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Chapter I
1. Why is Frederick not sure when he was born?
He wasn’t allowed to be told & he wasn’t allowed to ask questions
2. What is Frederick’s last name at his birth?
Bailey
3. Why would slaveholders want to keep a slave ignorant of such a simple things as the date of his
birth?
They’d want to know more and more
4. Who were Frederick’s mother and father?
Mother—Harriet Bailey!black
Father—white master
5. Why does Frederick make the point that a slaveholder who has fathered a child is likely to be
tougher on that child?
To show respect to his wife (that he doesn’t love the child more than their own) & so not to
seem a “weak” master
6. Why does Frederick only rarely see his mother?
They were separated when he was little and she works far away
7. Is Frederick’s relationship with his mother typical of other slave children?
Yes
8. What is the role of the overseer on the plantation?
Make sure slaves did their work
9. What do we learn about Plummer, the overseer?
He was a drunkard, swears a lot, savage monster, beat slaves & got pleasure from it—would
beat FD’s Aunt
10. Why does Frederick tell the story of Lloyd’s Ned?
b/c it was w/ Ned’s interaction that led to FD’s Aunt Hester brutal beating; wants to show
result of disobeying master and the types of consequences people lived with
Chapter II
1. What is the relationship of Colonel Lloyd to Frederick’s master?
FD’s master was Colonel Lloyd’s clerk & superintendent—overseer of the overseers
2. Why was Severe an appropriate name for the overseer?
Cruel man; took pleasure in beating others (physically); cursed at others all the time
3. Why does Frederick suggest that slaves sing out of sorrow rather than out of joy?
Songs of slaves represent the sorrows of his heart & people are relieved by them
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Chapter III
1. How did Colonel Lloyd keep the slave boys from taking his fruit?
Put tar on the fence & any person who has tar on him—ate the fruit - whipped
2. Why was it particularly difficult to be the slaves in charge of Colonel Lloyd’s horses?
b/c Colonel Lloyd’s horses were of noble blood & finest form, and if anything went wrong,
the slaves were beaten
3. What is ironic about Colonel Lloyd’s treatment of his horses compared to the treatment of his
slaves?
He treated his horses well—they needed “proper attention” while he beats his slaves. The
animals get treated better than the slaves
4. What happened to the slave who told Colonel Lloyd the truth about his master?
Handcuffed, chained, sold to Georgia trader, left his family & friends
5. What is a maxim?
A standard or rule
Chapter IV
1. Why is Mr. Austin Gore a “first-rate overseer”? What is the irony of this description of him? What
is ironic about his name?
He was proud, ambitious & persevering. He acted fully up to the maxim laid by slaveholders.
He committed the grossest and most savage deeds upon the slaves under his charge.
2. What reason does Mr. Gore give for killing Demby, the slave?
Demby became unmanageable
3. What other examples does Frederick give on his statement “that killing a slave, or any colored
person…is not treated as a crime, either by the courts or the community”?
Mr. Thomas Lanman killed 2 slaves (one with a hatchet); Mr. Giles Hick mangled a 15-16 yr.
old girl (FD’s wife’s cousin)
Chapter V
1. Why did he want to go to Baltimore?
b/c he got trousers
2. What relationship did his new master have to his old master?
Mr. Hugh Auld was brother to FD’s old master’s son-in-law, Captain Thomas Auld
3. Why did Frederick, who was seven or eight, not know the month or year of his sailing?
He couldn’t read
4. What were Frederick’s initial impressions of his new mistress, Mrs. Sophia Auld?
She was very kind & friendly
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Chapter VI
1. To what does Frederick attribute the kindness of Mrs. Auld?
She’s never had a slave
2. What, according to Frederick, changes her?
Power
3. Why is Mr. Auld angry when he finds that Mrs. Auld is teaching Frederick his letters?
b/c if slaves learn, they’ll become unmanageable
4. Why does the inability to read keep men enslaved according to Frederick and to Mr. Auld?
b/c if you teach them, they’ll be unfit to be a slave—doesn’t benefit the owner—slaves will
want to know more
5. What does Frederick hope to gain by learning how to read?
Freedom
6. Why is the life of a city slave so much better than the life of a plantation slave?
City slaves have more freedom, clothes, food!don’t have to do hard labor on a plantation
7. Why does Frederick relate the story of the slaves, Henrietta and Mary?
To show that it’s still bad & brutal in the city
Chapter VII
1. How did Mrs. Auld change and why did she change?
Owning slaves gave her power and she had also stopped teaching FD
2. What plan did Frederick adopt to learn how to read now that Mrs. Hugh was no longer teaching
him?
He befriended white boys & gave them bread for lessons in reading
3. What is ironic about this plan?
White people were to hate blacks & white people were supposed to have food
4. What did Frederick learn from the book, The Columbian Orator?
That people fought against slavery; he learned how cruel white people are; he learned about
slavery and freedom
5. How does Master Auld’s prediction about Frederick and learning come true?
Learning more caused FD to want freedom more and more
6. What do the two Irishmen encourage him to do? Why does he not trust them?
Run up North—feared they were treacherous faithless/deceptive & would use him. If he
listened, they would capture him and get money for reward
7. How does Frederick learn to write?
Copied letters that were written on a ship & competed with white boys to write—tricked
them--learned more
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Chapter VIII
1. Why was Frederick forced to return to the plantation after the death of his master?
His master died
2. How was the value of the master’s property determined? How were the slaves valued?
Slaves were ranked in value w/ animals (horses, sheep & swine)
3. Why was the division of property between Mistress Lucretia and Master Andrew so horrifying to the
slaves?
