Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave: Chapters 6 and 10 - Summary

Chapter 6

Douglass is transferred from the country to Baltimore to a new mistress Mrs. Auld, who is benevolent as he has never known a white person to be. She is upset when he approaches her with servile self-debasement, and instead desired slaves to be at ease in her presence. However this soon changes, because owning slaves corrupts people.

Mrs. Auld begins teaching him to read and write but when Mr Auld finds out he puts a stop to it because it is illegal and unsafe because it renders slaves unhappy and unmanageable. This is a revelation to Frederick, as he understands that the power to enslave lies in keeping the slaves uninformed. This opposition of Mr. Auld's causes Frederick to resolve to learn to read.

Frederick observes that a city slave is has more privileges than a country slave. There is a sense of shame in the city that checks cruel behaviors, as cruel treatment it is badly looked-upon. One exception is his neighbor Mrs. Hamilton who whips her two slaves frequently and almost to death, and hardly feed her.

Chapter 10

Douglass is transferred to Mr. Covey to be a field hand on his plantation. During his first week, he is commanded to drive oxen into the wood to get a load of wood, but wrecks the gate to the farm in the process, barely avoiding death. Mr. Covey cuts switches of a gum tree, strips him naked and whips him. He is whipped almost every times for similar offences, or for being "awkward". The slaves were fed well enough, but were worked "fully to the point of endurance". Never did Frederick suffer more than in the first six months of being Mr. Covey's slave. He came to Mr. Covey somewhat unmanageable but the latter managed to break Frederick's body and spirit. Sometimes he debated taking his and Mr. Covey's life but hope and fear prevented him from doing so.

Mr. Covey was a working man himself so he could not be deceived by slaves claiming fatigue. To ensure they worked constantly, he would spy and sneak up on them, never allowing the slaves to feel safe and relax. All his learning he geared towards deception, so much so that he tricked himself and others into believing that he was a pious man.

Mr. Covey started as a poor man. He bought a single female slave, Caroline, and used her as a "breeder". He hired a slave for a year and made them sleep together until Caroline gave birth to twins.

He sees sails of ships in Chesapeake Bay and begin an apostrophe to them and their freedom, dreaming of his own freedom, but reconciling himself to his fate as a slave.

Douglass describes the day when he became a man, the day when his stay at Mr. Covey's became less intolerable. He was fanning wheat, a task that is new to him, and his strength failed him. Mr. Covey beat him and try as he might Douglass could not recover. Douglass, weak and bloodied, goes the seven miles to his master, Master Thomas, and entreats him to protect him. His master doubts that Mr. Covey would kill him and sends Douglass back the next morning. Douglass hides from Mr. Covey the whole day to avoid a beating. He comes across Sandy, a slave who has a free wife. Sandy advises Douglass to hold a root, which would prevent any white man from whipping Douglass. Indeed, when Douglass returns, Mr. Covey greets him and does not beat him. The next day, when Mr. Covey tries to assault Douglass he fights back. After two hours, Mr. Covey surrenders to Douglass and for the next six months of Douglass's stay with Mr. Covey he never beats him again.

This battle with Mr. Covey is the turning point in Douglass's slave career, and gave him new hope for freedom. He remains a slave for four years afterwards, and has fights but is never whipped. Douglass conjectures that the reason for Mr. Covey's not turning him over to the constable for a whipping is to preserve his reputation as a "first-rate overseer and negro breaker".

Slaves are given the six days between Christmas and New Year's to do as they please. Some work, creating brooms or hunting for food, but the large majority drank and was frivolous. Douglass thinks that the slaves allow this vacation in order to let off necessary steam, for without this yearly freedom slaves would be sure to rebel, for complete lack of it. In fact, drinking excessively was encouraged, because this was a way of fooling the slaves to think that drinking was all there is to freedom, and by the time it came to work again in the fields the slaves would be almost glad to be back in the fields.

Douglass leaves Mr. Covey to live with Mr. Freeland. He is more humane and just than Mr. Covey. He did not pretend to be religious. Douglass has found that the most religious slaveholders are also the cruelest. Outstandingly bad was Reverend Hopkins, who whips slaves preemptively, or for the merest transgressions. Anyway, Mr. Freeland has two slaves, whom Douglass teaches to read the Bible, along with slaves from neighboring farms. School was held at a freedman's house. Douglass loves teaching. Their Sunday-school was soon broken. 

Frederick Douglass