"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass, List 1

Sandy (United States of America)
Growing up a slave on a southern plantation in the 1800s was a horrible, traumatizing experience. Famous orator Frederick Douglass' childhood as a slave included not knowing his birthday or his age, not knowing his father—who might have been his white master, and only seeing his mother a few times, and only at night, before she died when he was seven.

This list covers vocabulary from "I was born…"—"...death of a stranger."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. authentic
    conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief
    I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it.
  2. ignorant
    uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
    By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant.
  3. deprive
    keep from having, keeping, or obtaining
    The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege. I was not allowed to make any inquiries of my master concerning it.
  4. inquiry
    an instance of questioning
    The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege. I was not allowed to make any inquiries of my master concerning it.
  5. impertinent
    improperly forward or bold
    He deemed all such inquiries on the part of a slave improper and impertinent, and evidence of a restless spirit.
  6. estimate
    an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
    The nearest estimate I can give makes me now between twenty-seven and twenty-eight years of age.
  7. complexion
    texture and appearance of the skin of the face
    My mother was of a darker complexion than either my grandmother or grandfather.
  8. considerable
    large in number, amount, extent, or degree
    Frequently, before the child has reached its twelfth month, its mother is taken from it, and hired out on some farm a considerable distance off, and the child is placed under the care of an old woman, too old for field labor.
  9. blunt
    make less intense
    For what this separation is done, I do not know, unless it be to hinder the development of the child’s affection toward its mother, and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child. This is the inevitable result.
  10. inevitable
    incapable of being avoided or prevented
    For what this separation is done, I do not know, unless it be to hinder the development of the child’s affection toward its mother, and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child. This is the inevitable result.
  11. duration
    the period of time during which something continues
    I never saw my mother, to know her as such, more than four or five times in my life; and each of these times was very short in duration, and at night.
  12. recollect
    recall knowledge from memory
    I do not recollect of ever seeing my mother by the light of day.
  13. hardship
    something difficult to endure
    Death soon ended what little we could have while she lived, and with it her hardships and suffering.
  14. watchful
    engaged in or accustomed to close observation
    Never having enjoyed, to any considerable extent, 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.
  15. tidings
    information about recent and important events
    Never having enjoyed, to any considerable extent, 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.
Created on Sun May 10 16:19:40 EDT 2026 (updated Mon May 11 20:55:32 EDT 2026)

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