The Basic Evils of Slavery in Narrative of the Life by Frederick Douglass :: American History, Racial Relations, Slavery

Slavery, as described by Frederick Douglass in Narrative of the Life, is wrong because it withholds a human’s basic desire for knowledge. People, regardless of race, have the right to Life, Liberty and Happiness and within that is the quest for knowledge and when this is hindered, a human is thrown into a state of mental darkness in which they become subhuman. Through this state, a human is molded into a mindless slave capable of no thoughts other than to serve his master. Refusing the right of knowledge and the pursuit of it is inherently wrong as stated by the Declaration of Independence. In this important historical document it is said that, â€Å"all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† (US 1776). All men implies men of color as well as white men. Slaves, therefore, have the right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. In the pursuit of Happiness there is the natural inclination towards education, which, in the insane system that is slavery, is repressed by the slave owner to ensure a more dehumanized slave. Douglass, at a very young age, begins to realize the relationship between the master and slave is instinctively in conflict and opposition because, â€Å"What he dreaded, I most desired. What he loved, that I most hated† (Douglass 945). When Mrs. Auld starts to teach him to read, he starts to reason that slavery itself is wrong. When Mr. Auld finds out and attempts to stunt this intellectual growth, Douglass states how, â€Å"the argument which he so warmly urged, against my learning to read, only served to inspire me with a desire and determination to learn† (Douglass 945). Mr. Auld’s plan had backfired. From this moment on Douglass, â€Å"understood the pathway from slavery to freedom† (Douglass 945) depended on him learning to read. But, Mr. Auld warns him from the start that if he learned to read, â€Å"it would make him discontented and unhappy† (Douglass 945). The ability to read would be a detrimental part of him achieving freedom, but since Mrs. Auld was forced to stop teaching him his A, B, C’s by her husband, he has to be creative in finding ways to learn how to read. He adopts a plan in which he is, â€Å"making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street.