Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
By Frederick Douglass
I was born in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough, and about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot county, Maryland. I have no accurate knowledge of my age, and I have never seen any authentic record containing it.
The majority of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep those enslaved thus ignorant. I do not remember ever having met a slave who could tell of his birthday . . .
A want of information concerning my own age was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The White children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege. I was not allowed to make any inquiries of my master concerning it. He deemed all such inquiries on the part of a slave improper and impertinent, and evidence of a restless spirit. The nearest estimate I can give makes me now between twenty-seven and twenty-eight years of age. I come to this, from hearing my master say, some time during 1835, I was about seventeen years old.
Adapted from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass, Public domain.
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Questions
Which details show that most enslaved people were kept uninformed? Select all that apply.
“I have no accurate knowledge of my age, and have never seen any authentic record containing it.”
“It is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep those enslaved thus ignorant.”
“I do not remember ever having met a slave who could tell of his birthday.”
“I was born in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough, and about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot county, Maryland.”
- “I have no accurate knowledge of my age, and have never seen any authentic record containing it.”
- “I do not remember ever having met a slave who could tell of his birthday.”