Frederick Douglas Vs. Venture Smith

            Frederick Douglass and Venture Smith and Their Quest for FREEDOM.
             Slavery, a prominent and very controversial issue in the 17th and 18th century, affected the lives of many people. This affected people both directly and indirectly. Those incarcerated by slavery and their family members were directly affected by slavery. They were the victims of brutality and savage acts of nature. Slavery, according to "Webster's Dictionary", is the submission to a dominating influence. This implies an animalistic nature; the nature that one species is superior to another. The dominating species in this case is the white race, claiming to be above blacks. This implication shows that the black race that is enslaved is nothing but property or chattel that does not have and deserves no rights. This suppression caused an emergence of people who tried to rise above slavery, called abolitionists. Abolitionists and ex slaves that gained their freedom from running away, or purchasing it, tried to gain freedom for others and put an end to this inhumanity. Publications, meetings and other media induced sessions were very prominent and helped inform people about the terrors of slavery. Of these publications, one of the most famous and notable writings is that of Frederick Douglass", The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Another publication of importance is that of Venture Smith's, A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa. These narratives, along with others, were widely read and even used as propaganda against slavery. .
             Frederick Douglass was a well-educated man, a well-known speaker and an activist against slavery. Due to Frederick Douglass" intellect, ability to speak, and his education level, people had a hard time believing that he was, at one time, a slave. He was a widely recognized speaker, and he was one of the first slaves to write their own autobiography.