In Douglass's novel My Bondage and My Freedom he states:

The slaveholder, as well as the slave, is the victim of the slave system. A man's

character greatly takes its hue and shape from the form and color of things about him. Under the whole heavens there is no relation more unfavorable to the development of honorable character, than that sustained by the slaveholder to the slave (80).

Slavery further hurt the users through the economy of the south. Southerners knew that the North was passing them in industrial capacity but they didn't care because they wouldn't give up their slaves. George Washington wrote in his farewell address that the North and South should work together and use their collective strength (86). However, as the North grew in stability and size the South grew increasingly paranoid about the North abolishing slavery. They became so paranoid that they withdrew from the Union. Again the Southern paranoia was created from the lack of reason and control that slavery creates. The Southern slave owners were no more protected from the controversy slavery created than the slaves were from their owners uncontrollable out bursts of anger.

Another example of the slavery system preventing a slaveholder from doing what they know to be right is seen with Mrs. Auld. When Douglass's Mistress was caught teaching him she was lectured severally on why she should not teach him. Slavery goes against her very notion of how to treat another person; her first instinct was to treat him like another person and educate him. Unfortunately as Douglass points out "slavery can change a saint into a sinner and an angel into a demon" (142), which is exactly what happened to Mrs. Auld. The corruption of Mrs. Auld by slavery is not complete there. Once she learned that it is not allowed to teach a slave she went beyond that and strove to keep Douglass from learning anymore. She lost her ability to relax around him when he was not in sight; her thoughts were fixed on him and what it was he was doing. In a way she lost some of her freedom, freedom of thought. Douglass was suppose to make Mrs. Auld's life easier but since she couldn't let her mind roam without worrying all the time she was more mentally aggravated after he arrived than before.

Old master's reaction to the whole situation is part of the system because whether the slave was right or wrong he was not allowed to protect her because that is how he is suppose to react in those situations due to the system. If old master had protected her he would have changed the status quo between the overseer, the slave and himself. Were old master to change the status quo the slaves would then be able to complain about their treatment and may begin to feel that they too have unalienable rights. Old master believes the slaves have no rights; therefore they may not have the right to appeal their treatment. The slaves may not have their total freedom, but at least they don't have to react mechanical in their emotions and actions. Again what slavery is supposed to do to the slaves it has done in return to those in power. Slavery is suppose to turn the slaves into unquestioning unthinking workers, some may be like that, but it has also turned old master, as well as others, into unquestioning unfeeling controllers. The slaves do not have rights because of old master or the overseers; they don't have any rights because the system will not allow them too.

Still there are mor

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Approximate Word count = 2070
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)