Narrative of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave

This critical introduction to Frederick Douglass' narrative summarizes the book's content and what the reader expects to encounter throughout it. "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave was published in 1845, less than seven years after Douglass escaped from slavery." The summary describes the autobiography, its success, and cites quotes directly from the book to give the reader a more precise feel of what is to be expected. Frederick Douglass, one of the few slaves that was fortunate enough to learn how to read and write, writes about his struggles as a slave. While telling his story, Douglass frequently mentions that the struggles he encountered were very common among the other slaves as well. In doing so, Douglass' autobiography helps the audience understand what the world of slaves as a whole was like. The narrative also highlights events in American history, which makes it a primary source of information regarding the time of slaves in America.

I believe that part of the reason why this autobiography was so successful was because it targets a wide demographic. Anyone who can read, who is interested in history and who is interested in learning about the struggles of slaves in America, would enjoy this narrative. Furthermore, unlike history textbooks, which provide the facts about the time, this autobiography would offer a more personal, more detailed, in depth, view of this time in history.