rederick Douglass (1818-95) was a prominent American abolitionist, author and orator. Born a slave, Douglass escaped at age 20 and went on to become a world-renowned anti-slavery activist. His three autobiographies are considered important works of the slave narrative tradition as well as classics of American autobiography. Douglass' work as a reformer ranged from his abolitionist activities in the early 1840s to his attacks on Jim Crow and lynching in the 1890s. For 16 years he edited an influential black newspaper and achieved international fame as an inspiring and persuasive speaker and writer. In thousands of speeches and editorials, he levied a powerful  indictment against slavery and racism, provided an indomitable voice of hope for his people, embraced antislavery politics and preached his own brand of American ideals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELHe5ucKjo&feature=related


I read his narrative http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23/23-h/23-h.htm

What made him different?

    Someone (a wife of a slave owner) gave him the words, teaching him to read.  The more he read the more he wanted to die or be free.
   
    He endured and witnessed horrific pain and starvation to propel him to seek knowledge.  His knowledge made him hopeless, suicidal, and yet it empowered him to seek freedom.


Slavery is an interesting concept.

Can someone be a slave to entertainment?

Watching tv, playing video games, listening to the same news stories in a way anesthetizing ones-self, can it be a form of slavery?  Americans raising a generation of kids without enough pain to empower them to explore the world?  Enslaved by ones own comforts?
 
Are American's slaves just as Foxconn employees?

Or is ignorance bliss?  It maybe at least until the credit cards are maxed and the cable/ internet bill can't be paid. 

In the silence there is truth.