Frederick Douglass was a notable American author and activist, and of the most successful and renowned emancipated slaves in America during the nineteenth century. Born into slavery, Douglass was raised by his grandparents, but they abandoned him at the age of six, leaving him entirely without family. He was sent to work in Baltimore, where he learned the alphabet, and then back to Maryland, and then back to Baltimore again, where he escaped from slavery by pretending to be a sailor. Douglass moved to Massachusetts, and wed Anna Murray, with whom he would start a family. Quickly he became a notable figure in the abolitionist movement, and he lent himself to the women’s rights movement as well. Douglass is perhaps best known for his autobiography and treatise on abolition, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, which he published in the 1845. Throughout his lifetime Douglass worked for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, published the newspaper The North Star, and served as an advisor for President Abraham Lincoln.
The “Mountain Whites” was the name given to poor white Americans who lived in the Appalachian mountain prior to the Civil War. The Mountain Whites were essentially separated from American society, and thus they developed a unique culture of their own. For instance, they spoke in Elizabethan accents up until the civil war, even though the rest of America had ceased to do so long since. The mountain whites were critical of the South, and would go on to fight for the Union during the Civil War. Mountain whites were particularly important to the Union cause because of their location within the Confederacy.
During the Antebellum era, slavery was primarily concentrated in the South. Enslaved Africans Americans worked on plantations, on small farms, and in cities and towns. Regardless of where they worked, slaves were considered to be property, the lowest tier on the Southern social hierarchy. Slaves’ relationships with their masters varied, but it is safe to say that slaves weren’t able to escape the notion that they were property; and that the relationship between slaves and their masters could never approach equality. In general, slaves were badly off: their diets were inadequate for their heavy workload, their living conditions left them susceptible to disease and weather, and had little clothing or bedding. However, conditions varied depending on where the slaves worked. In general, plantation slaves had it the worst off. They were particularly susceptible to disease, which is endemic to the hot and humid South. Furthermore, slaves were given inadequate medical attention, and often forced to work while sick – all of this contributed to a high slave mortality rate on the plantations. Child mortality rates were terribly high as well, normally around 66% (PBS: Conditions of Antebellum Slavery). Slave women were at risk for sexual exploitation, which became a fact of life for many enslaved women. They had no means of protecting themselves from rape, stalking, and harassment; and slave men were helpless to protect them. Slaves were beat brutally, sometimes to the point of death. Moreover, they constantly lived in uncertainty, for they could be sold to a new master at any point. Slaves coped with their harsh realities of their lives by forming communities of slaves, when possible (such as on large plantation); through active resistance; and through religion.
Works Cited
“Conditions of Antebellum Slavery.” PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Antebellum Slavery. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.
Dunaway, Wilma A. “Civil War in the Mountain South.” DLA: Digital Library and Archives. Slavery and Emancipation in the Mountain South, 2003. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.
Morsell, Fred. “A Short Biography of Frederick Douglass.” Frederick Douglass Comes to Life. Frederick Douglass. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.
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