Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself Summary
Frederick Douglass

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself Overview

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is a first-person memoir written by Douglass detailing his life in slavery and his eventual escape to freedom. As noted in the opening Note of the book, "In a career of unprecedented breadth, Douglass rose from the oppression of his slave's birth to become an internationally famous writer and orator, one of the most visible spokesmen for the Abolition movement before the Civil War and a key player in the political intrigues that followed the enfranchisement of the emancipated slaves after the Confederate surrender" (x). Douglass's memoir explores themes of the morality of human ownership, the cruelty of the slave system, and mankind's inherent right to freedom.