Being one of the most engaging and captivating biographies, the autobiography of Frederick Douglass provides an account of the life of African American people in the U.S. at the time of slavery. Introducing the perspective of a slave into the narrative and centering it, which was an unprecedented change in the discourse around the issue at the time, the biography offers a chance at changing the status quo by encouraging African American people to reconsider their situational and recognize their power to rebel. Serving as the pivoting point in Douglass’ perception of his situation, his fight with covey made him realize the necessity to fight back as the only possible response to the atrocities of slavery and the inhumane treatment that he and other African American people received from the white population.
What makes Douglass’s biography especially remarkable is the fact that it manages to transform the opinions of other African Americans, provoking their willpower and need for their rights to be recognized as some of their core needs. As a result, Douglass work led to the author making a tremendous personal change and recognizing the importance of fighting against slavery actively. Even though Douglass’ memoirs produce a rather somber impact, very few characters in it elicit the same extent of terror and disdain as covey. Described as the most ruthless slave owner, whose job was specifically to subjugate and demoralize slaves showing especially strong resistance, Covey played a pivotal role on Douglass’ perception of the situation and his decision to act: “From what I know of the effect of these holidays upon the slave, I believe them to be among the most effective means in the hands of the slaveholder in keeping down the spirit of insurrection” (Douglass, 1999, p. 74). In other words, it was Covey’s unhinged violence that led Douglass to discovering the futility of his efforts to reconcile with his status and the need to fight against his oppressors. In Douglass’ fight with Covey, there is a particular moment of clarity that marks the narrator’s realization of the urgency of prompting a social change.
Remarkably, what made Douglass’s encounter with Covey particularly different from the violence that he suffered from other slave owners concerned not the physical suffering and not even the spiritual retreat, but, instead, the unexpected change in Douglass’ perception of himself and others. Specifically, the narrator mentions that the violence to which he was subjugated eventually made him morph into an animal, being blinded by rage and having his emotions spin completely out of his control: “My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!” (Douglass, 1999, p. 63). Thus, for Douglass, it was not even the physical torture, but the return to the primal state that becomes inevitable once one is blinded by pain and suffering.
Thus, arguably, the realization of how far the experience of unhinge violence can push one, as well as the discovery of his pure, undiluted and, most disturbingly, uncontrollable rage served as the main point at which Douglass decided to fight against Covey and resist the very idea of being subjugated and absolved poof any semblance of personal freedom. Therefore, the described sense of helplessness in the face of overwhelming and unmanageable rage could be reconsidered the first step that Douglass made toward resisting Covey and deciding to fight him. The dread that Douglass feels after discovering his primal feelings buried deep beneath his reserved, intelligent, and signified attitude is explicitly defined as the main point of change in the direction that his fight against Covey takes, shifting from passive avoidance to unmasked resistance.
In addition, the fight in question affected Douglass’ perception of slavery as a phenomenon, forcing him to recognize not only the sheer brutality thereof, but also the absence of any modicum of humanity in its very notion. As Douglass (1999, pp. 65-66) reminisces, “The circumstances leading to the change in Mr. Covey’s course toward me form an epoch in my humble history. You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.” Therefore, his encounters with Covey became a double revelation. Namely, apart from being plunged into the deepest nightmarish realm of pain and misery, Douglass also found his strength in his resistance and managed to muster his willpower and courage to develop resilience needed to further resist Covey.
Depicting the extent of his delight at the acknowledgement of his own agency and independence, Douglass emphasizes the transformation that he underwent especially strongly. Moreover, he approaches the specified change from several angles, thus, showing how deeply the ideology of slavery had seeped and how difficult it was to shake off its shackles. Namely, Douglass ironically recollects that the fight between him and Covey was “the turning-point in my career as a slave” (Douglass, 1999). Specifically, Douglass (1999, p. 73) recalls that “It was a glorious resurrection, from the tomb of slavery, to the heaven of freedom. My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place.” Thus, the tremendous personal change that the fight caused in Douglass is explained.
Additionally, according to Douglass’ account, the other slavers witnessing the fight also shaped their opinions about the notion of slavery. Naturally, none of the slaves perceived their status as anything but grossly unfair and deplorable abuse, which implies that their assessment of slavery did not change significantly. Slavery was condemned before the fight, and it was equally viewed as an inhumane atrocity afterward. However, what changed as the perspective of slaves on the status quo and its changeability. Namely as Douglass recalls in his memoir, others witnessing his resistance and willingness to fight sled slaves to believe that opposing slavery was a possibility. Douglass (1999, p. 72) recalls that him fighting Covey “rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood”; however, he was not the only one experiencing the described sense of liberation. As he further describes, the slaves witnessing the fight were shaken by the courage that Douglass showed and were evidently willing to follow suit. For instance, after the fight had ended and Covey ordered Bill, one of the slaves, to assist him in punishing Douglass, Bill blatantly refused, which was an undeniably bold and risky move: “Bill said his master hired him out to work, and not to help to whip me; so he left Covey and myself to fight our own battle out” (Douglass, 1999 p. 72). Therefore, the developing sense of agency can be considered one of the essential signs of social change observed in the attitudes and behaviors of African American slaves in Douglass’ narrative.
However, apart from the decision to prioritize courage and dignity over fear of repercussions, torture, and even death, African Americans in Douglass’ narrative seem to have experienced another significant change. Namely, their perception of the very institution of slavery was altered after Douglass had fearlessly defended himself against the slave owner. Specifically, the institution of slavery crumbled in the eyes of the African American people witnessing the fight the moment when Douglass threw the first punch against Covey. The described alteration in the general perception of slavery in the African Americans observing Douglass fighting is expressed very accurately and vividly as he mentions the other Black man refusing to cooperate with Covey to punish Douglass.
Despite the fact that Douglass (1999) manages to transform the perception and understanding of their condition in the African American slaves witnessing his execution, he still struggles to transform the opinions of the entire community, which is needed to create the setting where African Americans could receive unequivocal support of White American citizens. Even though a significant number of the African Americans witnessing the fight between Covey and Douglass also observed him being entirely defeated by his opponent. Therefore, in the case under the analysis, the slave owner demonstrates deplorable and misinformed lack of understanding of the events that transpired at the time. The perspective of both parties is understandable in the described case. On the other hand, it is the responsibility of the latter to ensure that the essential information is readily available to all participants and that the key values and standards upheld within a particular group are made aware of to the broad range of the general population that post-slavery white American people.
Reference
Douglas, F. (1999). Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American SLAVE. Written by himself: DocSouth UNC. Web.