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KennyVo
Prof.LoriWilkinson
April22,2015
Hist170053

DouglassandtheSlaveholdersEconomyofDominion
InFrederickDouglasssbook
NarrativeoftheLifeofFrederickDouglass,An
AmericanSlave
,Douglassexpos
d
howtheslaveholdersexerteddominanceovertheirslaves.
Heexplainedthevarioustacticsthatslaveholdersusedtobreaktheslaveasahuman:
physically,spiritually,andmentally.Hedescribedhowtheslaveholderskepttheirslaves
obedientwithlittleornoresistanceforlongperiodsoftimewithharshandbrutaltreatment.The
slaveholdersusedseveraleffectiveprocesseswhichturnahumanbeingintoaslave,thereby
renderingthemintoananimalinanefforttomaintaindominanceintheslavesystem.
Thisdehumanizingprocessiscalledtheslaveholderseconomyofdominion.The
slaveholderseconomyofdominionsoughttodeprivetheslavesoftheirhumanaspectstomake
themthinkthattheyweresubhuman.Theslaveholderstreatedtheslavesthiswaytokeepthem
insubmission.Douglassstatesinthefirstchapter:Itisthewishofthemasterswithinmy
knowledgetokeeptheirslavesthusignorant(47).Keepingtheslavesignorantwasimportant
andthiswasthecoreoftheslaveholderseconomyofdominion,becausedehumanizingthe
slavesandkeepingthemignorantwouldcausetheslavestoneverquestionthevalidityofthe
horrorstheyfaced.
Douglasslearnedoftheslaveholderseconomyofdominionthoughhisexperiencesand
withthisknowledgeDouglassexclaimed:Youhaveseenhowamanwasmadeaslaveyou

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shallseehowaslavewillbemadeaman(107).Helaterinvertedtheslaveholderseconomyof
dominiontohelphimearnhisfreedominsteadoflettingitcontinuetosubjugatehim.
Partoftheslaveholderseconomyofdominionwastotakeawaytherightoftheslaves
parentage.Douglassandhismotherwereseparatedwhenhewasonlyandinfantandthey
essentiallyneverinteractedwitheachother.Whenhismotherdied,hereactedtothisnewsasif
hewashearingthedeathofastranger.Douglasswasalsodeniedtheknowledgeofwhohis
fatherwas,eventhoughitwastobesuspectedtobehismaster.Slaveswerealsodeniedthe
senseoftime.Theycouldnottechnicallytellwhattimeofthedayitwasorthemonthsandyears
besidesthepositionofthesunandtheplantingseasons.
Knowledgeoftheworldwasnotjustlimitedtotime.WhenDouglasswassentto
BaltimoretolivewithhispreviousmasterssoninlawMr.andMrs.Auld,Mrs.Auldbegan
teachingDouglasshowtoreadandwrite.ButsoonMr.Auldfoundoutandbegantoscoldhis
wifeandforbadeherfromfurtherteachingDouglassbecauseItwillforeverunfithimtobea
slave(78).Keepingtheslavesignorantpreventedtheslavesfromeverquestioningthe
institutionofslavery.
Withthisbasicknowledgedeniedtotheslavestheslaveholdersalsoresortedtotrickery
tokeeptheslavesinsubmission.Sometimeswhitementemptedaslavetorunawayonlyto
capturethemandsendthembacktotheirmastersforareward.Inanothercasethemastersetout
ontheroadandleisurelychatswithoneofhisslavesanduponlearningthattheslavedoesnot
haveafavorableopinionofhim,helatersoldtheslave.UnderthesupervisionofMr.Covey,a
reknownslavebreaker,DouglassalsoexperiencedtrickerywithMr.Covey.Mr.Coveylikedto

