Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (version 2)

Frederick Douglass (c.1818 - 1895)

Published in 1845, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself was written in response to critics who questioned the authenticity of the experiences Douglass drew on as a prominent abolitionist speaker. Douglass begins by describing his earliest memories, including his “entrance to the hell of slavery” through the “blood-stained gate” of his Aunt Hester’s brutal beating, and goes on to tell of his painstaking acquisition of literacy, climactic fistfight with Edward Covey, imprisonment in the wake of a thwarted escape attempt, and flight north, first to New York, where he marries Anna Murray, and ultimately to New Bedford, Massachusetts. A runaway bestseller that sold thousands of copies in just its first few months in print, Douglass’s autobiography is a classic fugitive slave narrative that paved the way for his dramatic career as an enormously influential advocate for civil rights. Summary by Jesse Zuba

Genre(s): Biography & Autobiography

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Preface Jesse Zuba
00:20:35
Play 01 Letter from Wendell Phillips, Esq. Jesse Zuba
00:06:58
Play 02 Chapter I Jesse Zuba
00:11:56
Play 03 Chapter II Jesse Zuba
00:12:41
Play 04 Chapter III Jesse Zuba
00:09:05
Play 05 Chapter IV Jesse Zuba
00:09:51
Play 06 Chapter V Jesse Zuba
00:09:51
Play 07 Chapter VI Jesse Zuba
00:07:48
Play 08 Chapter VII Jesse Zuba
00:13:43
Play 09 Chapter VIII Jesse Zuba
00:11:20
Play 10 Chapter IX Jesse Zuba
00:12:27
Play 11 Chapter X: Part I Jesse Zuba
00:34:10
Play 12 Chapter X: Part II Jesse Zuba
00:39:39
Play 13 Chapter XI Jesse Zuba
00:30:17
Play 14 Appendix Jesse Zuba
00:13:15