Life was hard in 1845, when slavery was at its peak. Slaves were considered beasts, subhuman, or at least a degenerate form of the human species. African slaves were used to grow lucrative crops: sugar, rice, tobacco and cotton. Their owners oppressed them, imposed constraints on them, distorted their choices and held them back as people. They would be whipped, tortured and sold. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography of Frederick Douglass that depicts slavery as an ungodly, unnatural, unjust, cruel, and immoral phase of his life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essaySlavery in America in the 19th century was brutal and inhumane. Subjugation in America began in 1619 when a Dutch ship landed 20 African slaves in the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia (History.Com 2019). Intolerance was at the heart of American slavery. It demanded that different races (black and white) be isolated, have their own communities, and that it was not natural for individuals of different races to intermarry. By portraying Africans and the inferior peoples of their African-American parents, proponents of slavery attempted to justify and maintain the system of exploitation while portraying the United States as a "hero of human freedom with the human rights, unlimited opportunity and equality” (Plato.stanford.edu 2019). ). Slavery became harsher when legal codes dictated the behavior of enslaved men and women. They had no legal standing in court, they were not allowed to testify except against another slave or a free black person, they could not enter into contracts or own property. They were not allowed to leave their owner's property without permission or to defend themselves against the violence of their white master. The penalties for infractions were extreme. Whipping was prescribed for minor offenses, branding, mutilation and even death of a person were employed as punishment for more serious offenses. Frederick Douglass explains his emotions throughout the day very well. He describes his days metaphorically, with the aim of sending a message to readers. “These beautiful vessels, dressed in the purest white, so delightful to the eyes of free men.” The purest white means freedom to him and shows that he still has hope of escaping one day. 'Get caught or get out, I'll try. I was as likely to die of fever as of fever. This sentence shows his desperation of not wanting to continue his life. Frederick Douglass compares his time on the plantations with Mr. Covey to his time in Baltimore. In Baltimore, he had time to learn to read and write and became aware of the consequences of slavery. But when it was rented to Edward Covey, things changed. “If at any time in my life more than any other I was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery, it was during the first six months of my stay with Mr. Covey.” Covey manages, during the first six months, to work and squeeze all his soul out of him to the point where he never wants to learn or freedom again, he is just able to rest from his wounds and his weariness. The story of Frederick Douglass is by far the most important since it requires us to consider something beyond laws and political views of enslavement and freedom. In “The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” Douglass discusses the narrative of how a slave becomes.