Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Write the Story of Frederick Douglass’s Escape”

In this activity, students will narrate Frederick Douglass’s escape from enslavement, speculating about realistic possible circumstances and employing the use of historically accurate details.

Frederick Douglass tells us almost nothing about his journey from slavery to freedom, saying only:

On the third day of September 1838, I left my chains, and succeeded in reaching New York without the slightest interruption of any kind.

Speculate about the events of Douglass’s journey. In order to escape his enslavers in Baltimore and make the journey to New York City without being detected, what might his decisions and plans have entailed? Write a narrative of at least 500 words, ending with his safe arrival in New York. Here are some points to consider:

• Write the narrative in third-person limited viewpoint.
• Consulting a historical map, plot a realistic route for Douglass. What forms of transportation would he likely use? How might he acquire transportation?
• Include details that explain how Douglass evades the suspicion of others in order to successfully avoid “the slightest interruption.”
• Detail the decisions Douglass makes on his journey, reflecting your comprehension of his narrative’s events, revelations, and voice.

Be sure to utilize a variety of reputable history resources in planning, fact-checking, and drafting your narrative. As time allows, a revision process that includes peer editing might be helpful. 

Teaching Suggestion: Students might conclude this narrative assignment by reading their escape accounts or displaying their narratives alongside a map plotting the escape route. Viewing narratives and maps in a gallery walk and evaluating the likeliness of success with fact-based rationale offers another way to share and respond. 

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who benefit from alternatives for written assignments may choose to present their narrative orally by making a recording of their narration or delivering the narrative aloud. Visual learners may wish to create a graphic novel or tell their stories in alternative media.

Paired Text Extension:

Read “How Frederick Douglass Escaped Slavery,” which is a narrative about Douglass’s journey written by novelist Christopher Klein.

• How does your finished narrative differ from Klein’s?

Teaching Suggestion: For a different approach to the post-reading activity, students might read the beginning of Klein’s story and finish it on their own.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Frederick Douglass suggests that “the irresponsible power” of enslaving others requires the moral degradation of the people who participate in it.

• Which figures in Douglass’s life show the degrading effects of slavery, and which remain free from these effects? (topic sentence)
• Choose 2-3 people in the narrative who either demonstrate how enslaving others damages them morally or who remain free from the evils of slavery and live an untroubled life. Cite textual evidence to support your points.
• Do you feel that Douglass’s claim is compelling? Evaluate the effectiveness of his claim in your closing sentence or sentences; include brief rationale. 

2. Douglass persists in his education, even though the people in his life actively try to stop him from learning to read.  

• Why does Douglass continue to try to learn to read, even though he knows it is forbidden? (topic sentence)
• Cite 3 examples from the text in which Douglass works on his literacy; then, analyze and discuss the ways in which these instances benefit him later in life.
• In your final sentence or sentences, summarize the extent to which learning to read impacted his successful escape from enslavement.

3. In Chapter 10, Douglass claims that “of all slaveholders I have ever met, religious slaveholders are the worst.”

• What causes Douglass to make such a claim? (topic sentence)
• Cite 3 examples of religious enslavers in this text; analyze and discuss why Douglass finds them to be “the worst.”
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, summarize Douglass’s own feelings toward religion and slavery.  

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. William Leake Andrews states that “Typically, the antebellum slave narrative carries a [B]lack message inside a white envelope.” With that thought in mind, consider that Douglass’s narrative is prefaced by the words of not one but two white authors. In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, evaluate the impact of the use of these pieces to introduce Douglass’s narrative. What was the likely purpose of including these chapters at the time of publication? In what ways and to what extent has the impact on readership changed over time? Develop your essay with specific references to the prefacing pieces and the narrative itself.

2. Which person was most influential in leading Douglass to his eventual liberation? In a structured paragraph, support your claim with textual evidence. Connect your argument to the development of at least one of the narrative’s themes.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which statement best describes Douglass’s response to reading The Columbian Orator?

A) It proved to him he was capable of understanding logic.

B) It was his introduction to biblical teachings.

