• Chapter I
  • Why is Frederick not sure when he was born?
  • He wasn’t allowed to be told & he wasn’t allowed to ask questions (1)

  • What is Frederick’s last name at his birth?
  • Bailey (1)

  • Why would slaveholders want to keep a slave ignorant of such a simple things as the date of his birth?
  • They’d want to know more and more

  • Who were Frederick’s mother and father?
  • Mother — Harriet Bailey→black Father — white master

  • Why does Frederick make the point that a slaveholder who has fathered a child is likely to be tougher on that child?
  • To show respect to his wife (that he doesn’t love the child more than their own) & so not to seem a “weak” master

  • Why does Frederick only rarely see his mother?
  • They were separated when he was little and she works far away (1–2)

  • Is Frederick’s relationship with his mother typical of other slave children?
  • Yes

  • What is the role of the overseer on the plantation?
  • Make sure slaves did their work

  • What is the relationship of the slaveholder to the overseer to the slave on the plantation?
  • Slaveholder — owner of farms, owner of slaves Overseer — watches over farm & slaves Slaves — work on farms (3)

  • What do we learn about Plummer, the overseer?
  • He was a drunkard, swears a lot, savage monster, beat slaves & got pleasure from it — would beat FD’s Aunt (3)

  • Why does Frederick tell the story of Lloyd’s Ned?
  • b/c it was w/ Ned’s interaction that led to FD’s Aunt Hester brutal beating; wants to show result of disobeying master and the types of consequences people lived with
  • Chapter II
  • Who were the family members of Frederick’s master, colonel Edward Lloyd?
  • Sons: Andrew & Richard Daughter: Lucretia — her husband — Captain Thomas Auld (5)

  • What is the relationship of Colonel Lloyd to Frederick’s master?
  • FD’s master was Colonel Lloyd’s clerk & superintendent — overseer of the overseers (5)

  • Was there a pecking order among the slaves? Be able to explain.
  • Yes (5)

  • Why was Severe an appropriate name for the overseer?
  • Cruel man; took pleasure in beating others (physically); cursed at others all the time (7)

  • Why does Frederick suggest that slaves sing out of sorrow rather than out of joy?
  • Songs of slaves represent the sorrows of his heart & people are relieved by them (9)
  • Chapter III
  • How did Colonel Lloyd keep the slave boys from taking his fruit?
  • Put tar on the fence & any person who has tar on him — ate the fruit! Whipped! (10)

  • Why was it particularly difficult to be the slaves in charge of Colonel Lloyd’s horses?
    • b/c Colonel Lloyd’s horses were of noble blood & finest form, and if anything went wrong, the slaves were beaten

  • What is ironic about Colonel Lloyd’s treatment of his horses compared to the treatment of his slaves?
  • He treated his horses well — they needed “proper attention” while he beats his slaves. The animals get treated better than the slaves

  • What happened to the slave who told Colonel Lloyd the truth about his master?
  • Handcuffed, chained, sold to Georgia trader, left his family & friends

  • What is a maxim?
  • A standard or rule

  • Chapter IV
  • Why is Mr. Austin Gore a “first-rate overseer”? What is the irony of this description of him? What is ironic about his name?
  • He was proud, ambitious & persevering. He acted fully up to the maxim laid by slaveholders. He committed the grossest and most savage deeds upon the slaves under his charge. (12–13)

  • What reason does Mr. Gore give for killing Demby, the slave?
  • Demby became unmanageable (14)

  • What other examples does Frederick give on his statement “that killing a slave, or any colored person…is not treated as a crime, either by the courts or the community”?
  • Mr. Thomas Lanman killed 2 slaves (one with a hatchet); Mr. Giles Hick mangled a 15–16 yr. old girl (FD’s wife’s cousin) (14–15)
  • Chapter V
  • What was life like for Frederick on the plantation?
  • Good — Master Daniel Lloyd was protective & kind; FD didn’t work much — had simple duties & lots of leisure time (16)

  • Why was Frederick so happy to be leaving the plantation?
  • Could wash & clean self (16)

  • Why did he want to go to Baltimore?
  • b/c he got to get trousers! (17)

  • What relationship did his new master have to his old master?
  • Mr. Hugh Auld was brother to FD’s old master’s son-in-law, Captain Thomas Auld (16)
 
  • Why did Frederick, who was seven or eight, not know the month or year of his sailing?
  • He couldn’t read (17)

  • What were Frederick’s initial impressions of his new mistress, Mrs. Sophia Auld?
  • She was very kind & friendly (18)
  • Chapter VI
  • To what does Frederick attribute the kindness of Mrs. Auld?
  • She’s never had a slave (19)

