By removing characteristics that are associated with free people, slaveholders practically restrict the slaves from believing that there is an alternative to slavery. Simple factors of identity such as family life are taken away, and are seen as only being for those who are not blacks. Douglass has very little knowledge of his mother, having "never saw [his] mother, to know her as such, more than four or five times in [his] life; and each of these times was very short in duration, and at night (p48)". While his relationship with his mother is minimal, it is vastly more developed than the relationship that he has with his father, whose identity may be a slaveholder but uncertainty remains as "slaveholders have ordained, and by law established, that the children of slave women shall in all cases follow the condition of their mothers(p48)". Even if a slaveholder is the father of Douglass, the slaveholders have sought it necessary to write law to aid them in not recognizing this fact. The lack of knowledge about his family removes a sense of identity, and leaves Douglass ignorant as to where he belongs. Not knowing anything about his identity causes Douglass sorrow, and "a want of information concerning [his] own was a source of unhappiness to [Douglass] even during childhood. (p47)". The unhappiness felt would reinforce the belief that Douglass is inferior to the white children, who have families and ages, key points of identity. .
By limiting the intelligence of slaves by the means of illiteracy, slaveholders are able to dehumanize slaves and them under control. Slavemasters force slaves to live under the assumption that they are inferior based on what scriptures in the bible. Without being able to read, a slave would have no way of being able to challenge these ideas. With no alternatives, slaves would believe they really are inferior, keeping them locked into submission. To keep slaves inferior can be done by preventing them to learn how to read, which is why many slaveholders are very against any sort of edification for slaves, believing that "Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world.
