Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave
             Reading, writing, and reasoning are what separate human beings from the beasts of the earth. In learning to do these things, a slave also learns to be a human after a life of being a beast of burden. Frederick Douglass, after about twelve years of life, learned to read and write and I believe this was the key to his discontentment and his eventual freedom.
             Law did not allow slaves, to be able to read or write. In fact, if a person, white or black, was caught teaching a slave either or both of these, they could be punished according to the law. According to one of Fred's masters, Mr. Auld, "A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master-- to do as he is told to do...it (the ability to read and write) would make him discontented and unhappy." How can Mr. Auld think this way? He can say the aforementioned quote because it is true. This is how the slaveholders have long kept power over their slaves. The slaves don't know that they should be discontented and unhappy. I believe that being able to read and write go right along with cognitive thinking abilities, and if you never have to think for yourself, you don't really worry about your living conditions because they are taken care of for you.
             Frederick Douglass's learning to read and write played an active role in his first plan of escape. He and others had planned to row up the Chesapeake Bay to the north but as an added protection, Frederick forged his master's signature on a travel pass. He could not have done this had he not learned to write. As to his second plan of escape, I do not know any of the things he did but I suspect that he probably forged another travel protection pass.
             It is my firm belief that had he not been exposed to the alphabet and writing, there would be no Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, because he would ...