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Donald Bici
Professor Olivares
January 6, 2014
Frederick Douglass Questions
Initial Questions:
1. What is a narrative?
A narrative is a story written about someone about an experience that has occurred to them in
their life.
2. Is this a primary or secondary source? How do you know?
I would say that it would be a primary source. No actual evidence was given such as records, but
Fredrick Douglass would be a personal source that provides an immediate proof.
3. Who do you think this book was originally written for? Why?
This book is written for Douglass and how his life was for a slave. He just wanted to show his
life as a slave.

Chapter I (1)
1. Where and when (approximately) was Douglass born?
Douglass was born in Talbot County, Eastern Short, in the State of Maryland approximately
February, 1817.
2. Discuss Douglass parentage.
Douglass stayed with his grandparents, Betsey and Isaac Bailey. Betsey was an older woman and
stayed in a cabin separately from others and Douglass was there.
3. What happens to Douglass mom? Apparently, this practice was common among southern
slaveholders. What attitude does Douglass say it gave to slaves?
Douglass mom was separated from him and hired into the slave system. He only saw her about
five times before she died due to illness. Very little communication took place between the two.
Douglass was upset because it was his mom, but he could do nothing about it.
4. Law decreed that all children born to slave women, no matter the father, were to remain
slaves. How does this law benefit slave masters?
There was always a way for a master to get slaves. He wouldnt have to worry to buy it or
anything, the slave master would already have his slave, and that could last him awhile, or he
could sell the slave if he wants.
5. Who is Douglass first master? First overseer? What seems to be the overseers job?

Douglass first master was named Anthony, generally called Captain Anthony. His first overseer
was Plummer. Mr. Plummer is supposed to oversee what the slaves are doing, but Plummer was
a drunk and a violent person, slashing a womans head off.
6. What is the first bloody scene of slavery that Douglass ever sees? What happens?
Douglass sees Aunt Hester get whipped by her master due to her not only disobeying his orders
not to go out, but found in the hands of Ned Roberts. Her master stripped her naked and started
to whip her, leaving Aunt Hester with bloody scars.

Chapter II (2)
1. What is a sloop (use a dictionary!)? In what business is the sloop involved on Colonel Lloyds
plantation?
A sloop is a small sailboat. It was named after Sally Lloyd, Colonel Lloyds daughter.
2. List the members and relations of Douglass masters family.
His masters family consisted of two sons (Andrew and Richard), one daughter (Lucretia), and
her husband (Captain Thomas Auld). They all
3. What did children on the plantation wear?
For their allowance, their clothes consisted of two coarse linen shirts per year. If these clothes
didnt last them, then they would be naked until the next allowance day.
4. Where did the children sleep?
Slaves had no beds, and even had no time to sleep really. When they did, they paired up and
cuddled together on the ground and covered themselves with a blanket.
5. What was Colonel Lloyds plantation called?
The slaves called it the Great House Farm.
6. Why did the slaves sing? What mistake did people in the North frequently make regarding
slave songs?
Each song they sang had a meaning, they revealed their say against slavery and a prayer to God.
People in the North believed that the songs sung by slaves were due to them being happy, which
is completely wrong.
7. What did Douglass first understand due to these songs?
Douglass says that the songs of a slave represent the sorrows of his heart, and singing is the
only way to relieve that sorrow. He sung rarely to express his happiness.

Chapter III (3)

1. How did Colonel Lloyd deal with the slaves that took care of his horses?
Colonel Lloyd wanted his horses to be perfect, no exceptions. If the horse didnt move as fast as
he wanted or looked as good as he wanted, it was always the keepers fault. So he whipped the
keepers for them not sufficiently keeping the horses up to par.
2. How wealthy was Colonel Lloyd? Give two to three examples.
He was pretty rich. He kept almost 15 servants in his house, and was said to own at least a
thousand slaves. He owned so many slaves, that even the slaves didnt know what his master
looked like.
3. When asked about his/her master, what did a slave usually say? Why?
When a slaves were asked about their master, they are supposed to say that their masters are
kind. Anything they say is usually in their masters favor. Its just, universally how the slaves are
supposed to react to that kind of question, with kind hearted sayings about their master.