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deceivetheslavesbydisappearingforashorttimeandreappearingandshoutordersatthem
whentheyleastexpectit.
Thedenialofknowledgeandmindgamescanonlycontroltheslavessomuch,ifthe
slavesgottoobelligerentbrutalitycomesin.Apublicdisplayofbrutalitywasoftenusedwhena
slavecommitsawrongdoinginthemasterseyes.Brutalitywasmainlycarriedoutbyusinga
cowskinwhipandusuallywasmadeintoaspectacleforcrowdtoinstillfearinslaves.Douglass
witnessedanexampleofthisbrutalitythoughthewhippingofhisAuntHesterfromoneofhis
masters.ColonelLloydwhippedAuntHesterforbeingoutlateintheeveningwithacertain
man.AnothereventDouglasswitnessedwascommittedbyMr.Gore.AnoverseerforColonel
Lloyd.AslavebythenameofDemby,ranawayfromMr.Goreswhippingintoariverand
refusedtocomeout.Mr.Goregavehimuntilthecountofthreetocomeout,hecalledoutthree
andimmediatelyshotandkilledDemby.LaterwhenquestionedwhytheslavewasexecutedMr.
Gorereplied:Dembyhadbecomeunmanageable.Hewassettingadangerousexampletoother
slaves,onewhich,ifsufferedtopasswithoutsomesuchdemonstrationonhispart,would
finallyleadtothetotalsubversionofallruleandorderontheplantation(67).Mr.Gorewas
neverpunishedandDembysdeathservedtoincreasehisreputationasanoverseerandinstilled
moreobediencewithintheslavesonColonelLloydsproperty.
Withintheslaveholderseconomyofdominion,aslaveholdercoulddehumanizemany
slavesintoasubservientclasswithlittleornorebellion,withoutevenaquestiontothe
institutionofslavery.Douglassrealisedthisdehumanizingprocessandlongedtobefree.He
tookwhathadbeenusedagainsthimandreversedittohelphimgainhisfreedom.Hisrebellion
startedwhenMrs.Auldbeginstoteachhimhisletters,helearnsamorevaluablelessonfromMr.

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Auldwhenhescoldshiswife.Mr.Auldsstates:Ifyouteachthatniggerhowtoread,there
wouldbenokeepinghim.Itwouldforeverunfithimtobeaslave..Itwouldmakehim
discontentedandunhappy(78).Mr.AuldunwittinglyrevealedtoDouglassapathwayto
freedom.Hisdesiretobeafreemanwasignited,andhesetouttodiscreetlybecomeeducated.
Heaccomplishedliteracybytrickingthenearbywhitechildrenwhenhechallengedthemtodo
betterthanhecouldatspelling.WiththispatternDouglasslearnedhowtoread.
DouglasscontinuedhisdiscreetrebellionsunderdifferentmastersandwassenttoMr.
Coveytheslavebreaker.Duringhislatteryearsofservingundertheslavebreaker,Douglass
wasseverelybeaten.Hefledbutwhenhereturned,Mr.CoveytreatedDouglassnicelyfor
awhile.ThisturnedouttobetrickeryasMr.CoveylaterstruckatDouglass.Douglassresisted
andfoughtback,muchtoCoveyssurprise.Afterthisscuffle,Mr.Coveynevertriedagainto
punishDouglassandwasnotabletobringhimtothepublicwhippingposteitherasitwould
destroyhisreputationasaslavebreaker.
Withthisslowchainofdiscreterebellion,Douglasseventuallygainedhisfreedomin
NewYorkasanescapedslave,holdingontohisprincipleofnottrustinganyoneforfearhemay
becaughtandsentbacktohismasterbutthiswasshortlived.HemetMr.DavidRuggleswho
wasahumanepersonwhohelpshelterhim.DouglassgotmarriedandmovedtoNewBedford
andwaslaterurgedtospeakatanantislaveryconvention.
Douglassgainedhisfreedomwiththehelpofliteracy.Thisisnottheonlystoryinthe
worldthatdisplaysfreedomfromliteracy.NelsonMandelaknownasaMadibaortheFatherof
theNationtoSouthAfricaalsoexperiencedfreedomfromliteracy.Whenhewasimprisonedon
RobbenIslandfor27years,the
CompleteworksofShakespeare
waswhatkepthimgoingand

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influencedhim.SomeofthepresidentsoftheUnitedStateswerealsoknowntobevoracious
readerslikeAbrahamLincolnandGeorgeWashington.Bothmenappliedwhattheyreadto
attainsomesoftoffreedom.InanarticlebyBillMaxwellcalledLiteracyandFreedom:
Scholarshaveshownadirectcorrelationbetweenlevelsofliteracy,wealth,povertyandthe
generalqualityoflife.InAmerica,forexample,someofourpoorestcitizensliveinurban
ghettosandisolatedruralenclaveswherehighschooldiplomasandcollegedegreesareinshort
supply.Withknowledgecomesfreedomandunderstandingandthechancetoimprovetheir
ownorsomeoneelsesqualityoflife.

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WorksCited

Douglass,Frederick,andHoustonA.Baker.
NarrativeoftheLifeofFrederickDouglass,
anAmericanSlave
.Harmondsworth,Middlesex,England:Penguin,1982.Print.
Maxwell,Bill."LiteracyIsFreedom."Publisher/FounderLiteracyIsFreedomBill
Maxwell.St.PetersburgTimes,Apr.2001.Web.09Apr.2015.
McKenzie,Sheena."TheSmuggledShakespeareBookThatInspiredNelsonMandela."
CNN.CableNewsNetwork,06Dec.2013.Web.09Apr.2015.