"Douglass Proves the American Dream".
The American Dream is the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity, and a life of personal happiness and material comfort, traditionally held to be available for every American. Everyone's American Dream is different. There is not one dream for all Americans. Everyone chooses their own destiny in life and that is what they should set forth to achieve. Nevertheless, the American Dream was taken from slaves. They were basically brainwashed that they could not live out any dreams. Frederick Douglass is a prime example that anyone can live out their American Dream. He was determined to achieve his American Dream by struggling to survive, fighting for his freedom and equal rights and opportunity. Many of these issues established the American Constitution. .
Douglass endured many struggles. For Douglass, living was a struggle. The painful declarations of ignorance of his birth date, and even the identity of his father was a struggle. When he collapsed and was ill from sunstroke his master Covey kicked and lashed him to get up. Recouping was a struggle. When he was stripped of his pride, faith, and hope, and was completely bewildered, it was a struggle to continue. He also fought an inner struggle: man vs. self. He had to decide whether to stand up for himself or obey every order. He eventually fought Covey back and realized that, .
"he is whipped oftenest, who is whipped easiest; and the slave who has the courage to stand up for himself against the overseer, although he may have many hard stripes at the first, becomes, in the end, a freeman, even though he sustains the formal relation of a slave." (Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom, p. 95). .
He struggled to stay alive and thought only of staying alive. He admits, "In thinking of my life, I almost forgot my liberty."(51). He struggled as a kid by surviving to eat the cornmeal mush that was placed in a trough.
