Entry 1- My name is Frederick Douglass, here I am recounting and reflecting on the life I lived before I became a free man. I was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland to a slave mother and White man who people say was also my master, though that was never confirmed to me. My mother Harriet Bailey and I were separated when I was an infant as it was a custom to separate mother and child. I would be raised by an old woman far too old for field work. A cruel tactic to impose such a regulation separating mother and child. I believed they did this to hinder the development of child and destroy any affection a mother can show towards child. The only time we would see each other was during the night makin sure I would sleep, then gone before I woke up every time barely communicating with each other. At the age of 7 she passed away ending what little time we spent together but putting an end to her suffering and hardships. I was not allowed to be present during her illness and funeral but the feeling I felt of her death would be that of a stranger.

Entry 2- I had 2 slave masters, the first who we call Captain Anthony. He had someone oversee his farm, this person was a cruel and disgusting drunk who’s name was Plummer, a miserable monster. He enjoyed whipping my aunt who’s screams would echo in my dreams and something I would frequently wake up to. I remember the first time I bared witness to this knowing that one day my time would come as well.

Entry 3- The way they treated us is something I will never forget and something I dream of every single night. Eight pounds of food a month plus a bushel of corn meal. 2 shirts, 1 pair of trousers, 1 jacket, and 1 pair of shoes for the year. When these failed you were to go naked until your next allowance. Children were naked almost all year round experiencing all four seasons. Such a cruel system; no beds were given to slaves. We all had one thing in common and that is the bed we sleep in. The cold damp floor.

Entry 4- As a child I formed a connection with Master Daniel, he seemed to like me and was somewhat of a protector of me. I was seldom whipped by my old master but I would still suffer from hunger and cold. Much from hunger but more from the cold being kept almost naked. I would crawl in this empty cornmeal bag on the cold damp floor with my head in and feet out. Around 7 or 8 I left Colonel Lloyds plantation with joy. I was to go to Baltimore to live with Mr. Hugh Auld. This is where things start to change in my life. I started to learn how to read and write until Master Auld learned of this he instantly forbade me from ever doing such things. What he said next is something I will always remember and something that changed my life. He said,” If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his maser- to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world. Now if you teach that nigger how to read (speaking of myself), 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.” I realized how important knowledge, In that moment I knew what the pathway to freedom looked like.

Entry 5-
“GONE, gone, — sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone.
Where the slave-whip ceaseless swings,
Where the noisome insect stings,
Where the fever demon strews
Poison with the falling dews,
Where the sickly sunbeams glare
Through the hot and misty air;
Gone, gone, — sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp dank and lone,
From Virginia’s hills and waters;
Woe is me, my stolen daughters!”

Entry 6- In 1832 I left Baltimore to live with Master Thomas Auld where everything went back to how things were when I were younger.

Entry 7- January 1, 1833 I went to live with Mr. Covey, working as a field hand for the first time in my life. I lived with Covey one year, never failing to miss a day to whip me for the first 6 months. Things quickly changed after he almost beat me to death. Even the slave master said I probably deserved the beating. I stayed the night with Master Thomas before heading early to Covey’s. When I came back he was surprisingly calm probably thanks to this root I carry in my right pocket for protection from the cowhide. Then one day he ambushed me and started to tie me up, I knew where this was going but something in my told me to fight back. He wanted to hurt me but I hurt him. He never touched me after our interaction and the next 6 months were smooth sailing.

Entry 8- 1838 I became restless and only had freedom on my mind. I could see no reason to benefit my masters anymore nor could I anymore physically and mentally. September 3rd would be the day I tried to secure my freedom for the second time. I worked for 3 weeks to avoid suspicion of my upcoming departure. It was hard leaving my dear friends who were the only people in my life that I loved and knew. But I knew what I had to do and that was escape, They never talk about how lonely it gets after you’re free, as the only people who cared for you are no more. And on the 3rd day I escaped from my chains and shackles and made my way to New York.