Fredrick Douglass’ life was far from a fairy tale. It was a life full of hard work, poverty, and most importantly, a drastic hunger for knowledge. Now of course, a slave who has been through so much turmoil and unhappiness in his life would have a thing or two to say about Independence Day. But it was different in Douglass’ case. Douglass had a strong urge to express whatever was on his mind. Since Douglass was a slave and went through all the hardships that slaves go through, his reactions to Independence Day weren’t good ones.
Douglass’ master’s {Mr. Auld} reaction to his wife teaching Douglass a how to read was one of great rage. He stated, ‘if you teach that nigger… how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy.’ {Douglass, 78}. These statements greatly affected Douglass. He finally began to understand certain things, his eyes began to open to new things. As he put it, he “understood the pathway from slavery to freedom” {Douglass, 78}. Because of the words from his master, Douglass’ hunger for knowledge and freedom grew stronger and stronger by the day.
If one looks at the statistics of slavery in 19th century America, he or she will definitely be taken back. In 1850, there were 4 million slaves in the U.S. colonies out of 3 million people in the country. The slave population was slightly more than the white population. There were 300,000 slave owners out of 7 million whites. These statistics bring about a concern. How could a smaller population overrule a larger one? The superiority of the slave owners was intense and intimidating. The power and authority that these slave owners had over their slaves were like a relationship between a farmer and his animals.
Although our circumstances today are different than Douglass’, many injustices still exist in our country. Some similar observations that I can make is, for one, racism in general. It may not seem like a very important injustice, it is certainly overlooked. A lot of crimes are committed because of racism and the punishments are simple child’s play. A lot of court cases that are held for racism crimes usually end in disappointment. Therefore, justice has not prevailed.
Another observation is racial profiling. It is unfair that just because a person is a certain race, he or she is treated with disrespect and prejudice. Things such as D.W.B. {Driving While Black} and, in current times, stopping and questioning Muslims and other people of Middle Eastern descent, make America somewhat hypocritical.
Since America has drastically changed since the 19th century, the “American Dream” is somewhat of a reality. For me, the “American Dream” is defined as people, of any race, living in perfect harmony, despite the circumstances. Yes, since we have more laws today protecting minorities than back in slavery times, my definition of the “American Dream” is somewhat a reality. But, as always, this country can improve on this particular topic, as well as many others.
In conclusion, Fredrick Douglass can definitely be put on a list of people who have changed America’s history. His thirst for knowledge and dream of freedom opened the doors to great thoughts, extraordinary literature, and needed justice. Douglass’ persistence and his focusing on important issues brought about the recognizing of the black race and its stance in American society. He made people realize that justice is not blood, sweat and tears, but life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness… For Everyone.