Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
Also known as Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself
Frederick Douglass's 1845 memoir of his life in slavery and his escape; a central text of abolition.
At a glance
Key ideas
Reading as the way out, Families torn apart, Fighting back …
See all 5Reception
Margaret Fuller, A. C. C. Thompson
See all 2Connections
Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison
See all 2
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- In eleven chapters Douglass recounts his life as an enslaved man in Maryland and his determination to be free.
- He describes being separated from his mother, learning to read against his owner's wishes, and fighting back against the "negro-breaker" Edward Covey.
- He leaves out how he escaped, to protect those who help others flee.
- An appendix separates "the slaveholding religion of this land" from Christianity itself.
- He wrote it partly because audiences doubted that so able a speaker had ever been enslaved.
Why it matters
- It is the most famous of the narratives by formerly enslaved people of its time, and one of the most influential books of the American abolitionist movement.
Key facts
- Author
- Frederick Douglass1
- Published
- 1 May 18451
- Written
- In Lynn, Massachusetts1
- Introductions
- A preface by William Lloyd Garrison and a letter by Wendell Phillips1
- Sales
- 5,000 copies within four months; almost 30,000 by 18601
- Dublin edition
- Published by the abolitionist printer Richard D. Webb1
- Later autobiographies
- My Bondage and My Freedom (1855); Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881, revised 1892)1
Key ideas
-
Reading as the way out1
When his owner forbade teaching him, saying reading would unfit him for slavery, Douglass saw literacy as the road to freedom.
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Families torn apart1
Children were parted from their mothers early; he saw his own mother only on rare visits at night.
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Fighting back1
After beating Edward Covey in a two-hour fight, he was never beaten again.
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People priced with livestock1
When his owner died, the enslaved were valued and divided along with the animals.
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Slaveholding religion1
He condemns the religion of slaveholders, not Christianity proper, and ends with a parody of their hymns.
Reception
Connections
Written by
Related
- William Lloyd GarrisonWrote the preface
Links
Sources
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