Recently I had the opportunity to read the book entitled "Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass." This book was very interesting in many different ways. Especially the fact that he used education to set him free. In the 18oo's slaves being able to read was highly unheard of. Today many teens' especially African American teens don't understand how fortunate they are to be able to receive an education. Fredrick Douglass is an absolute prime example of you can achieve whatever it is in life you want no matter your background or what you go through. .
Fredrick Douglass was a former slave who was born in Tuckahoe which was about twelve miles from Talbot county in Maryland. Like many slaves he doesn't have accurate knowledge of his birthday but he does know he's about 17 years after overhearing a conversation his master was having. His mother was a slave as well. She was located on a plantation many miles away from him but she would visit Douglass throughout the night very often and leave him in the morning time. Douglass' father was said to had been a white man. It was never clarified if his father was his slave master but Douglass had great assumptions that he was his father. As a young child Douglass always wonder why he wasn't able to know certain information about himself that the white kids were able to know. He felt like everyone should be able to have the same privileges. It wasn't until he was encouraged to read and write by his slave owner's wife by of Mrs.Auld. Of course when her husband found out he forbade her not to teach Douglass how to read or write because "teaching him how to read and write will spoil the best nigger." I personally feel like it was then when Fredrick was determine to learn how to fully read and write. .
In the 1800's it was very unlikely you would find a slave who was able to tell you his birthday let alone read and write. Douglass took advantage of this opportunity which was a very great decision.