In “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave” by Frederick Douglass, Douglass shows that white slave holders controlled slavery by keeping their slaves ignorant.

First of all, salves did not know about their basic facts. For example, the slaves did not have any ideas about their day of birth. Douglass reminded that “I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday” (236). Compare to white children who knew their birthday, Douglass was unhappy and confuse that he did not know his birthday. It was a pity that he did not allow to make any inquiries. In addition, Douglass did not know who father was although he knew his mother named Harriet Bailey. Douglass expressed that “Never having enjoyed, to any considerable extend, her soothing presence, her tender and watchful care, I received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger” (237).  It shows that Douglass did not develop familial feelings toward his mother because his master separated him from his mother after his birth. In addition, the objectives “soothing” and “tender” to restate that he only knew his mother had been present. All of these show that the white slave holders did not want their slaves to have any ideas about their personal identity.

On the other hand, slave holders prevented slave from learning how to read and write. Douglass points out that Mrs. Auld taught him in learning alphabet when he lived with Mr. and Mrs. Auld. However, Mr. Auld “at once forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me future” when he realized that his wife taught slave to read (250). The phrase, “at once” shows that Mr. Auld pressed that his wife stop to teaching him. On the other hand, it also shows that Mr. Auld extremely worried that Douglass would be out of his control even though he only could read some alphabets. He also explained that “If you teach that nigger how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable” (250). First of all, Mr. Auld used “nigger” to describe Douglass which shows that Douglass did not be treated as a men. From the Mr. Auld’ statement, it also shows that knowledge would be a path for slaves to freedom. However, Mr. Auld knew that once slaves got educated, he would not easily control slavers. As a result, he prohibited his wife to teach slave to reading.

All of these, Douglass explains that slave holders kept slaves ignorance of personal information in order that slaves thought they were valueless in the world. Slave holders prohibited that slaves had any chances to have education. Once slaves had no ideas about their personal information and without educated, the slave holders were more easily to control slaves.