Exploring Slavery and Frederick Douglass

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Reflection: A fact, piece of data or statistic learned from any of the sources exploring slavery or Frederick Douglass

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1. Read the entries from other participants

2. When you get to a blank slide enter your name in the purple section and your data, statistic or fact from your exploration of slavery or Frederick Douglass in the gray section. You may complete additional slides if you choose to.

4. BE CAREFUL! Do not overwrite or delete slides completed by other students.

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What fact, statistic, narrative element “stands out” or resonated with you from the resources exploring slavery.

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Ms. Guy

Response:

There are many. Most notably, the 1619 Project sponsored by the New York Times as well as other information I have learned from visiting the Civil Rights Museum and my study of ethnic studies. What especially resonates with me is that slaves provided millions of hours and dollars of “free” labor that provided the foundation for the wealth of the United States. Slaves worked in corn, sugar, cotton, tobacco, indigo, rice and other fields throughout the southern United States. When I think about waves of immigrant labor in the United States, I can’t help but think that many of the current day laborers and farmers who do back breaking labor, are working in the same fields that my ancestors worked. When one group of laborers frees themselves, brutal capitalism demands that another group take their place. Thus, the institution of slavery has impacted almost all of us in the United States. No matter our color or background. This concept I hope we have a chance to explore, or that you take the initiative to see the connections between the slavery that began 400 years ago, with the racism and discrimination against people of color that exists to this day.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Ms. Guy

Response: Another interesting fact or piece of narrative data is that slaves fought to establish their humanity. When I think of the fact that Fredericks mother walked 12 miles each day to see him, I think of the unspoken love families still had for their children. Although Frederick was unable to develop the relationship between mother and son that is common in families, he definitely wants readers to infer that his mother loved him as best she can. She would not walk under such dangerous conditions without having a protection to see him if she did not. Consequently, early on in the narrative, Douglass asserts and establishes the humanity of both himself, his mother and other slaves, no matter how miserable another person made their lives.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Cyriah Burks

Response: During my exploration of slavery some of the facts that stood out to me was that families were ripped apart in order to keep the slave in line so they wouldn't rally against their masters. That many slaves were deprived the feeling of what it meant to have a family and be loved by one. This main reason is the cause of the condition called Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. Slave mothers would try and decentegrate their children by calling them dumb and unable to work to their masters in hoping that they won’t sell their child. As it is smart for them to keep their family together, it breaks the child down to making them feel as they are nothing. By the time the child actually realizes what the mother was trying to do all along it is too late. Another fact that stood out to me is that slave masters used their control to produce slaves and make sure they stayed slaves their whole lives. When born, slave children could only inherit the status of their mother. The slave masters would exploit slaves women to make sure they bear more children and that way the masters would have more slaves to keep and to sell. For them it was like killing two birds with one stone. They were able to satisfy their needs and still make efficient money.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Reggie Brookens

Response:

In my reading about slavery and the life of Frederick Douglass I learned many things. One of which that stood out to me the most is that slaves rarely ever knew/ had had a relationship with their parents. To me this is extremely harsh because I feel like this process of separating the child from their mother weakens the mind of the child and in result most likely causes them to be emotionally unstable in a sense. It also was brought to my attention that slaves were rarely ever told their age so no one really knew how old they really were. They can only guess. However as said in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, it is stated that white children were aware of their. This makes me wonder that maybe withholding the age from the slave was another tactictic of mind control, as the white kids knew their age and therefore the white always seemed superior to the slaves and no slave ever though otherwise .