Dreaded Master Andrew (cruel)
4. What happened to Frederick’s grandmother after the deaths of Lucretia and Andrew? How does this
anecdote help explain the value of the slaves?
She was sent to live in a hut in the woods—nobody cared that she had family—animals are
treated better
5. Who owns Frederick by the end of chapter eight?
Master Thomas Auld (brother to old Master Hugh Auld)
6. Why is Frederick forced to leave Baltimore?
b/c of an argument & Master Thomas said he’d never let FD return to Baltimore
Chapter IX
1. Why does Frederick now know the date?
He knows how to read now
2. What rule of slaveholding does Master Thomas Auld violate?
Didn’t give slaves enough food
3. How did the slaves get food?
Stole food from neighbors & begged
4. What, according to Frederick, happens to Master Thomas Auld after his conversion to Christianity?
Why?
Be became more cruel—religion supported his slaveholding
5. Why does Frederick let Master Thomas’ horse run away?
So he could go after it & get something to eat
6. How does Master Thomas propose to ‘break’ Frederick?
Send him to Mr. Covey
7. Why is the use of the verb ‘to break’ ironic?
“break” him in work ethic & physical labor; “break” FD down physically & mentally
8. Why was Mr. Covey’s reputation for breaking slaves of great value to him?
b/c he got slaves to work on his field—slave owners lent him their slaves so he could “break”
them in & in return he got his land tilled
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Chapter X
1. Why does Mr. Covey whip Frederick?
Broke gate w/ oxen, wouldn’t take off clothes
2. Why are the slaves to fearful of Mr. Covey? Why does their work go on in his absence?
Always felt the presence of Mr. Covey
3. Why is it “never safe to stop a single minute”?
You never knew where he was or when he’d sneak up on you (he was known as “The
Snake”)
4. What does Frederick mean by “Mr. Covey’s forte consisted in his power to deceive”?
He was great at deception—would hide in the bushes, etc.
5. Why does Mr. Covey buy a slave to use as a breeder?
To get more slaves to work for him since he couldn’t afford it
6. How does Mr. Covey succeed in breaking Frederick?
“broken in body, soul & spirit, intellect & cheerfulness!broken to be a brute
7. How does Frederick succeed in again becoming a man?
Fighting Covey—gained confidence
8. Why does Frederick contend that Mr. Covey does not turn him in?
b/c Covey would be worse off—he has a reputation to protect
9. Why is Frederick’s battle with Mr. Covey the climax of the story?
It’s a turning point for FD—gets his confidence back; gets his manhood back
10. How are the holidays used to “disgust the slave with freedom”?
Masters deceived slaves of what freedom was—drinking a lot—abuse of freedom
11. Where does Frederick go after leaving Mr. Covey’s on January 1, 1834?
Went & lived w/ William Freeland
12. Who is his new master and how does he treat Frederick?
William Freeland—educated southern gentleman; respected humanity, no regards to
religion
13. Why does Frederick include the anecdotes about the two religious slave holders, Mr. Hopkins and
Mr. Weeden?
b/c religion is a “covering of the most horrid crimes” & justified ill deeds; even high class
people in religion were cruel
14. What is the plan, and what is the purpose of the “protections?”
Get large canoe from Mr. Hamilton (Saturday before Easter) & paddle up to the
Chesapeake Bay, follow North Star beyond Maryland. Protections protect slaves on their
venture to freedom; white masters are to write the protections
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Chapter XI
1. What is his opinion of the underground railway? Why?
Hates it—makes owners more watchful
2. Why does Frederick agree to an arrangement with Master Hugh that benefits the Master?
Asks to hire people to work for him—way to escape
3. When and to where does Frederick run away? What is his attitude about it now?
Sept. 3, 1838 to New York—highest excitement b/ loneliness overcame the joy
4. How was it possible for Frederick and Anna to marry? Why is there marriage such an important
event?
She was a free slave & had a reverend
5. Why doesn’t Frederick stay in New York?
Not safe
6. Why did Frederick change his name so much? Who chooses Douglass? Why?
New owners & Johnson was too common of a last name; Mr. Nathan Johnson changed FD to
Douglass b/c he just got done reading a book
7. What had Douglass believed about the life in the North? Was he correct? Explain.
Clean, new, beautiful, cheerful, wealthy—he was NOT correct
8. What does Douglass discover about prejudice against color in New Bedford?
Blacks vs. fugitive slaves—blacks will accuse fugitive slaves & kill them or return them to
their masters; white calkers wouldn’t’ work w/ black calkers
9. What work does he find?
Stowing a sloop w/ loads of oil
10. Why is Douglass at first reluctant to speak out against slavery?
B/c others said things so much better than he did; idea of speaking to whites weighed him
down (