C) It substantiated his belief that slavery was evil.

D) It angered him into turning away from literature.

2. How does young Douglass prepare for his move to Baltimore?

A) By cleaning himself

B) By praying for hours on end

C) By trying to escape

D) By visiting his mother

3. Which of the following is the strongest example of the theme of Knowledge and Ignorance after moving to Baltimore?

A) Hugh and his wife’s marriage becomes plagued with drunkenness and misery.

B) Douglass remains enslaved even after his enslavers die suddenly.

C) Enslaved people hope they are not sold to Georgia enslavers.

D) Douglass carefully observes the course of Philadelphia-bound steamboats.

4. What are the poor white “Baltimore boys” surprised to learn about Douglass?

A) He arrived in Baltimore by ship.

B) He does not know how old he is.

C) He never got to spend time with his mother.

D) He will be enslaved for life.

5. What rhetorical device does Douglass use when he says to the sails on the bay, “You are freedom’s swift-winged angels, that fly round the world; I am confined in bands of iron!”?

A) Allusion

B) Anaphora

C) Antithesis

D) Apostrophe

6. What does the song about going to the Great House Farm symbolize for Douglass?

A) The most heartfelt of celebrations

B) The deepest of his fears

C) Slavery’s dehumanizing effects

D) His mother’s kind presence

7. What do Douglass’s few recollections of his mother suggest about her?

A) She felt a deep connection to him.

B) She had many children and tried to care for them all.

C) She was a ferocious woman who was ruined by slavery.

D) She used humor to combat oppression.

8. How does Covey respond when Douglass faints with exhaustion?

A) He beats him without mercy.

B) He sends him back to Mr. Auld.

C) He leaves him to swelter in the heat.

D) He sends him away from his mother.

9. How does Douglass treat the identity of enslavers that he accuses of cold-blooded murder in his narrative?

A) He keeps them anonymous to protect himself.

B) He creates false names for them but leaves clues historians have used to identify them.

C) He identifies the worst only by plantation or family name.

D) He explicitly identifies them and where they lived at the time.

10. Which job was Douglass working when he discovered vital clues that helped him learn to write?

A) Shopkeeping

B) Ship caulking

C) Shoe smithing

D) Soap boiling

11. What is the result of the escape attempt Douglass makes with his compatriots?

A) They are caught by Mr. Auld and imprisoned for a week.

B) They are caught by constables, jailed, and released.

C) They are caught by Mr. Covey and all but Douglass are shot and killed.

D) They are caught by the sheriff and returned to the plantation.

12. How does Douglass feel after speaking with the two Irish sailors?

A) Heartened by the encouragement of outsiders

B) Despondent with the belief escape is impossible

C) Resigned to the fact that most white people support slavery

D) Delighted because they help him learn to read

13. Why does Douglass’s “blood boil” when he remembers the destruction of his beloved Sabbath School?

A) Fellow enslaved people destroyed it in a fit of jealousy, demonstrating how slavery affects the Knowledge and Ignorance of all involved.

B) Two well-respected Christian leaders destroyed it, showing Slavery’s Corrosive Effects on Religion.

C) The school was razed to make room for more cotton crops, proving Slavery’s Profits Trumped Morality.

D) The school was burned down in retribution for an unrelated offense, showing how Slavery Dehumanizes Everyone Who is In It.

14. What are Douglass’s impressions of the free Black community in New Bedford?

A) They are grateful for their freedom and keep to themselves.

B) They work in conditions only slightly better than slavery.

C) They live in a vibrant community under the care of a white pastor.

D) They live and work happily and protect the freedom of all.

15. What does Douglass do for the first time in New Bedford?

A) Collect all the wages from his labor

B) Receive recognition for his skilled labor

C) Work with others who were not also enslaved

D) Work without the fear of being whipped

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Which of the many challenges that Douglass overcomes do you think is most important? Cite from the text to support your opinion.

2. How does the prosperity of New Bradford disprove the justification of slavery that Douglass heard throughout his upbringing?