negative stereotypes to justify treating them as property. These

stereotypes provided the foundation for the idyllic mythology of the

plantation. Slave owners liked to think of themselves as the paternalistic

masters of a class of inferior, childlike people who simply could not

survive without the kindly guidance of their white superiors. According

to the masters' mythology, slaves sang out grateful praise for their

bondage. From the great big house of the plantation owner all the way

down to the fields where the slaves toiled, all was good and right in

How did these carefully edited tales about slavery prevail in the

face of the enormous evidence to the contrary? It all depends on who is

telling the story. These myths were made by white slave owners, who

brutally policed the speech of their slaves in order to crush narratives

that challenged this "official" version. Any show

Douglass was still a fugitive slave and in danger of being

unless the master said so. Even if the master decided in the victim's

greater risk of an escape attempt. After one failed try that could easily

violations of the slave's rights.

already a respected abolitionist orator. As a fugitive slave, he was

his career as an abolitionist and his own claim to freedom.

autobiography is a story of self-discovery; he details how his growing

Douglass, establishing his identity on his own terms was crucial to both

Some common words found in the essay are:
Douglass Slave, Bedford Massachusetts, Narrative Douglass, American Slave, Frederick Douglass, slave owners, own terms, unless master, frederick douglass, identity own terms, one's own, truth slavery, fugitive slave, identity own,
Approximate Word count = 900
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)