Joe Schurer

Ms. Burke

Honors English 11

12/5/16

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas Final Essay

In his journey to freedom, Frederick Douglas was forced to overcome many different

forms of oppression. The slave masters subjected him and other slaves to physical, intellectual,

economic, and emotional oppression. However, I think the form of oppression that had the most

effect on Douglass was the legal oppression that he was subjected to. The legal oppression he

was subjected to was difficult to escape, encouraged others to not help him, and formed the basis

of other forms of oppression that he suffered.

The legal oppression that Douglass experienced in many ways trapped him in his

situation. The use of legal oppression can in many cases cut off people from any route out of

their situation. While a person may be subjected to oppression by various groups because of

those groups beliefs, oppression backed up by legal reasons can remove almost every possible

way out for the oppressed. For most slaves, it was almost impossible for them to work hard

enough to escape their situation. The south set up strict laws to try to keep the slaves from

advancing their position in society. Frederick Douglass wrote about what Mr. Auld told his wife

to dissuade her from teaching Douglass, The very decided manner with which he spoke, and

strove to impress his wife with the evil consequences of giving me instruction, served to

convince me that he was deeply sensible of the truths he was uttering. It gave me the best

assurance that I might rely with the utmost confidence on the results which, he said, would flow

from teaching me to read (Douglass 29-30). The south had a system of laws in place in an
attempt to prevent the slaves from receiving any form of education. Virtually every method that a

slave might use to escape their situation was illegal and as a result slaves were forced to put

themselves and others at a great risk if they hoped to gain freedom. Some slaves were allowed to

work for profit by their masters, but like in many cases Frederick was forced to surrender most of

their wages to their masters, In the early part of the year 1838, I became quite restless. I could

see no reason why I should, at the end of each week, pour the reward of my toil into the purse of

my master (Douglass 87-88). By treating slaves like property and allowing the masters to be the

beneficiaries of their labor, slaveholders removed the slaves ability to have social mobility. As a

result slaves had no real means of getting out of their situation.

Legal oppression also made it harder for others to help the slaves. It removes almost

everyone as a potential source of help for the person being oppressed. A person who normally

would have been willing to reach out to and help someone who is being oppressed may be afraid

to help if they could suffer repercussions from the law for doing so. Douglass provides an

example of the dangers faced by those who would help slaves when he explains why he will not

say how he escaped slavery, My reasons for pursuing this course may be understood from the

following: First, were I to give a minute statement of all the facts, it is not only possible, but

quite probable, that others would thereby be involved in the most embarrassing difficulties

(Douglass 86). This also made slaves less trusting of whites because they were afraid of being

turned in even in Northern free states. Douglass recounts his feelings after escaping to the North

writing, I saw in every white man an enemy, and in almost every colored man cause for

distrust (Douglass 93). By using the law to isolate slaves and by making it illegal to help the

slaves, any method a slave may try to escape their situation comes at an extreme risk to them and

to any other person who helps them.

 In some cases the legal oppression applied to the slaves led directly to other forms of

oppression that the slaves suffered. Douglass mentions how when a slave, Demby, was killed

there was no legal repercussions for the man who killed him It was committed in the presence

of slaves, and they of course could neither institute a suit, nor testify against him; and thus the

guilty perpetrator of one of the bloodiest and most foul murders goes unwhipped of justice, and

uncensured by the community in which he lives (Douglass 38). Without any real rights the

slaves had no way to speak up for and defend themselves from other abuses. Douglass wrote

about how he was mentally broken, I was somewhat unmanageable when I first went there, but

a few months of this discipline tamed me. Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me. I was broken in

body, soul, and spirit (Douglass 55). By restricting the rights of slaves, the law exposed to them

and encouraged other forms of oppression against them. By only recognizing them as property

slaves were liable to be beaten and the law forbade slaves from being giving an education,

precisely because slaveholders were afraid they would find a way of their oppression.

Slaves like Douglass suffered from numerous forms of oppression, but the worst from

was legal. There are various groups around the world that suppressed by others, but when the

oppression is encouraged and enforced by a government it moves to another level. Legal

oppression often leaves its victims with few ways to legally and safely escape, encouraged other

people to not stand up for or help those being oppressed, and it in some cases was the cause of

other forms of oppression that slaves like Douglass experienced.