to the rebels. Consequently, they devised safer ways to resist white dominance. For Frederick Douglass, it was clear that his way of fighting the power was to become educated so that he may better understand his situation. However, he described that knowing that: "wit[was] the pathway from slavery to freedom." (Pg. 20) "Reading enabled me to utter my thoughts, and to meet the arguments brought forward to sustain slavery; but while [it] relieved me of one difficulty, [it] brought on another even more painful than the one of which I was relieved. The more I read the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers." (Pg. 24) The knowledge, which Frederick Douglass gained, did not free him from his horrible situation, but rather compounded his discontentment as a slave. It is hard to determine how other slaves were able to maintain a sense of individuality and worth, despite not having the opportunity or possess the resourcefulness to obtain the knowledge of Frederick Douglass. Miraculously, they broke away from the teachings that their white masters had bestowed upon them, which taught them that blacks were commanded by God to obey their superior white masters. This is what Douglas refers to as the slaveholders religion (page 45). Douglas perceives a big difference between Christianity and the slaveholders religion, to receive Christianity as good, pure and holy, is of necessity to reject the slaveholders religion as bad, corrupt and wicked. (Page 46). Religion came to rely upon the slaveholders for financially support; The dealer gives his bloodstained gold to support the pulpit. (Page 48) Douglas describes this companionship by stating, Here we have religion and robbery allies of each other. (Page 48) The goodness of God was interpreted in such a way by these churches as to give the slaveholders a sense that slaveholding is right. Religion was the essence of the newly emerging African American subculture. Borrowed from the fiery revival...
