y. His detailed account of his life as a slave touched the hearts of abolitionists and helped to fan the flame that would destroy this debauched institution. Frederick Douglas narrative was a weapon that helped many Americans understand slave life and culture and the depravity of their lives through his attempt to invoke sympathy from his readers. The lives and culture of these slaves give testament to the everyday struggle and helped the call for complete abolition.Plantation life was a harsh existence for slaves. Master and slave relationships varied from different plantations. Some masters thought of themselves as having a parental role for the slaves, providing them food and shelter in exchange for a days work. Yet other masters gave no hint of remorse or feelings towards the slaves and often inflicted great emotional and physical hardships upon them. In either case, the slave system was based on the control of one race over the other based on racial discrimination and moral injustice. Frederick Douglas autobiography gives a first-hand account as to the life of a slave. Like Douglas, many slaves had more than one master. Often times many smaller masters had small farms all of which was on the property of one master. Each of the smaller masters had what Douglas called "overseers" (p. 41). The overseers job was to control the duties and everyday tasks of the slaves. Usually the overseer is the one that delivers the punishment to the slaves. This person is one of the most despised on the plantation because of their cold-hearted, unwavering hatred towards the slaves. The slaves were valued as property, and their meager existence outlines their struggle of everyday life.In the life of slaves, few things were as important as the family. For a person that is given few possessions, they grappled on to their relationships with their fellow captives. Slaves were not allowed to marry legally, yet they were often permitted to s...
