Topical Essay #3
Caleb Eckman
The slave narrative is one of the darker stories included in America’s history. A country
that was founded on the ideals of freedom, very early in its beginnings, decided to adopt a
tradition that in all respects defies the idea of freedom. During the time of slavery in the United
States, more than 450,000 African people involved in the slave trade were brought to America to
work on southern plantations (Gates). These people were bought into slavery, and forced to
work long, hard hours under violent and cruel masters. Specifically, two different men were
victims of this lifestyle. “Uncle Bob” Ledbetter, interviewed as a part of a slave narratives
project managed by the Library of Congress, was a slave from Louisiana who spent most of his
life in bondage (Ledbetter). The second was a man named Fredrick Douglass. Douglass is a
very famous African-American slave who was born into bondage but eventually escaped to
freedom. He then used that freedom to support the abolitionist movement (Douglass). Even
from a young age Douglass was driven by the concept of freedom, specifically in the case of the
abolition of slavery(Douglass). In his autobiography Frederick Douglass says, “While in this
state of mind, I was eager to hear any one speak of slavery. I was a ready listener. Every little
while, I could hear something about the abolitionists. It was some time before I found what the
word meant. It was always used in such connections as to make it an interesting word to me. If a
slave ran away and succeeded in getting clear, or if a slave killed his master, set fire to a barn, or
did any thing wrong in the mind of a slaveholder, it was spoken of as the fruit of “abolition.”
Hearing the word in this connection very often, I set about learning what it meant.” These two
men experienced firsthand the injustices of the slave trade in America, although each man
reacted differently to these injustices.
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Frederick Douglass believes he was born around 1817 or 1818 (Douglass). He says, “I
have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. By
far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the
wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. I do not
remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday,” (Douglass). From the very
beginning of his life, Douglass had things taken away from him; even simple things like his
birthday. He was separated from his mother at birth, and only saw her every so often (Douglass).
He never knew his father (Douglass). Growing up, Douglass was moved from plantation to
plantation, and also spent a considerable time in Baltimore as a slave (Douglass). He soon
discovered the injustice of slavery, and spent most of his free time learning to read and write,
while also in later years making plans to escape to freedom (Douglass).
Douglass was a bold and rebellious slave; in one instance he even got in a physical fight
with one of his masters (Douglass). He describes this fight as a turning point when he says,
“This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning-point of my career as a slave. It rekindled the few
expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood. It recalled the
departed self-confidence, and inspired me again with a determination to be free,” (Douglass).
From that point on, Douglass would possess a boldness that would motivate his pursuit of
freedom. He says, “I did not hesitate to let it be known of me, that the white man who expected
to succeed in whipping, must also succeed in killing me,” (Douglass). He fought for every inch
of his freedom. Eventually he did escape, and as a free man Douglass spoke against slavery all
over the world (Douglass). He completely changed the face of the abolitionist movement, and
pushed for the abolition of all slaves.
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Bob Ledbetter was another man that lived a life impacted by the injustice of slavery. He
was born in Oil City, Louisiana, and worked there as a slave on a plantation (Ledbetter). He
knew his father growing up; in fact, it was his father that taught him and his siblings how to read
and write (Ledbetter). He says, “Well my daddy just taught me how to spell a little at night.
Well after that then he kept, uh, copies, and I take copies and just learn myself…He said he, he
wasn’t no educated man. He could just read printing. And he set up at night and teach his
children. That’s the way we learned,” (Ledbetter). Ledbetter had a reasonably good experience
working on the plantation. He says, “They treat me all right. Nary a one of them never did cuss
at me the whole twelve year. And didn’t care what I went to them for, I got it,” (Ledbetter).
This good experience could be contributed to the fact that Ledbetter was very well behaved
during his time on the plantation. He contributes this to his value system. “I know what’s right
and I tried my best to do what’s right in everything I do,” he explains (Ledbetter).
These two men had several things in common. Douglass and Ledbetter both grew up on
southern plantations during the period of slavery in the United States. Both men have no idea
what day they were born. They were both subjected to years of grueling field work, and
therefore bore the full brunt of the unethical slavery system. Both men experienced firsthand the
injustice of slavery for the African-American people. Both men were born without freedom, but
reacted differently to this lack of freedom.
Douglass and Ledbetter have many differences as well. For instance, Douglass grew up
without ever knowing his father. It was suspected that his father was white (Douglass).
Ledbetter, on the other hand, grew up knowing his father. In fact, his father was also a slave
who taught him to read and write growing up (Ledbetter). Also, it seems that Ledbetter was
treated much better on his plantation than Douglass was. Douglass saw the worst of slavery; he
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saw the darkest corners in the world of a slave. This is perhaps what drove Douglass to fight for
his freedom.
This is where Douglass and Ledbetter differ the most. Bob Ledbetter was born without
freedom, but was not willing to fight for it. Where Ledbetter submitted to his masters, Frederick
Douglass fought against them. Frederick Douglass saw the heavy yoke of slavery upon his
people and would not stand for it. He spent his entire life speaking out against southern
slaveholders. Ledbetter represents the humble, obedient slave, while Douglass represents the
bold, rebellious slave; a slave who will not submit in the face of extreme adversity. Douglass
would not surrender his dream of finding his freedom. He says, “The silver trump of freedom
had roused my soul to eternal wakefulness. Freedom now appeared, to disappear no more
forever. It was heard in every sound, and seen in every thing. It was ever present to torment me
with a sense of my wretched condition. I saw nothing without seeing, it, I heard nothing without
hearing it, and felt nothing without feeling it. It looked from every star, it smiled in every calm,
breathed in every wind, and moved in every storm,” (Douglass).
These two men had similar experiences during their lives, but took two completely
different approaches on how to live their lives. Frederick Douglass was a self-freed slave who
took history into his hands by speaking out against the evils of slavery. He says, “From that time
until now, I have been engaged in pleading the cause of my brethren-with what success, and with
what devotion, I leave those acquainted with my labors to decide,” (Douglass). On the other
hand, “Uncle Bob” Ledbetter was an obedient slave who served his masters faithfully and
peacefully until the abolition of slavery. If one thing is to be learned from the lives of these two
men, it’s that freedom is a right that all men deserve. And if freedom is not the right of a man,
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he has the right to pursue it. This is what Frederick Douglass devoted his entire life to, because
he knew that freedom is worth fighting for.
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Works Cited
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.
publishing.shliman.com, eBook.
Gates, Henry. "How Many Slaves Landed in the US?." The Root. The State Group, 15 Oct 2012.
Web. 23 Apr 2013. <http://www.theroot.com/views/100-amazing-facts-about-negro-0>.
Ledbetter, Bob. Interview by John Lomax. "Interview with Uncle Bob Ledbetter, Oil City,
Louisiana, 1940."Voices From the Days of Slavery. 1940. Library of Congress. . Web. 23
Apr 2013. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/afcesn:@field(DOCID
afc9999001t3992a).
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