Personal freedom and liberty sets the United States apart from the rest of the world. The fact that slavery existed in a country that included the following words in its initial document declaring it's independence from tyranny, "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed to certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness" illustrates man's ability to turn a blind eye to injustice when it benefits him personally.
             Frederick Douglass is one of our most influential abolitionists. He was less anti-slavery than he was pro-freedom for all. His ability to share the heart-felt stories of his days in captivity made him a much sought after speaker. The fact that he could verbalize even the smallest injustices and slights painted a living tableau of the day-to-day life of a slave.
             Early in his memoir he talks about the fact that the white children surrounding him not only knew when they were born but their arrival is celebrated. He mentions, somewhat wistfully, of his inability to identify the exact day of his birth. He also notes that he feels every person has a right to know when he or she came into the world. He describes his feelings about his mother's death, from
             whom he was separated at a very young age, as those he would feel for anyone he knew briefly because was never the recipient of any "mothering" from her.
             He hears from others on the plantation about his parentage. His mother is identified as the daughter of the woman who takes care of him and all the other children on the plantation. His father is identified as the Master although no one ever confirmed it definitively. He observes that most slaves feel that it is an honor to be the child of the Master but, in fact, it is just the opposite. Douglass tells of horrible treatment these children suffer at the
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