One event in Douglass's life that stood out to me was that he was prohibited from learning to read simply because his owners wanted him to remain inferior to them. According to both the text and the documentary, his mistress encouraged him to learn how to read. She was very compliant when Douglass wanted to read the newspaper and she even spent time teaching him how to read English words. However, as soon as her husband caught the situation, he set rules and confiscated newspapers and anything that had text on it from Douglass’s sight. The mistress was no longer allowed to teach Douglass how to read and was deprived from basic education. This shook me to my core because his story depicts how he was treated from a very, very young age. He was merely a child, and the fact that he was stripped from something that is considered a basic human right in our country today saddens me. Slaves back then were prevented from doing anything that white people thought would make them smarter or expand their knowledge. It brings me a lot of satisfaction that Douglass was so hungry for knowledge that he managed to make the best of his situation, and found a way to educate himself despite the shoes he was in.
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