Hugh Auld hired Frederick Douglass out to other people in Baltimore. Douglass's narrative emphasizes the importance of literacy as a means of empowerment and resisting oppression.
In Baltimore, Hugh Auld hired out Frederick Douglass to other people. Auld did not use Douglass by having him write articles or by beating him mercilessly within the context described.
Instead, Douglass's time in Baltimore played a significant role in his path to becoming literate, which was essential for his future role as a leader in the abolitionist movement.
Douglass underscores the importance of literacy in his narrative, specifically detailing how slaveholders, including Mr. Auld, sought to enforce illiteracy to maintain oppression. After escaping slavery, Douglass became a leading abolitionist and published his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Written by Himself, emphasizing that education is a powerful tool to combat racism.