The Story of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was the first of three autobiographies written by Frederick Douglass himself. It's a story about slavery and the meaning of freedom in antebellum America. According to the free dictionary, slavery is defined as the state or condition of being a slave; a civil relationship in which one person has absolute power over another and controls their life, liberty, and fortune (freedictionary.com). Frederick Douglass's book talks about a slavery he obtained from birth; a slave for life. He was separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey, at birth and knew his father was a white man. He lived on the Great House Farm plantation during his younger years; it is there that he experiences his first act of violence against a slave. Douglass experienced many ups and downs. At the age of seven, he was moved to another home where he learned to read and write. However, he was brutally beaten so that he could be "broken" into a well-disciplined slave. Douglass describes many elements in his story; Douglass explains how slave owners were able to support themselves through their actions. Frederick describes how slaves stayed where they were and did not attempt to escape. He also addresses a number of myths created by slaves and slave owners that he wishes to prove false. In the story of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, Frederick Douglass describes how a slave owner maintained his actions, how a slave was prevented from escaping, and proves that the myths of slaves and slave owners 'slaves are false. Slave owners had a number of ways to justify themselves for their actions according to Douglass. One way they justified their actions was that slaves were inferior to animals......... middle of paper ... anguish (19). Overall, the South was a far cry from the fanciful and grandiose, but depressing and unrealistic images. Overall, Frederick Douglass's book, Account of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was a story of slavery and freedom. He was lucky enough to be able to live a better life as a slave than the others. He was able to gain reading skills that he would not get from being a slave his whole life. Unlike the other slaves, he knew that he was not meant to remain a slave for the rest of his life. He described the ways in which slave owners justified their actions. He was one of the few who did not stray toward freedom; he discussed the many ways in which slaves were prevented from thinking about escape and freedom. Once free, he wrote this account and disproves many of the myths many have told about slaves and slave owners..