Chapter IV (4)
1. Describe Mr. Gore.
Mr. Gore was a strict overseer. He was cruel and didnt take crap from nobody, especially from
the slaves. He punished and tortured the slaves that disobeyed him in any way.
2. What was Mr. Gores maxim? Why might he have practiced this?
Mr. Gore states that its better that a dozen slaves be whipped and lashed, rather than the overseer
be convicted if there has been a fault somewhere. He wanted to be the best of the best. His
ambition of being the best overseer was following this maxim and being the most strict and cruel
of all overseers.
3. Describe the situation between Demby and Mr. Gore
Mr. Gore was whipping Demby, but he ran outside to a creek. Mr. Gore called him 3 times and
he wouldnt come back. So he went outside with his musket and shot Demby in the face, killing
him instantly.
4. What reason does Mr. Gore give for his treatment of Demby? How does Mr. Gore seem to
want slaves to think of him?
Mr. Gore says that Demby was unmanageable. Demby was a bad influence to other slaves and
was setting a dangerous model for other slaves. I think Mr. Gore wanted slaves to think of him as
a hardcore, very serious man. And from what Douglass explains, slaves respected this man and
his job.
5. What happened to people who murdered slaves? Why?

Killing a slave or a colored person is not a crime. At that time, it was just bad for the slaves, all
they did was work and nobody, and not even the courts cared about them. Their masters were
their owners and they treated them like animals.

Chapter V (5)
1. How did the slave children eat?
Some kind of boiled corn meal that they called mush. It was put in a large tray and the kids ate it
with no spoons and bare hands.
2. How does Douglass get to leave Colonel Lloyds plantation? Where does he go? How is his
new master connected to Captain Anthony?
Anthony, Douglass old master let him go to Baltimore to live with Mr. Hugh Auld. Mr. Auld is
the brother to his old masters son-in-law, Captain Thomas Auld.
3. Why was Douglass so excited to leave? Why was it so easy for him to leave his home?
Douglass was told that Baltimore was a beautiful place to live in. He was filled with joy when he
left. At home, he didnt really feel like he belonged there, is didnt feel like home. He felt like he
wasnt going to leave anything. His mother is dead, grandma lived very far, and he doesnt even
have that great of a relationship with his siblings living at the Great House. So it was fairly easy
for him to leave, and leave with joy.
4. What surprised Douglass about Sophia Auld?
She was a white woman, and now the new mistress of Douglass.
5. Why does Douglass describe his departure from Colonel Lloyds plantation as one of the
most interesting events of his life?
I think the fact that he was one of the lucky ones to actually travel somewhere, such as
Baltimore, and love it there. Most slaves dont like their masters, and hate what theyre doing.
His departure really gave him another mindset about slavery and changed him for the better.
6. To whom/what does Douglass credit his eventual freedom?
Douglass says that his freedom was from God, and he thanks and praises him for it.

Chapter VI (6)
1. Describe Sophia Auld. How and why does Sophia change?
Sophia Auld at first appeared to be the nicest, kindest woman he has ever seen. She had a good
heart and didnt punish the slaves, but put them at ease when they did something wrong. Sophia
becomes this woman with rage because of the influence slavery has on her.

2. Who begins to teach Douglass to read?

Sophia begins to teach Douglass the ABCs. She teaching him how to spell words with three or
four letters.
3. Mr. Auld tells his wife, if you teach that nigger how to read, there would be no keeping him.
It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no
value to his master. As to himself it would make him discontented and unhappy. Do you think
there is truth in Mr. Aulds words? Why or why not?
In the mindset of a slave owner and a master, I think there is a truth in Mr. Aulds words. If you
give slaves the power to read and gain knowledge, they would think of many different ways to
overrun the system and corrupt some things. Making sure they wouldnt be educated, would
mean that they couldnt do anything out of the picture and start controlling things and being
educated.
4. What does Douglass realize after Mr. Aulds speech?
Douglass realizes that he really needs to learn how read and write. It would be something that he
would need and would want. Mr. Aulds words inspired Douglass with a desire and
determination to learn.
5. How are city slaves treated as compared to plantation slaves? Why is there a difference?
City slaves are almost free compared to the slaves on the plantation. A slave living in the city are
better fed and clothed, and also enjoy more privileges. Slave owners in the north want to be
known that they give their slaves more than enough food and do not want to be known as being a
cruel master.
6. Describe Henrietta and Mary and their situation.
The Hamiltons owned these two slaves, Henrietta and Mary. Although these slave owners
werent your usually nice north slave owners. The slaves are covered in bloody scars in their
head, neck, and shoulders. Its unusual because north slave owners usually are nice and let their
slaves be part of their family, but the Hamiltons are complete opposites.

