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Ryan Butler
HIST-1700-052/Wilkinson
M,W, F 10am Class
Mid Term Paper
Oct 31, 2014
Question #4

Brutality and Slavery

Fredrick Douglasss narrative gives a detailed account of being a slave. In particular,
Douglass focuses on enduring the mental, physical, and spiritual brutality inflicted upon him and
his fellow slaves. Slaveholders use brutality to control the actions of the slaves by instilling fear,
and stripping them of all self-worth. There were several methods of brutality inflicted upon
slaves, some private and some public. These methods were used for the same result, to
dehumanize the slave and give power and control to the slave master. The use of brutality and
the resulting psychological effects demonstrates how Douglass viewed brutality as a necessity to
ensure dominion.
Douglass begins his narrative by vaguely discussing his living conditions and his place of
birth. He did not know his exact date of birth. The first act of brutality inflicted upon Douglass
was his being removed from his mother at twelve months old. The slaveholders intentionally
removed babies from their mothers for the following reasons: a woman young enough to give
birth is young enough to fulfill her prescribed duties in the field or in the home, time spent
raising an infant is money lost in the eyes of a master, and slaveholders did not want their slaves
to form a familial bond. If a slave knows who they are and where they came from, the slave may
begin to develop a sense of self. With a sense of self comes a sense of power and community.
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Douglass explains he only saw his mother four of five times in his life, but never in the light of
day.
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Also, he was not allowed to bury his mother or attend her funeral when she died.
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Douglasss father was a white man. He learned through rumors that his father might be his
master, yet his father denied Douglass this information.
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Denial of paternity was another form of
brutality. Douglasss father denied him freedom, saw him as property, and wouldnt declare him
as being of his own blood. Douglasss father not acknowledging him, intensifies his feelings of
worthlessness. Slaves being born of mixed descent were often brutalized more than their African
brothers and sisters, because of the resentment from the wife who had a constant reminder of her
husbands infidelity. Douglass felt this resentment, because he never had any type of relationship
with his father, other than being his masters property to be sold. Douglasss narrative not only
accounts for private brutality, but for public brutality as well.
The first public act of brutality he describes in his book is the whipping of Aunt Hester.
She was caught in the arms of another man after being specifically told not to do so. Douglass
describes the scene in detail. She was tied to a joist, and whipped on her naked back until she
was literally covered in blood. No words, no tears, no prayers from his gory victim seemed to
move his iron heart from its bloody purpose. The louder she screamed; the more he whipped.
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Douglass describes that to this day he cannot get these violent images out of his head. He
remembers these images of brutality vividly as an adult. Public displays of brutality had lasting
effects on slaves throughout their lives. This type of mental torture must have been unbearable,
because witnessing repeated violent acts would break the spirit of any human being. Douglass

1
Douglass, Frederick, Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, and American Slave (Penguin Classics 1986) 48
2
Ibid. 49
3
Ibid. 48
4
Ibid. 51
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feels utterly helpless to aid his Aunt Hester, and his inability to help her makes him feel
inadequate.
Not only was Douglass terribly effected by the whipping of his Aunt Hester, but also the
brutal treatment of his fellow slaves. He describes the horrendous acts carried out by slave
masters, and how the masters would seek out any reason to make examples of their slaves.
Douglass tells of a slave named Demby, who was shot by Mr. Gore for not following orders. He
gives detailed accounts of each of his slave masters personalities, their attitude toward slaves,
and their methods of control. Douglass explains how slaveholders would taunt, trick, whip, beat,
and sometimes kill their slaves solely to make an example for the rest.
Douglass displays the extremes by which he endured and survived brutality. His narrative
depicts what happens to the psyche of a man that is repeatedly abused and broken. He makes
reference of his own will being completely broken. Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me; I was
broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the
disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered around my eye died; the dark night
of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute.
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Douglass feels his
will being broken and his drive to continue diminishes.
Douglass makes reference to religion and how the slaveholders would cite verses from the
Bible while whipping the slaves. Slaveholders would explain to the slaves that God cursed Ham,
therefore justifying slavery.
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Slaveholders would reference the scripture, He that knoweth his
masters will, and doeth not, shall be beaten with many stripes.
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In the mind of an unenlightened
slave, even their God is punishing them. Douglass points out the hypocrisy of the slaveholders
insisting they are good Christians, yet they are beating their slaves.

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Ibid. 105
6
Ibid. 50
7
Ibid. 99
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Douglass describes how he endured brutality, but also of how he became liberated
physically. Douglass inverts the brutality of the slaveholders economy of dominion in his fight
with Covey. Slaveholders used brutality to break the will of slaves and to control them. Douglass
inverts this idea of brutality as a way to empower himself. During his fight with Covey, he feels
his power return and new determination flow in. Douglass explains, You have seen how a man
is made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.
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He then portrays the story of his
escape and how he became a free man, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Douglass later
became a leader of the abolitionist movement, which changed our nations view of slavery, and
lead to the Civil War.















8
Ibid. 107
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Bibliography

1-Douglass, Frederick, Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, and American Slave (Penguin
Classics 1986) 48-107