Frederick Douglass

African American
                       
                                              FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Frederick Douglass tells readers that the final chapter of his Narrative portrays the part of his life during which
he escaped from slavery. He explains, however, that the chapter does not describe the exact
of his escape, as he does not want to give slaveholders any information that would help them
prevent other slaves from escaping to the North. In fact, Douglass hopes slaveholders will
become frantic with thoughts of unseen foes around them, ready to snatch their slaves away from
them or hinder them in their quest to reclaim their slaves.
    Douglass resumes his narrative in the spring of 1838, when he begins to object to turning over
all his wages to Hugh Auld. Auld sometimes gives Douglass a small portion of the wages, which
only confirms Douglass’s feeling that he is entitled to the wages in their entirety. Auld appears to
sense this unfairness and tries to remedy his guilt by giving Douglass small portions of the
money. Thomas Auld visits Baltimore, and Douglass approaches him asking to be allowed to
seek work on his own. Thomas Auld refuses him, assuming that Douglass intends to escape. Two
months later, Douglass asks the same of Hugh Auld, who agrees, with the stipulation that
Douglass must find all his own work and pay Auld three dollars each week to buy his own tools,
board, and clothing. Though it is an ungenerous arrangement, Douglass looks forward to having
the responsibilities of a free man.   For four months, Douglass hires his own time and pays Hugh
Auld on Saturdays. Then, one Saturday in August, Douglass gets delayed at a meeting outside
Baltimore and is unable to give Auld his wages until the next day. Hugh Auld is furious and
revokes Douglass’s privilege of hiring his own time, fearing that Douglass will soon attempt to
escape. In protest, Douglass does no work the following week, to Auld’s...