Chapter VII (7)

1. How does Douglass continue his education?
While living in Master Hughs house, he learned how to read and write. Douglass mistress
taught him how to read and right in the advice and direction of the mistress husband.
2. Why does the Columbian Orator and a copy of one of Sheridans speeches become so often
read, and so important to Douglass?

These two books gave him hope as a slave. The first book, explained how the slave escaped 3
times from his master and gave him an understanding of how important it is to be educated. The
second book was important because it gave Douglass a strong advocate for human rights.
3. Have you ever heard the phrase ignorance is bliss? What does it mean? How is this phrase
proven true in this stage of Douglass life?
To me it means that you dont know about a situation. And once you know about it, you would
have been happier if you didnt know about it. It just takes a toll on himself, he thinks about
killing himself so he can finally be free. He began to have irrational thoughts, at that time as a
slave.
4. What word does Douglass become curious about? What does the word mean? (use a
dictionary if necessary!)
He was very curious about the word abolition. This word means the ending of a practice or
system.
5. How does Douglass learn to write?
Douglass was a smart man, and also determined to learn how to write. He was at a shipyard once
and saw abbreviations and letters and finally found out what those letters meant and started to
write them out. He then challenged boys who knew how to write and learned lessons from each
of them. He also looked at his mistress and little Master Thomas copy-books.

Chapter VIII (8)

1. Why is Douglass required to leave Baltimore?
Everybody died, his master died and left no will for his property and Douglass was one of them.
So he was left to be evaluated and his price and condition.
2. At the valuation, why does Douglass suffer more anxiety than many of his fellow slaves?
The fact that Douglass has been in a safe place in Baltimore, compared to all the other slaves that
have bad whip scars and blood still dripping gave Douglass a lot of anxiety. He knew what it felt
like to be treated kindly, while the other had no clue.
3. What happens to Douglass grandmother? Why does her treatment make Douglass especially
angry?
The set out Douglass grandmother out in the woods by herself at an old age. Douglass says that
they pretty much sent her to the woods is to be lonely and thus die. He is angry at that because all
shes going to think about is the people who have died, and herself dying since she is old.
4. Why is Douglass forced to permanently leave Baltimore?
Some kind of misunderstanding took place and Master Hugh punished him by separating
Douglass. So he went to stay with his masters son to punish him.

Chapter IX (9)
1. Describe Douglass new master.
His new master, Master Thomas didnt give them enough food for the day. They were allowed
less than a half bushel of corn meal per week. Douglass and the other slaves didnt like the fact
that they were starving and begging other people for food. He was also very mean, he couldnt
control his cruelness.
2. How does religion change Thomas Auld?
At first, Auld seemed to be even crueler after he went to church. IT took a while for him to notice
and finally he started to pray morning, noon, and night. His house was now the preachers home.
Although he was still cruel to his slaves, he starved them while feeding the preachers.
3. Why does Douglass frequently let his masters horse run away?
He always let the horses run away because he would have to catch them and when he went away,
he would always get something to eat. His masters father-in-law always gave Douglass
something extra to eat.
4. Describe Mr. Covey. Why does Douglass gladly take him as a temporary master?
Covey was a good temporary master. Douglass liked the fact that he fed him enough. He
wouldnt mind being with him, since he actually fed him.

Chapter X (10) (pages 69-102)

1. Why is Douglass first whipped by Mr. Covey? Describe the scene.
Douglass returned to the woods with Mr. Covey in need of some wood. Mr. Covey asked
Douglass about 3 times to take off his clothes but he refused. It was a very severe whipping, one
that cut him and blood running down his back.
2. Why does Mr. Covey buy the slave Caroline?
Mr. Covey bough Carolina for a breeder. To make babies apparently.
3. What are the first six months of Douglass stay with Mr. Covey like?
The first six months were ok for Douglass. He hadnt been whipped for almost a week and Mr.
Covey went back at it. His excuse for whipping Douglass was that he was very awkward. But
Mr. Covey gave Douglass enough food to eat, but in a limited time frame. Mr. Covey assigned a
lot of work to do for the slaves.
4. Douglass talks to the boats on the Chesapeake Bay. What kinds of things does he say to them?
Why does he envy the boats?

