Question

What does Douglass learn about the history of slavery through the books that he reads that lead him to detest his master, even though in some ways, as a boy, Douglass felt he was "much better off" than some of the white boys in his neighborhood. Cite textual evidence to support your answer.

Answer 1

Majority of slaves at the time of Douglass were illiterates but he possessed reading and writing skills. So, he began to read several materials ranging from books, poems, phamplets, etc. As a result of his constant reading, he learnt how cruel, unfair and barbaric slavery is. This led him to detest his master (who he called his enslaver) who he was serving as a slave. Douglass was born and raised as a slave, so he didn’t know any different/better lifestyle but his ability to read differentiated him from the other slaves. As a result of his hatred for slavery, he wote:

“The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. I could regard them in no other light than a band of successful robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen us from our homes, and in a strange land reduced us to slavery.”