Throughout the "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass", there are many instances in which Frederick portrays himself as growing into manly independence. There were many crucial events in his life that encouraged him to become something more than just a slave. What he went through and what he saw other slaves go through made him realize the wrongness and unfairness of the world he was living in at the time. Encouraged by many, in several ways, Frederick was determined, at a young age, to look to freedom, and save himself from enslavement.
At quite a young age, Frederick was aware of enslavement. One of the first men in his life that made this impact was a man named Mr. Severe. He was a cruel man, constantly cursing, and raving, along with cutting and slashing slaves for whatever reason he pleased. Another man, Colonel Lloyd was of the same type. For instance, Lloyd owned horses that were watched over by two slaves. If there were ever a complaint made, the slave would have no saying or be able to speak for himself, but be whipped repeatedly. Lloyd was also a tricky master, often asking his slaves who they belonged to and how well they were treated, knowing the slaves weren't aware of whom they were speaking with. After getting a truthful, yet harsh response from the slave, Lloyd would continue on his way. Weeks later, he would have that slave chained, handcuffed, and sent away to be punished. Mr. Gore, another man, feared by all, was yet another impact on Frederick. Mr. Gore actually killed a slave by the name of Demby, by shooting at him for going into a creek for pain easement after a whipping. Mr. Gore never received a punishment for this, and continued in his work. It was noted by Frederick that a murder in Maryland was not even considered a crime.
Skipping a few years in Douglass's life, Mr. Edward Covey was most likely the biggest impact on Frederick. Mr. Covey was known as "the snake".