Assignments for Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Presented by Dr. Susan Sperling
Text: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass, 1845 (Yale University Press 2001)
Important Dates to Remember:
Draft of Douglass/ Du Bois paper due: Monday, 2/13
Final paper due: Tuesday, 2/21
Your essay should be 3-5 pages, neatly-typed or word-processed and double-spaced on white paper. You may quote judiciously from outside sources, but the bulk of the paper should reflect your words and thoughts. Make sure to correctly cite all references.
ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR DOUGLASS AND DU BOIS
1. The scholar J. Blassingame has written of nineteenth century autobiography that “truth, history and divinity met as the autobiographer struggled to reveal his or her inner character.” How does this apply to Douglass’s narrative? Please cite specific events and passages in the book to illustrate this thesis.
2. Although a number of slave narratives were published before Emancipation, Frederick Douglass’s autobiography became the most noted and celebrated of these. Analyze the reasons for this fact and support your thesis with specific historical data about slave narratives in general and specific quotations from Douglass’s autobiography.
3. Douglass maintains that slavery dehumanized both the slave and slaveholder. Quoting specific passages in the Narrative support this thesis with examples.
4. Douglass defines freedom as more than escape from the slaveholders. What is freedom according to Douglass and how does he achieve it? Make sure to cite specific examples from the Narrative.
5. Du Bois refers to the concept of the “Double Consciousness” of African Americans. What does he mean by this term? Please be specific and refer to his writings on this subject. How do the racist images in the video Ethnic Notions perpetuate “Double Consciousness”?
6. In Chapter II of The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois praises the goals of the Freedmen’s Bureau and many of its achievements. What, in his observation, were its achievements and failures? Be specific and cite the text. How does his view agree or differ with that of your high school history text on the subject of Reconstruction?
7. In The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois asserts that Emancipation is incomplete. What are his rationales for this statement? In your view, would Du Bois believe that the same is true today? Be as specific as possible and cite some data to support your thesis about this question.
I. Thursday 1/26/06
Truth, Testimony and Denial: the meanings of history
Great care should be observed in the statement of fact.
~T.D. Weld, 1839
Readings
1. Introduction, Preface and Letters of Reference (pp. ix-12)
2. American Abolitionism
Courtesy of Trustees of Indiana University
In Syllabus packet
Questions for Contemplation and Discussion
1. Although a number of slave narratives were published before Emancipation, Frederick Douglass’s autobiography became the most noted and celebrated of these. What were some of the reasons for this cited in the introductory material you have read?
2. What were the historical roots of the American Abolition Movement? What was Douglass’s role in this movement?
II. Monday 1/30/2006
Conditions of Life under Slavery in Antebellum Maryland, Part I
Thus is slavery the enemy of both the slave and the slaveholder
~F. Douglass 1845
Readings
Chapters I-4 (pp. 13-27)
Questions for Contemplation and Discussion
1. Douglass includes many details of specific place names and the names of individuals early in his narrative. What are some of these and why does he include them?
2. Why was it significant to the Abolitionist position that Douglass’s Narrative was set in Maryland?
3. Douglass maintained that slavery dehumanized both the slave and slaveholder. Quoting specific passages in the Narrative, give some examples that support his belief.
III. Tuesday 1/31/06
Conditions of Life under Slavery in Antebellum Maryland, Part II
Readings
Chapters 5-8 (pp. 27-42
Questions for Contemplation and Discussion
1. What does Douglass say about the contrast between the experiences of slavery on country plantations vs. the city of Baltimore?
2. Discuss Douglass’s observations about “the fatal poison of irresponsible power” (p. 31) as regards Mrs. Auld.
IV. Wednesday 2/1/06
Freedom and the Fight for Abolition
I have only one life to lose. I had as well be killed running as die standing.
~F. Douglass, 1845
Readings
Chapters 9-Appendix (pp. 42-86)
Questions for Contemplation and Discussion
1. Discuss Douglass’s views about Christianity and the white Southerner.
2. What are Douglass’s impressions of New Bedford when he arrives? Why is this significant to the Narrative?
3. The scholar J. Blassingame has written of nineteenth century autobiography that “truth, history and divinity met” as the author struggled to reveal his or her inner character. How does this apply to Douglass’s narrative? Please cite specific events and passages in the book in you discussion.
Suggestions for Further Reading
Henry Louis Gates, ed., The Classic Slave Narratives, Mentor (New York) 1987
Harriet Ann Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Signet (New York) 2000
"Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence." Rev. Martin Luther King. 4 April 1967. Available online at: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html
Robin D.G. Kelley and Lewis, eds., To Make Our World Anew: a History of African Americans, Oxford University Press, 2000, or latest edition.
Toni Morrison, Beloved. Vintage (New York) 2004
Isidore Okpewho, C.B. Davies, A.A. Mazrui, Eds. The African Diaspora: African origins and New World identities. Indiana University Press (Bloomington) 1999
Hugh Thomas, The Slave Trade: the story of the Atlantic slave trade: 1440-1870. Touchstone (New York) 1997.
The Dred Scott Decision.
Dred Scott v. Sanford. The Supreme Court Historical Society. http://www.landmarkcases.org/dredscott/home.html
Africans in America (1998):Public Broadcasting System. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2932.html
Web Resources
Frederick Douglass:
Douglass National Historical Site (with excellent links): http://www.nps.gov/frdo/freddoug.html
The Frederick Douglass Papers. (2001) Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/doughome.html
Douglass Historical Project website at Indiana University: http://www.iupui.edu/~douglass/
Berkeley Digital Library (1997) http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Literature/Douglass/Autobiography/
The Abolition Movement:
http://americanabolitionist.liberalarts.iupui.edu
Documents on Reserve at Chabot Library
These may be found in Manning Marable, Editor
Let Nobody Turn Us Around: voices of reform, resistance and renewal (Reserve Desk)
1789
Excerpt from the Autobiography of Olaudah Equino
1829-1830
David Walker’s Abolition Appeal
1831
Statement of Nat Turner
1841
Cinque and the Amistad Revolt
1851
Sojourner Truth Speech: A’nt I a Woman?
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Last Updated 1/22/06 - SH