If You Give A Man A Book

Education is at the center of everything; there is hardly an aspect of our lives that isn’t affected by education somehow. How much education one has has long been a status symbol, with the lowest classes getting very little, if any. This was true during the time of slavery in America, as seen in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Frederick and his fellow slaves were forbidden from learning how to read and write. It was considered dangerous to educate a slave, as that would not only make them more equal to their white counterparts, but also give them the foundation for more advanced thinking. As Frederick discovered, this was the ultimate tool to keep a man inferior. Without the knowledge of how to read or write, one is severely limited in what they are aware of and therefore their opportunities. Today, more people are offered an education but black Americans remain a minority in schools, especially college and onwards. Though they may not be forbidden from learning anymore, the low number of black Americans in higher education can be seen as a lasting effect from the rights that were denied to them during slavery and through the civil rights movement. The disparity in education lasted long after slavery was abolished, and continues today, despite the fact that Frederick Douglass and countless others recognized that it was the cornerstone of equality.

            Upon teaching himself to read, Douglass immediately realized the power that it created; “The reading of these documents enabled me to utter my thoughts, and to meet the arguments brought forward to sustain slavery...” (84). The inability to read and write was the most substantial difference between slave and master; as long as the white master had that much more than his slaves, that was all the power he really needed. The slave who had even the slightest education was significantly closer to a means of freedom than one who did not. As Douglass discovered, printed materials such as newspapers and pamphlets were powerful tools used by abolitionists to spread hope and ideas, a way to unite where it was exceedingly dangerous to do so. The newspapers that were instrumental in teaching Douglass of the possibility of freedom were only useful to him because he could read; illustrating the injustice that the vast majority of the readers whom they were meant for would never be able to do so. The masters were right in fearing that if their slaves could read they would be more willing to revolt and gain their freedom. While young white children were in school and being taught the alphabet and how to read and write, blacks of all ages were prohibited from the same basic education, thus creating a division between them that was greater than any other inequality brought about by slavery.

            Two of my great-grandparents went to college, all four of my grandparents did, and so did both of my parents and their collective five siblings. It is not unusual for white American families to have college education in their histories, yet it is still rare for black families to have more than one or two generations with any kind of degree. This could be due to many different factors, but it is not difficult to see how history has played a large role. At the height of slavery, it was illegal to teach a slave to read, and nearly a century after the abolishment of slavery, segregated schools still existed. My family history would be very different if my grandparents weren’t accepted into all public schools and their grandparents had been illiterate. For any who have a family history that includes slavery, they have had very different obstacles and opportunities than I have. 

            In his fight for equality, Frederick Douglass used writing and giving speeches as his primary means of getting his word across. This proved to be very effective because of how eloquent and well spoken he was, which surprised many people. The fact that he was a self-taught intellectual made him all the more impressive and respectable because most of his peers could never say the same. It was his self-education that paved the way for Douglass’ success, as without it he probably never would have escaped slavery. This was the case for most slaves; whether or not they became free was often directly connected to how much education they received. It was paved into American history that education should be something that is not an equal right, but rather something that was used to keep slaves below their masters. The trials that Frederick Douglass had to go through in order to learn should be remembered, especially when considering the trials that people still have to go through for an education today.

Work Cited

Douglass, Frederick, and Houston A. Baker. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin, 1982. Print.