Frederick Douglass and Slavery

C. .
             Frederick Douglass's life as a slave had the greatest impact on his writings. Through slavery, Douglass was able to develop the necessary emotion and experiences for him to become a successful abolitionist writer. Douglass grew up as a slave, experiencing all of the hardships that are included, such as whippings, inadequate meals, and other harsh treatment. His thirst for freedom, and his burning hatred of slavery caused him to write Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and other similar biographies. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass wrote the complete story of his miserable life as a slave and his strife to obtain freedom. The main motivational force behind his character (himself) was to make it through another day so that someday he might see freedom. The well written books that he produced were all based on his life as was Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. These books all start with Douglass coping with slavery. Frederick Douglass also had a reason to write these works. As a die-hard abolitionist, Douglass wanted to show the world how bad slavery really was. He did this very well, because he made many people understand the unknown, and made abolitionists out of many people. This man had a cause, as well as a story to tell. Douglass, as a former slave, single-handedly redefined American Civil War literature, simply by redefining how antislavery writings were viewed. There were other narratives written by former slaves, but none could live up to the educated, realistic accounts of slavery by Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass is well known for many of his literary achievements. He is best known, now, as a writer. As a writer, Frederick Douglass shined. As a speaker, Frederick Douglass was the best. There was no abolitionist, black or white, that was more respected for his speaking skills. So impressive were Frederick Douglass's oratorical and intellectual abilities that opponents refused to believe that he had been a slave and alleged that he was an impostor fostered on the public by the abolitionists.