He calls the boats beautiful vessels, robed in white, and delightful to the freeman. The boats are a
sign of freedom to him, and the boats always affect him in some way. He keeps on going about
trying to be a freeman, and how he would escape. The boats are supposed to be this image of
freedom and escape from slavery.
5. Douglass spends several days avoiding Mr. Covey. What happens?
Douglass knows he is going to get a whipping from Mr. Covey, and knows that its going to be a
harsh whipping for disobeying and leaving for a while. Douglass goes to see Master Thomas to
talk to him about Mr. Covey, then headed back home. At the sight of seeing Covey, Douglass
goes and hides in the corn fields.
6. What does Sandy Jenkins give Douglass? Does it work? Is there any logical reason for Mr.
Covey to not whip Douglass that day?
Sandy Jenkins gives Douglass some kind of root to avoid being whipped. Mr. Covey doesnt
whip him and is very nice to Douglass. One logical reason is that its Sunday morning, meaning
that most people go to church that morning.
7. What happens between Douglass and Covey on Monday morning?
Mr. Covey goes and finds Douglass to whip him. But that doesnt go well with Douglass, he has
had enough of Covey and his irrational thoughts of beating him for no reason. Douglass grabs
ahold of Covey and starts fighting him.
8. After the Monday morning incident, why do you think Covey stops whipping Douglass?
I think Covey was scared for his life, he knew what Douglass was able to do from the first fight,
and was really intimidated by him. Mr. Covey is scared that Douglass was going to kill him first,
rather than he.
9. Why are the next six months a turning point in Douglass life?
Douglass fight with Covey was a great turning point in his life. He know knew what it felt to be
a man, and had a sense of manhood. He was inspired again to be a free man, and determined to
be free.
10. Why does Mr. Covey not take Douglass to the constable (police)?
Mr. Covey wanted to maintain his reputation as a first-rate overseer and a negro-breaker. If he
wouldve went to the police, then everybody would have thought him as a weak overseer and his
reputation would fall.
11. What do slaves typically do over the Christmas break? Why does Douglass think the white
masters encourage these activities?
During their Christmas break, these days are holidays. Slaves are not required to perform a lot of
labor as they used to, but just feed and take care of stock. Douglass thinks that these holidays
keep the spirit of insurrection away from the slaves.

12. Why does Douglass say I should regard being the slave of a religious master the greatest
calamity that could befall me?
Douglass is saying that slaveholders that are religious are the worst. They are the meanest and
cruelest slaveholders in the South.
13. When Douglass lives with Mr. Freeland, what does he do on the Sabbaths?
Douglass teaches other slaves to read.
14. Why does Douglass think slaves came to his Sabbath meetings?
Douglass thinks that all these slaves coming to the Sabbath meeting all want to learn. If their
masters found out, they would be given about 39 lashes.
15. One myth of slavery is that slaves do not love each other. What does Douglass say to prove
this myth false?
Douglass states that every one of those slaves would have died for each other. They never did
anything, without a mutual discussion. And also they moved together, never apart. They had to
stick together because thats the only thing they had, is each other.
16. What does Douglass plan with his fellow slaves? Does it work? Why or why not? What
happens?
Douglass plans to escape from slavery and become a free man. They plan on getting a canoe and
going to Chesapeake Bay. When arrived at the bay, they would travel North in guidance of the
North Star to reach Canada. The plan is a no go. The masters found out their escape plan and
captured them before they left. The police got them and put them to jail.
17. Why does Douglass return to Baltimore?
His old master, Master Auld came to the jail and picked him up. He sent him to Baltimore to live
with his brother Hugh Auld, and learn to trade. Master Auld feared that Douglass would end up
dead soon.
18. What work does Douglass do while he lives in Baltimore?
Douglass starts working at a ship yard and basically, Douglass was to do whatever the carpenter
told him to do. Their words were his commands to do something.
19. How has Douglass attitude changed since he lived with Mr. Covey?
Douglass still has the attitude of fighting back and not letting anybody tell him what to do. He
says that he is doing very good at that, and regardless of the consequences, he is still talking back
and not obeying their commands.
20. Why can Douglass receive no justice when he is attacked by his fellow workers?

