Frederick douglass autobiography summary

Frederick Douglass is one of the most celebrated writers in the African American literary tradition, and his first autobiography is the one of the most widely read North American slave narratives. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave was published in , less than seven years after Douglass escaped from slavery.

The book was an instant success, selling 4, copies in the first four months.

Narrative of the life of frederick douglass characters

Throughout his life, Douglass continued to revise and expand his autobiography, publishing a second version in as My Bondage and My Freedom. The third version of Douglass' autobiography was published in as Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, and an expanded version of Life and Times was published in These various retellings of Douglass' story all begin with his birth and childhood, but each new version emphasizes the mutual influence and close correlation of Douglass' life with key events in American history.

Like many slave narratives, Douglass' Narrative is prefaced wi