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Less than two hundred years ago, when slavery was legal in North America, there was born a man called Frederick Douglass. Through no fault of his own, he was a slave, owned by another person who could lawfully make him work every day of his life without ever having to pay him. The system of slavery that then existed was not wholly unlike the present school system, but it differed for the worse in two respects. The slave could not choose freedom at 16, he was a slave for life and so was every member of his family. Also, the punishments for misbehaviour were very harsh and the master had the right to whip a slave even to the point of death, for even such a small offence as an impudent glance, or gesture. It was against the law for a slave to defend himself against these cruel blows, and if he did, he could be arrested and hung.

Frederick Douglass

It was in such a system as this that the young Frederick found himself, and growing up with the prospect of a future life of unremitting slavery filled his soul with constant grief. From a young age, he was determined to escape should he ever have the chance.
Perhaps it was this strong desire for freedom that earned him the reputation of being a 'difficult' slave. This reputation was certainly the cause of him being sent to Mr Covey's for a year, after having worked under several different masters. Covey was a 'Negro-breaker' and worked the slaves under him nearly to death in order to break their spirits.
It is hard to imagine a worse situation than that in which Frederick found himself at the age of sixteen. Every morning from the crack of dawn till the last glimmer of twilight, he was forced to work in the open fields, whatever the weather or season. Food he was given, but never enough time to eat it in; every night he slept soundly, but never long enough to make him refreshed for the next day's endless toil; blankets were scarce; clothes were tattered and anyone who was more than a few seconds late for work, could expect a sound beating. Only Sundays were off, and these were spent in a kind of stupor, beneath some tree, sleeping and waking in confused exhaustion.
He was treated with no more respect than an animal, and after six months at Covey's, he felt no better than one, unable to think, unable even to dream of freedom.

It was on one sultry Southern day, when the sun was at its highest and the temperature its hottest, that something happened which would begin the train of events, destined to change his life forever. Frederick was working with the cotton, when dizziness overcame him and he staggered to the ground unable to move another step. Covey tried to make him stand again, but Frederick could not do so, even after several harsh blows. After this incident, and others that followed it, Covey owed Frederick a whipping he would never forget. Frederick knew it was coming, but this time he wasn't going to stand for it - death itself was preferable to another humiliation from the detestable Covey.

When his master entered the barn he was in, whip in hand, and pulled him down from the loft by his leg, Frederick leapt to his feet and grabbed Covey by the throat. He later wrote "I know not whence this daring spirit came from that made me grapple with a man who, forty-eight hours before, could make me tremble like a leaf in the storm at his slightest word".
Frederick's resistance was entirely unexpected, Covey shook in every limb, and, like the coward he was, called for help. But no help came, because all the people who could have helped him, were glad to see him in distress. Frederick held Covey tightly but did not hurt him. He was determined to strongly resist but not deal blows. After two hours, the contest was given over and Frederick was released by Covey, who was puffing and blowing at a great rate. Frederick was told to go to work and was left without a scratch.

Frederick had won, though Covey would never admit it, and he felt like he never had done before. "I had reached the point where I was not afraid to die. This spirit made me a freeman in fact, though I still remained a slave in form. From this time until my escape from slavery I was never fairly whipped."
He continued to work at Covey's for the rest of the year, with the conditions just the same as ever, but something had changed now. The once crushed spirit of freedom was reawakened and he never felt like a slave again.
He learnt that "a man without force is without the essential dignity of humanity," and this was a valuable lesson that helped him throughout life.

Thus Frederick Douglass had earned himself a freedom which no living man could steal.