Are Slave Codes Encourage Slaves To Learn To Read?

Douglass was motivated to learn how to read by hearing his master condemn the education of slaves. Mr. Auld declared that an education would “spoil” him and “forever unfit him to be a slave” (2054). He believed that the ability to read makes a slave “unmanageable” and “discontented” (2054). Douglass discovered that the “white man’s power to enslave the black man” (2054) was in his literacy and education. As long as the

Slave owners often would punish any slaves that tried to educate themselves. They didn't want their slaves to be educated in fear that they

owners keep slaves uninformed of basic facts about themselves, such as their birth date or their

Frederick Douglass believed that learning how to read would help him become a free man. “From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.” Thus, implying that if he obtained an education, he would have a better chance at freedom. Most slaves were not brave enough to attempt to learn how to read, because they knew the consequences. Slave-owners were convinced that slaves should only know how to obey their owners, and there was a punishment for slaves that were caught trying to learn.

Therefore, Douglass appeals to ethos in the beginning of chapter one. He then explains that he does not know his own birth date and or his age, "I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it" (Douglass 1). Why would the slaves, not be allowed to know the facts about their own life? The answer is simply that slaves weren't supposed to know the amount of things that white people had the privilege to know, only because the slave holders did not want them to have that sort of knowledge.

     Illiteracy was an instrumental tool used to deprive slaves in an attempt to keep them ignorant and manageable during the 1800’s. If slaves were to learn how to read, they could in turn be educated. The oppressing class during this time period realized that if slaves were able to become educated they could no longer be useful, for it would be increasingly difficult to exploit their services. The ability to read was the white man’s power over slaves. Douglass, realizing the situation of his enslavement, took advantage of his privileges and began to secretly learn how to read and write. As he become more proficient in English, Douglass began to gain a following of slaves who were willing

Race has played an uncomfortably important role in History. From rich white land owning slave holders, producing mass amounts of

Slavery is the fundamentally an outbound domineering factor. During the course of history, slavery has existed where it has been economically beneficial for profitable measure, millions of slaves existed in the United States and south. Whites enjoyed income revenue’s because of slaves entwine burdensome constraints for lucrative benefits such

By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant...A want of information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege. I was not allowed to make any inquiries of my master concerning it. (Douglass 1999 p.1)

Prior to the emancipation of the slaves in the United States , there were several laws governing the identities and the relationships of people with slaves . These laws were prevalent in the states that allowed slavery , especially in the South . These codes stipulated the rights of masters toward their slaves and defined the status of slaves in the American society . These codes also gave white masters almost absolute power over their slaves . The rights of slaves were so minimal that they were considered as nothing more thanhuman properties who lives belong to their masters

The slaves thought that it was unfair and not right that they had were treated in such a way they felt that it was not fair for them to be treated this way they thought that they should be able to do the things that the white people do Such as having animals or growing any kind of vegetables they were not able to have weapons or any kind of anything to defend themselves against the dangerous that were out to get them are anything trying to kill them.

Why do slave owners not want to tell the slaves personal information about themselves? (Date of birth, last name, etc.)

That is why I have chosen the time period “The Old South and Slavery 1830-1860”. Slavery is the first historical event, under which a slave along with different implements of production becomes the private property of the slave owner. In other words, slavery converted Africans from being a human being into being a “thing” or even some kind of consumer item. In today’s generation, blacks tend to look at slavery as something in past that really hurt our people as a whole. Many say that they could survive being a slave, but in reality they do not really know hard it was to be a slave. Hearing stories from family members or friends does not really show them or make them understand how had it truly was being a slave. When many slaves arrived they spoke different languages for they

In the passage Learning to Read by Fredrick Douglas, The situation consists of a man who educated himself while a slave. He learned to read and write, escaped, then became a speaker on slavery, and later wrote a book that told his story. In this time period (1830’s, 1840’s) this is a significant deal because slaves weren’t allowed to know how to read or write, they were not allowed to be educated. Knowledge is power, so the slave masters kept their slaves from being able to access the tools they need to become educated and enlighten themselves on their current situation.

Throughout Douglass’s experience as a slave, he finds that masters consistently seek to deprive their slaves of knowledge. They steal the slaves chance to learn in order to crush their wills to be free. They had also crushed the ability for slaves to learn so that the slaves could not even comprehend the state of being