Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Summary
Frederick Douglass was born into the institution of slavery around the years 1817 or 1818. Like many individuals in bondage, he lacks certainty regarding his precise birth date. Shortly after his birth, Douglass is separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey. His father is likely their white master, Captain Anthony, who serves as the clerk for a wealthy individual named Colonel Lloyd.
Colonel Lloyd owns a vast plantation where he enslaves hundreds of men, women, and children, who refer to this expansive estate as the “Great House Farm.” Life on any of Lloyd’s plantations, akin to that on numerous Southern plantations, is characterized by extreme brutality. Those who are enslaved endure excessive labor and fatigue, receive minimal food, limited clothing, and are deprived of beds. Individuals who violate rules—along with those who do not—face severe punishment, including beatings or whippings, and in some cases, even fatal shootings by the plantation overseers, among whom Mr. Severe and Mr. Austin Gore are particularly notorious for their cruelty.