Life of Frederick Douglas
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The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass tells a story of self-discovery and of a character reinventing himself. Douglass, who had been given the name Frederick Bailey at birth, barely knew his mother. She was sold to another plantation very early in his life. His father was a mystery, the only thing he ever heard about him was that he was a white man. Being a child captive in slavery, Douglass was treated like an animal; he literally ate from a trough like the pigs, and was fed boiled corn meal. Clothing was something Douglass had a tough time collecting: He recalls that the only thing he had to wear was a linen shirt reaching only to his knees. He had no shoes, no socks, or pants. Nor were slaves educated. In fact, teaching a slave to read or write was considered a crime. One of his masters, Mr...