In his autobiography, "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass", an American slave, Douglass shows that a strict and unfair set of rules was used to enslave black men and women and their families in the 19th Century. Douglass explains that most slave owners didn't take pity on any preferred sex. Women didn't get any pardons when it came to getting whipped for not doing day to day duties, and sometimes just talking, or looking out of place. He also stated that there was one master in particular that he remembered very vividly. A Mr. Plummer, who Frederick claimed to be a "miserable drunkard", would always be armed with a cowskin and a heavy cudgel

Slavery took its toll on everybody. No one person was safe to escape from its unhappy grips. Another way that slave owners suffered from slavery is when slave owners commit adultery with one of the slave girls in their possession. Now they have to make the decision whether they want to sell these children, their own flesh and blood, to other slave owners where they will undoubtedly be whipped and mistreated as are all slaves. Or to keep them on their own plantation where they will have to beat them themselves or watch idly by while one of the hired hands whips them for wrongdoings. "He must not only whip them himself, but must stand by and see one white son tie up his brother, of but a few shades darker complexion than himself, and ply the gory lash to his naked back; and if he lisp one word of disapproval, it is set down to his parental partiality." It is a vicious circle. So in many ways both, slaves and slave owners, suffer from the cruel characteristics of slavery.

Slavery had negative effects on both sides of the board, slaves and slave owners. Slaves got the brunt end of the deal since they were constantly getting beat and punished for slipping up on certain things. But, slave owners suffered too as Douglass experienced when he was living in Baltimore. When he first moved there his mistress taught him the ABC's and then started to teach h

Some common words found in the essay are:
Frederick Douglass, Plummer Frederick, Century Douglass, Douglass Douglass, Slavery Slavery, slave owners, Douglass American, frederick douglass, women families, slaves slave owners, Douglass Slavery, slaves slave, slavery negative, Narrative Life, Life Frederick, black women families, slavery slave, narrative life, life frederick, slave owners suffered, owners suffered, strict unfair, negative american society, narrative life frederick,
Approximate Word count = 921
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)