... would lead the slaves to hostility and revolt. Few slaves rose from their original status to the ranks of the slave elite or even the free-black. Slaves gained status among themselves by the work they did for other slaves rather than that which they did for their owners. Learning of ... of one particular slave. Some slaves, such as Frederick Douglass, learned to read with the help of old newspapers and books that he would carry with him each day. In his free time, Douglass and his friends would learn to write with the use of a Webster's Spelling Book . Douglass understood all ... read, i...

• Word Count: 2340
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... was believed that "in literacy came true freedom for the black slave". This is another reason that so many narratives were written. The only way that slaves could truly be free was to express themselves in their writing. 3. Slave narratives were produced in two ways. One was through the printing press, in which they wrote their stories, and they were put ... into books or articles. Another was through oral traditions, where their stories were passed along through generations by word of mouth. 4. We teach slave narrative along with American and African-American autobiography ... ...

• Word Count: 203
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School