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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave
‘The narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglas an American slave’ is a recount of the harsh life of slavery in the USA. Douglas experienced this through the cruel treatment by the whites. There has been significant progress in the struggle against slavery achieved through the undertakings of the activists who have relentlessly fought for liberation and its abolition. Therefore, if Douglas was alive, he would appreciate the way African-Americans are being treated today.
Strides have been made in the way in which African-Americans are treated. Abolishment of slavery has succeeded and no one is required to treat any person as a slave. The Constitution has granted every citizen rights and freedoms that are to be respected by all the citizens regardless of the color of the skin. It is against the law for any individual to use his fellow citizens as slaves or to mistreat an individual. Currently, discrimination based on the color of skin or race has reduced, and all people have equal opportunities and rights. Douglas would also be impressed with today’s accessibility to education and other training facilities. He believed that acquisition of knowledge was the only way that would liberate African-Americans from the bondage of slavery and mistreatment. People with skills and knowledge are better equipped and understand their rights. However, during that era, slave owners denied African-Americans an opportunity to attend school for fear of losing the cheap labor. Presently, African-Americans attend good schools and pursue careers that were a preserve of the whites such as accountants, doctors, engineers, and lawyers.
Furthermore, the U.S. has undergone a transformation in its education system.which became harmonized in all schools. Both African-American and white students use similar curriculum in school; this is a clear indication that cohesion has been achieved. During Douglas’ era, schools discriminated against African-American students. Therefore, many were left to languish in ignorance. This was a strategy aimed at ensuring that they remained uninformed and continue being slaves. However, currently, it is a great achievement to see that it is the right of all children to attend school and compete on an equal basis. Many African-Americans hold high professional qualifications and work in high profile jobs. This has transformed the lives of African-Americans as it has enlightened and made them compete fairly with their white counterparts. Douglas would embrace it considering they were denied this during their time.
Another accomplishment that would make Douglas a happy person concerning the treatment of African-Americans is the granting of rights to take part in key national issues such as voting during elections and contribution of ideas on matters of national importance. African-Americans were secluded and denied these fundamental rights during his time. Currently, because of activism and efforts by African-Americans, they are able to elect leaders of their choice. The level of democracy in America has transformed to a great extent, an accomplishment Douglas would be fascinated about. During his time, women were despised; therefore, this led to their mistreatment and denial of rights. Furthermore, slave owners victimized most of the African-Americans. They had no opportunity to voice their concerns to the masters. However, all these have changed in modern day America as women have been empowered by various institutions in place. African-American women were given the right and freedom to pursue their careers as well as the opportunity to explore their potential.
The most important thing that would excite Douglas would be the respect of humanity. Currently, various established laws require fair treatment of all citizens in terms of accessibility to opportunities such as employment and to a fair hearing when taken to the court of law regardless of where they come from. Respect of humanity must be maintained and any individual who fails to observe this is deemed to face charges. In the time of Douglas, there was no respect for humanity as slaves were victimized, mistreated, abused, and even denied a fair hearing. There was no respect for humanity as the whites masked themselves in Christianity. The life of slaves was subjected to inhumanity because of the harsh conditions. However, time has changed and currently people respect one another. They have come to realize that indeed they are all human beings and the only difference is the color of their skin.
In conclusion, I am of the view that Douglas would be happy because of the strides made in line with the relationships or treatment of African-Americans. America has transformed and embraces democracy and the human rights. The law protects all citizens regardless of the color of skin and is treated with dignity. However, few cases still manifest such as racism and favoritism.