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Seth Barzeron

Response:

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There were many facts and information that stood out to me during my exploration of slavery. The facts that stood out to me the most was during the Civil War. During the Civil War Frederick Douglass was an advocate for black soldiers to be included in the Union Army. This stood out to me because in order to get freedom they’ve wanted for years they had to fight in war. It also stood out to me because at first the black soldiers were given basic jobs. For example cleaning and hard labor and towards the end of the war there were more black soldiers in the Union Army than there were whites.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Iliana Nava

Response:

During my exploration of slavery, one idea that stood out was that cotton plantations were “too big to fail.” During the rise of cotton plantations and production, consumer demand increased drastically. Eventually, customer demand became too large to handle, and the nation fell into an economic crisis; known as the Panic of 1837. The United States government chose to not close the cotton plantations, because they were “too big to fail.” During my exploration, the idea of “too big to fail” was compared to the 2008 - 2009 economic recession. The recession was primarily caused by the lack of federal regulators in United States banks. The government, again, failed to close all banks because they were considered “too big to fail”

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Kyla Leslie

Response:

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The one thing that sticks out for me is that the slave owners never told the slaves their age and birthday. In the autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, it is said that “[b]y far the larger part of slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant.” I have read this novel before, but it still shocks me that slave masters oppressed slaves by stripping them of their birth rights. When you are born, I believe you have the privilege to know what your birthday is, but slave owners didn’t give slaves that privilege. Knowing you birthday or age gives you something to hold on to. Slave owners wanted slaves to feel like they didn’t have anything, which would have hindered the slave’s motivation to fight against the owners. Owners made sure that the slaves knew they had nothing but mentally and physically oppressing them.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Anthony Ponce

Response: The idea or narrative fact that stands out in my exploration of slavery is that slave owners would prefer their slaves to be more ignorant. They accomplish this by not letting them see an authentic record of their birthdate. This degrades them because they are deprived of knowing that information, and any white person would have the privilege of knowing.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Tyree Harris

Response: After reading the Narrative of Frederick Douglass, I got a deeper insight on what slavery was. Something that stood out to me though is that they tried to keep slaves ignorant as possible to the point where slaves didn't know their birthday or age. This stood out to me because it shows how hard they tried to keep slaves to know little to nothing at all so this institution could work. Masters and plantation owners knew if slaves began to gain knowledge, read,and write it would lead to ideas of rebellion which would lead to the end of slavery.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Leslie Hernandez

Response: When I was conducting my exploration on Frederick Douglass, I got to get a better understanding to what and who he was fighting for. He was not only fighting for himself or to better comprehend who he was, but for many more who were just like him. What really stood out to me was the fact that he also fought for women and their rights. Frederick Douglass would attend multiple gatherings for women's rights and constantly supported their right to vote. Douglass was actually the only African American to attend the gathering in the Seneca Falls Convention. Although it was surprising to me at first, it makes sense for someone to fight for others who are also struggling with society’s structure.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Maria Tepox

Response: Something that stood out to me was that Frederick Douglass wrote 5 autobiographies. Something else that stood out to me was that Douglass published his own abolitionist newsletter, the North Star. Douglass used this newsletter to denounce slavery. Not only that but the newsletter was also used to fight for the emancipation of women and other oppressed groups. That really surprised me because I was not aware of this before.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Daphne Hernandez

Response: One narrative fact that stands out in my exploration of slavery is that once the civil war began, African-American soldiers were not allowed to fight in the beginning, and instead, were given duties like cleaning and manual labor. This especially resonates with me because these white Americans were too prideful and arrogant to even take into consideration the help of African Americans, even though they too were Americans. It made me think about how no matter what job they would do, they would always find some way to degrade them, whether it be pay or participation.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

Name: Armando Marchan

Response: What stood out in the exploration of slavery was that African American couldn’t enlist to the Union Army during the Civil War. The African American were only able to enlist to the Union Army till the Emancipation Proclamation.

What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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What idea, data or narrative fact stands out in your exploration of slavery? Frederick Douglass?

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Response: Something that has stood out to me most about slavery is the way Americans used different tactics to have Africans and African Americans turn against each other. Many Africans would turn in men of other villages or tribes. They would also use tactics of favoritism based on colorism. African Americans have been dehumanized throughout history and it is astonishing how many people are still ignorant.

Daniela Torres