  • What, according to Frederick, changes her?
  • Power (19)

  • Why is Mr. Auld angry when he finds that Mrs. Auld is teaching Frederick his letters?
  • b/c if blacks learn, they’ll become unmanageable (20)

  • Why does the inability to read keep men enslaved according to Frederick and to Mr. Auld?
  • b/c if you teach them, they’ll be unfit to be a slave — doesn’t benefit the owner — slaves will want to know more (20)
  • What does Frederick hope to gain by learning how to read?
  • Freedom (20)

  • Who teaches Frederick why black men are not taught to read?
  • Mr. Auld (20)

  • Why is this lesson so important to him?
  • b/c he realizes that education & knowledge can get him to freedom (20)

  • Why is the life of a city slave so much better than the life of a plantation slave?
  • City slaves have more freedom, clothes, food→don’t have to do hard labor on a plantation (21)

  • Why does Frederick relate the story of the slaves, Henrietta and Mary?
  • To show that it’s still bad & brutal in the city (21)
  • Chapter VII
  • How did Mrs. Auld change and why did she change?
  • She stopped teaching FD and she became more mean (22)

  • What plan did Frederick adopt to learn how to read now that Mrs. Hugh was no longer teaching him?
  • He befriended white boys & gave them bread for lessons in reading (23)

  • What is ironic about this plan?
  • White people were to hate blacks & white people were supposed to have food (23)

  • What did Frederick learn from the book, The Columbian Orator?
  • That people fought against slavery; he learned how cruel white people are; he learned about slavery and freedom (24)

  • How does Master Auld’s prediction about Frederick and learning come true?
  • Learning more caused FD to want freedom more and more (24)

  • How does Frederick learn the meanings of the words abolition and abolitionist?
  • From the newspaper (25)

  • What do the two Irishmen encourage him to do? Why does he not trust them?
  • Run up North — feared they were treacherous faithless/deceptive & would use him. If he listened, they would capture him and get money for reward (25)

  • How does Frederick learn to write?
  • Copied letters that were written on a ship & competed with white boys to write — tricked them — learned more (26)

  • How does he trick the white boys into teaching him new letters?
  • He would say “I don’t believe you. Let me see it.” He’d watch them write and would copy it. (26)

  • Chapter VIII
  • Why was Frederick forced to return to the plantation after the death of his master?
  • His master died (26–27)

  • How was the value of the master’s property determined? How were the slaves valued?
  • Slaves were ranked in value w/ animals (horses, sheep & swine) (27)

  • Why was the division of property between Mistress Lucretia and Master Andrew so horrifying to the slaves?
  • Dreaded Master Andrew (cruel) (27)

  • What happened to Frederick’s grandmother after the deaths of Lucretia and Andrew? How does this anecdote help explain the value of the slaves?
  • She was sent to live in a hut in the woods — nobody cared that she had family — animals are treated better (28–29)

  • Who owns Frederick by the end of chapter eight?
  • Master Thomas Auld (brother to old Master Hugh Auld) (30)

  • Why is Frederick forced to leave Baltimore?
  • b/c of an argument & Master Thomas said he’d never let FD return to Baltimore
  • Chapter IX
  • Why does Frederick now know the date?
  • He knows how to read now (30)

  • Who is Frederick’s newest Master?
  • Master Thomas Auld (30)

  • What rule of slaveholding does Master Thomas Auld violate?
  • Didn’t give slaves enough food (31)

  • How did the slaves get food?
  • Stole food from neighbors & begged (31)

  • What, according to Frederick, happens to Master Thomas Auld after his conversion to Christianity? Why?
  • Be became more cruel — religion supported his slaveholding (32)

  • Why does Frederick find irony in the fact that the slaves’ Sabbath school is discontinued?
  • b/c slaves were supposed to learn b/ the class leaders didn’t want to teach slaves to read the New Testament (33)

  • Why does Frederick let Master Thomas’ horse run away?
  • So he could go after it & get something to eat (34)

  • How does Master Thomas propose to ‘break’ Frederick?
  • Send him to Mr. Covey (34)
  • Why is the use of the verb ‘to break’ ironic?
  • “break” him in work ethic & physical labor; “break” FD down physically & mentally

  • Why was Mr. Covey’s reputation for breaking slaves of great value to him?
  • b/c he got slaves to work on his field — slave owners lent him their slaves so he could “break” them in & in return he got his land tilled

  • Why does Frederick suggest that Mr. Covey’s “pious soul” adds to “his reputation as a ‘nigger-breaker’”?
  • b/c he too has the support of religion behind his slave-driving (pious=good)