Frederick Douglass Chapter 4

Freedom Is ….. Freedom is anything that releases us from restraint. Different types of freedom give us an overview into the challenges we as people have overcome. The basic description of freedom gives us what we need to gain self confidence.

Thesis Thesis- In our chapter Frederick Douglass discusses what he felt when he witnessed a murder, injustice when the white man was not put on trial for the killing and the inhumanity of the slave owners when they did not respond to the beatings.

Summary Chapter 4 Summary: In chapter 4 Frederick Douglass speaks about Mr. Austin Gore being the new overseer and of his terrible actions toward the slaves. He referred to Mr. Gore as being stubbornly impenitent and cruel, which he said made him the perfect man for the job. In this chapter Mr. Gore vigorously whips one of Mr. Lloyd’s slaves who goes by the name Demby. Demby who is suffering from extreme agony then goes to soak is beaten body in the water. This infuriates Mr. Gore who then tells Demby that he will call him three times, and if on the third time he does not come out Mr. Gore will shoot him. After doing so Mr. Gore is not even fazed by the dastardly deed he had so maliciously partaken in. In doing so Mr. Gore said that it would set a good example for any slaves that might misbehave or rebel. Frederick Douglass said that his crime did not even go to court, and that none of the slaves were able report it, because of this no charges were put toward Mr. Gore. Douglass then continues telling about his wife’s cousin who was brutally murdered by Mrs. Hicks. He says that she was beaten with a wooden stick multiple times till she was dead a hours afterwards. The reason she had been beaten was because she had fallen asleep; unaware that the baby was crying the parents were awakened from their sleep which then caused the massacre. Towards the end of the chapter he mentions a slave that was shot for trespassing onto Mr. Bondly, another slave owner’s property and yet again of how the crime went unnoticed by the town’s authority.

Examples "He argued that if one slave refused to be corrected, and escaped with his life, the other slaves would soon copy the example; the result of which would be the freedom of the slaves, and the enslavement of the whites. Mr. Gore's defense was satisfactory." -Frederick Douglass The voice of the author brings the true emotion of what he is feeling about the situation or predicament that they are in. This quote is speaking about, if the slaves decided to rebel, what would happen to the whites? You can tell by this quote that Fredrick Douglass thinks that Mr. Gore’s reasoning for killing one of his slaves out of fear of revolt was absolutely barbaric to him, but to the white man, it would make complete and total sense. “I speak advisedly when I say this, -- that killing a slave, or any colored person, in Talbot county, Maryland, is not treated as a crime, either by the courts of the community.”- Fredrick Douglass The tone of the author sets forth how strongly or carefree they are about something. This quote is speaking of the killing of a slave or colored person is treated as if it was no big deal. It’s like the death of an unimportant character in society, and that’s exactly how the whites saw it. You can tell by this quote that it truly bothers Fredrick Douglass that his people are treated in the inhumane manor. No man, of color or not, should not be subjected to these crimes. However, the white man sees it quite fit for people of color.

Questions Questions The violent events that Chapter 4 records starts off with is Mr. Gore shoots his own slave, Demby, after he refuses to come out of the river after a brutal whipping. Another part tells of how Mrs. Hicks, a slave owner's wife, breaks her slave's nose and severely beats her with a stick, thus ending in death. At the end he tells of how another slave trespasses on another farm and is shot. I think nothing was done to prosecute the murders because they didn't want the white slave owners to look bad and it wasn't "important" enough to them. Douglass's style is very morbid and descriptive as he tells of the cruel events. He shows emotion when telling of the stories by using detailed words to correctly display how horrible the violence and inhumanity was.