Hypocrisy of Southern Christianity in the Narative of Frederick Douglas

In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an
American Slave, Douglass presents the reader with a
world in which Christianity and slavery walk hand in
hand; A Christian community in which the word master
signifies the sole proprietary owner of another’s
existence. A world in which it is deemed unchristian
for an oppressed man or woman to speak out on their
own behalf. A society in which God’s gift of free will
is only enjoyed by the wealthy land owner who’s
transgressions against his fellow man will not be
judged in the eyes of the Lord; in a land esteemed as
being the promise land of the hard working man.
Through this world, Douglass illustrates the hypocrisy
of the self proclaimed righteous Christian master and
opens the eyes of the reader to the true cost of
southern prosperity.
In his opening lines, Douglass addresses how the
institution of slavery narrows slaves' opportunities
for self-knowledge. Slave owners withhold information
about slaves' b...