*Frederick Douglass, the former slave, had apparently managed to shape his own myths and details like a 2nd White wife didn’t seem to fit. He was among the most influential people of the 19th century and had written about 1200 pages worth of an autobiography. These had managed to become among the most impressive memoir performances in the history of our nation.
His Personal Stories
In Frederick Douglass’s autobiographies, he narrated his personal story of slavery and how he witnesses and endured several acts of brutality. He also included how he had audaciously then managed himself to freedom.
In his own words, he described that he had mastered the language of his owner and had begun seeing the core meaning of slavery at a very young age. He then also described the several meanings of freedom his mind perceived – freedom of body, mind reality, and ideas. No one else had such brilliant ideologies at the time.
Even though this was the case, it seemed as if Douglas was also holding quite a lot back while formulating a carefully constructed narrative.
Details He Intentionally Left Out
One of the most notable details he had omitted from his autobiographies was his complex family issues. He had not mentioned his rather important lady friends and even his second marriage to a White woman!
Other than just relationships, Frederick Douglass had omitted his feelings about his journey from being a slave onto being a fugitive and finally becoming a well-known radical outsider. For those of you who didn’t already know, this ex-slave had gained fame because he had a manner of eloquently pointing out the harshest truths about the nation.
Douglas had even portrayed quite a lot of modesty when he omitted to mention that he was a dear acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln – who invited him to the White House a couple of times.
Instead, Douglas captured what he saw of freedom and slavery in unparalleled artistry and mastery of language. Here is an excerpt from one of his autobiographies:
“Those beautiful vessels, robed in purest white, so delightful to the eye of freemen, were to me so many shrouded ghosts, to terrify and torment me with thoughts of my wretched condition. I have often, in the deep stillness of a summer’s Sabbath, stood all alone upon the lofty banks of that noble bay, and traced, with saddened heart and tearful eye, the countless number of sails moving off to the mighty ocean. The sight of these always affected me powerfully. My thoughts would compel utterance; and there, with no audience but the Almighty, I would pour out my soul’s complaint… with an apostrophe to the moving multitude of ships.”
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