read this book with my children, and we all learned more than we knew before about slavery. Douglass details his life experiences without a lot of commentary, and this unemotional style helped me to get through reading his story.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a shorter version of the autobiography, My Escape from Slavery, by Frederic Douglass. The book is about his childhood as a slave, which is aimed at young readers. Very interesting reading about a great American.

[Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is very touchy and teaches you lots of things that we should remember I love this book is very unique and I would love to read lots more from this books.

[Keka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wonder what would've happened if that would've been me? The courage is unfathomable...

[Michael Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short

I was expecting a longer book. Interesting story from a great man of history. Not much else I can say about it.