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Douglass hit a white man. When the white folks found out about this, they went to Douglass and
attacked him. A law was put into place and it said that, to strike a white man is death. The white
men were trying to kill Douglass, receiving no justice at all.
21. What trade does Douglass learn?
Douglass was put in the calking section of the ship-yard, and soon was experienced in using his
mallet and iron. He then left and sought self-employment. He made his own contracts and
collected his own money. He perfected the skill of calking and made money off of it.
22. What about Douglass current experiences made him desire even more to be free?
As Douglass life and experiences became better, he wanted to become a free man even more.
Douglass says that whenever he is in a good and improved environment, not only does it increase
his contentment, but increases his thoughts of creating an escape plan again.

Chapter XI (11) (pages 103-117)

1. Why does Douglass refuse to give the details about his escape from slavery?
One way or another, Slaveholders will find a way to get intelligence on how Douglass escaped
from slavery if he gave details.
2. What does Douglass ask Hugh Auld for? Does Hugh agree? What are his conditions?
Douglass wants to go out and look for his own work. Hugh agrees but at an expense. Douglass
has to find his own work and also pay three bucks at the end of the week for tools and clothes.
3. Douglass leaves Baltimore without Master Hughs permission. Douglass says, I told him I
hired my time, and while I paid him the price which he asked for it, I did not know that I was
bound to ask him when and where I should go. This reply troubled him; and, after reflecting a
few moments, he turned to me, and said I should hire my time no longer; that the next thing he
should know of, I would be running away. Why do you think Master Hugh is so troubled by
what Douglass tells him?
Master Hugh thought differently of Douglass before his idea of trying to leave without his
permission. He thought that Douglass was a more well-mannered man and respectable, and is a
little troubled when he says that to Master Hugh.
4. For a while, Douglass stops working all together. Then, for several weeks, he becomes very
industrious (hard-working). Why?
Douglass kind of challenges Hughs authority, but then he does his work and becomes a hard
worker due to Hugh not gaining suspicions.
5. Why is it so difficult for Douglass to leave Baltimore?
Douglass doesnt want to leave Baltimore because of the friends he does have and he thinks that
he might fail if he tries to.

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6. How does Douglass feel in New York. Why?

Douglass is a little scared because he is in a city hes never been before. He doesnt have any
money, a place to say, food, or friends. He is even scared to talk to people, fearing he might be
turned in.
7. What does Mr. Ruggles do for Douglass?
Mr. Ruggles takes Douglass in and is a witness for Douglass and Annas marriage. He also gives
them five bucks so they can leave and find work somewhere.
8. To what city do Anna and Douglass travel? Which state is it in? (you may need to look it up on
the internet).
They went to travel in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
9. Why does Douglass take the name Frederick Douglass?
Douglass was a name mentioned in the Lady of Lake that was a knight.
10. Why is Douglass surprised by New Bedford?
New Bedford has a surprisingly clean and wealthy appearance.
11. Why is he so excited to find New Bedford clean and wealthy?
When a town is clean and wealthy, that means that Douglass has enough work for himself and he
felt safe.
12. How do blacks in New Bedford treat each other? Give an example.
The blacks in New Bedford take care of each other and care about others well-being. One
example is they protect escaped slaves from being captured.
13. What job does Douglass take? Why can he not get a job calking?
Douglass takes a job that deals with stowing a sloop with a load of oil. When finding a job to
calk, the white calkers didnt want to work with him.
14. While in New Bedford, Douglass subscribes to a newspaper, The Liberator. How does his
paper effect Douglass?
Douglass said his soul set on fire. He sympathizes for other slaves that he reads about and how
they are treated.
15. What has Douglass begun to do by the end of this book? How does he feel about it?
Douglass talks to white folks and speaks to them about his past. He speaks to them about his own
experience about slavery and talks about how bad slavery is.

Follow-up Questions:

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1. Examine the books bibliography. How many books did Douglass write in his life?
Theres three books that Douglass published as autobiographies and then there are newspapers
that are in the bibliography. Also there was many other books written about Douglass.
2. What happens to Frederick Douglass after the end of his narrative?
Douglass starts talking about Christianity and goes on writing poems about his life and
experiences.
3. What do you think the purpose of this narrative was? Did Douglass meet that purpose?
Douglass wrote the narrative because he wanted other to know what slavery was like during
those times. He wanted people to know how torturing being a slave was and how bad the idea of
slavery is. Douglass had a good way to express his purpose and feelings through the many
examples he gave his readers.
4. Is this a good narrative? Why or why not?
Its a great narrative, I enjoyed learning and gaining knowledge about a slave making his way
through the torture he had gotten from various places. It gives people courage and determination
to think big and hope for anything that seems impossible.