The Arduous Road to Literacy: How Frederick Douglass Defied Slavery Through Reading
Frederick Douglass's journey to literacy is a powerful testament to the transformative power of education and the indomitable human spirit. Born into slavery as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey in Talbot County, Maryland, around 1818, Douglass's life was marked by hardship and a burning desire for freedom. Separated from his mother at a young age, he experienced firsthand the brutal realities of slavery. However, his path took a decisive turn when he discovered the power of reading and writing, skills that would ultimately pave his way to liberation and make him a leading voice in the abolitionist movement.
The Spark of Knowledge: An Unexpected Lesson
Douglass's initial exposure to literacy came unexpectedly. When he was around 12 years old, he was sent to Baltimore to live with a new master. The master’s wife, Sophia Auld, kindly commenced to teach him the alphabet. However, these lessons were short-lived. Mr. Auld found out what was going on, and at once forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct him further, telling her that it was unsafe to teach a slave to read. He said that if a slave learned to read, it would forever unfit him to be a slave and that he would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master.
Paradoxically, Mr. Auld's prohibition ignited a fire within Douglass. He later wrote that this moment was an inflection point in his life, as he understood what had been to him a most perplexing difficulty-to wit, the white man’s power to enslave the black man. It was a grand achievement, and he prized it highly. From that moment, he understood the pathway from slavery to freedom. Douglass realized that literacy was the key to unlocking his own freedom and challenging the institution of slavery itself.
A Determined Pursuit: Acquiring Literacy Through Ingenuity
Despite the obstacles, Douglass embarked on a determined pursuit of literacy. In the following pages of his memoir, Douglass recounts his efforts at literacy over the next seven years, enlisting local schoolboys as teachers and snatching up any book or newspaper he could find. Douglass eventually learned to write as well as read. He accomplished this feat in a similarly unconventional manner, by learning to mimic the letters marked on boards in a shipyard and copying tests out of an old spelling book his master’s son had once used.
One book in particular piqued his interest: The Columbian Orator. “These were choice documents to me. I read them over and over again with unabated interest.
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He first learned how to write while working at a ship-yard. He watched carpenters write on timber the part of the ship the piece was intended for, and copied it down. L. was for larboard. S. for starboard. A. for aft. F. for forward. I immediately commenced copying them, and in a short time was able to make the four letters named,” Douglass wrote. After learning those four letters, Douglass once again sought out white boys for lessons, this time for writing.
Douglass told white boys that he could write as well as them, however, they wouldn’t believe him and told Douglass to prove it. Douglass would then write the letters he knew and tell the white boys to write letters that they knew.
The Power of Literacy: Freedom and Advocacy
Douglass's literacy became his most potent weapon against slavery. He planned an escape and successfully made it to New York, and then up to Massachusetts. As a literate, free man living in the North, Douglass continued to educate himself and networked with others working for the abolition of slavery. He read The Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper, and became more acquainted with the anti-slavery movement. He attended speeches by William Lloyd Garrison, publisher of The Liberator, and eventually Garrison became a mentor to Douglass.
Literacy gave Douglass the ability to articulate not only how he was being treated but that the treatment was unjust, and gave him the ability to exercise his autotomy and fight back against his oppressors. He famously said: “This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning point in my life as a slave. It rekindled in my breath the smoldering embers of liberty. I was nothing before.
Douglass would go on to become a national leader of the abolitionist movement, a respected American diplomat, a counselor to four presidents, a highly regarded orator, and an influential writer. He accomplished all of these feats without any formal education. In 1845, Douglass published his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, which became a bestseller. Douglass stood as a living counter-example to slaveholders' arguments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens.
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Douglass's Enduring Legacy: Education as a Civil Right
Today, Frederick Douglass’ legacy is one of advocacy and education-he will forever be associated with social reform, the abolishment of slavery, and upholding literacy as a tool to fight against oppressors and to exercise one’s own agency. Frederick Douglass is also one of many historical figures whose life, work, and legacy are representative of our values at Reading Partners and our belief that learning to read is a civil right. Frederick Douglass, the father of the abolitionist movement, who advised Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson on the civil war and black suffrage, respectively, has provided our country with lessons that remain relevant and impactful to this day.
Throughout his life, Douglass was steadfast in his commitment to break down barriers between the races. His courage, passion, intellect, and magnificent written and oratory skills inspired hundreds of the world’s most prominent civil rights activists of the 20th century, as well as pioneers of the women’s rights movement. Even after the Civil War, Douglass continued to pursue equality for African Americans. He continued to tour for speaking engagements in the US and abroad.
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