Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself | Overview & Chapter Abstracts for Teachers

Chapter Abstracts

Chapter abstracts are short descriptions of events that occur in each chapter. They highlight major plot events and detail the important relationships and characteristics of characters and objects. The Chapter Abstracts can be used to review what the students have read, or to prepare the students for what they will read. Hand the abstracts out in class as a study guide, or use them as a "key" for a class discussion. They are relatively brief, but can serve to be an excellent refresher of the text for either a student or teacher.

Preface Abstract

* This Preface is written in1845 by William Lloyd Garrison who is an abolitionist and creates an anti-slavery newspaper called The Liberator.

Second Preface Abstract

* Garrison sees Douglass give a speech about what his life was like as a slave four years before he writes the Preface for Douglass.

Chapter 1 Abstract