Frederick Douglass, originally known as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, was one of the most influential African Americans of the nineteenth century.
Fueled by the brutal mistreatment as a slave,.
he could no longer take the abuse and fought back against the cruel mistreatment (Notable Black American Men 327). Covey and Douglass fought for nearly two hours, until they ceased due to mutual exhaustion (Litwack 11). This victory over Covey, and symbolically every master who had ever beaten him, was a major turning point in Douglass" life (Chesebrough 10). He points out, "This was the turning point as my career as a slave. It rekindled a few expiring embers of freedom," and he vowed to never again be assaulted by a white man (Chesebrough 10). This incident changed his entire frame of thought from one of submission to determination (Lampe 9).
While Douglass was under Mr. Covey's control he was treated very differently then he was with any of his other masters. Their relationship was what normally was thought of when one thinks of a master-slave relationship. Covey gave Douglass severe whippings, cutting [his] back, causing the blood to run, and raising ridges on [his] flesh as large as [his] little finger (101). But there was a turning point in Douglass's life where his master knew it would not be in his best interest to treat him like a normal slave. Even though he was a slave he earned the respect of a human being. .
Douglass had taken off one night and at his return the next morning he was greeted by Mr. Covey holding a rope. The two started to fight and, although one would never expect a slave to quarrel with his master, Douglass stood up and fought back. That fight was, as Douglass put it, "The turning point in my career as a slave" (113). From that point on Douglass was respected as a slave which was very uncommon. .
Frederick Douglass's life was not like that of every other slave's.