"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass, List 2

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 "Called thus suddenly away…"—"...their own masters."

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. intimation
    a slight suggestion or vague understanding
    Called thus suddenly away, she left me without the slightest intimation of who my father was.
  2. ordain
    order by virtue of superior authority; decree
    The whisper that my master was my father, may or may not be true; and, true or false, it is of but little consequence to my purpose whilst the fact remains, in all its glaring odiousness, that slaveholders have ordained, and by law established, that the children of slave women shall in all cases follow the condition of their mothers...
  3. gratification
    the act or an instance of satisfying
    ...this is done too obviously to administer to their own lusts, and make a gratification of their wicked desires profitable as well as pleasurable; for by this cunning arrangement, the slaveholder, in cases not a few, sustains to his slaves the double relation of master and father.
  4. cunning
    marked by skill in deception
    ...this is done too obviously to administer to their own lusts, and make a gratification of their wicked desires profitable as well as pleasurable; for by this cunning arrangement, the slaveholder, in cases not a few, sustains to his slaves the double relation of master and father.
  5. invariably
    without change, in every case
    I know of such cases; and it is worthy of remark that such slaves invariably suffer greater hardships, and have more to contend with, than others.
  6. contend
    come to terms with
    I know of such cases; and it is worthy of remark that such slaves invariably suffer greater hardships, and have more to contend with, than others.
  7. dispose
    make receptive or willing towards an action or attitude
    They are, in the first place, a constant offence to their mistress. She is ever disposed to find fault with them; they can seldom do any thing to please her; she is never better pleased than when she sees them under the lash, especially when she suspects her husband of showing to his mulatto children favors which he withholds from his black slaves.
  8. deference
    a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others
    The master is frequently compelled to sell this class of his slaves, out of deference to the feelings of his white wife...
  9. ply
    use diligently
    ...for, unless he does this, he must not only whip them himself, but must stand by and see one white son tie up his brother, of but few shades darker complexion than himself, and ply the gory lash to his naked back...
  10. gory
    accompanied by bloodshed
    ...for, unless he does this, he must not only whip them himself, but must stand by and see one white son tie up his brother, of but few shades darker complexion than himself, and ply the gory lash to his naked back...
  11. multitude
    a large indefinite number
    Every year brings with it multitudes of this class of slaves. It was doubtless in consequence of a knowledge of this fact, that one great statesman of the south predicted the downfall of slavery by the inevitable laws of population.
  12. doubtless
    certainly; without question
    Every year brings with it multitudes of this class of slaves. It was doubtless in consequence of a knowledge of this fact, that one great statesman of the south predicted the downfall of slavery by the inevitable laws of population.
  13. prophecy
    knowledge of the future, as from a divine source
    Whether this prophecy is ever fulfilled or not, it is nevertheless plain that a very different-looking class of people are springing up at the south, and are now held in slavery, from those originally brought to this country from Africa; and if their increase do no other good, it will do away the force of the argument, that God cursed Ham, and therefore American slavery is right.
  14. descendant
    a person considered as coming from some ancestor or race
    If the lineal descendants of Ham are alone to be scripturally enslaved, it is certain that slavery at the south must soon become unscriptural; for thousands are ushered into the world, annually, who, like myself, owe their existence to white fathers, and those fathers most frequently their own masters.
  15. enslave
    force into servitude
    If the lineal descendants of Ham are alone to be scripturally enslaved, it is certain that slavery at the south must soon become unscriptural; for thousands are ushered into the world, annually, who, like myself, owe their existence to white fathers, and those fathers most frequently their own masters.
Created on Sun May 10 16:20:34 EDT 2026 (updated Mon May 11 21:06:40 EDT 2026)

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