Rumored to
have a white father and orphaned at a young age by the death of his mother, whom he hardly knew
because she lived on another plantation and could only visit him at night, the childhad no one
to protect him. As a consequence, he suffered in many cases.
Here are some of
the conflicts Douglass experienced:
When he was small, Douglass lived on the
Lloyd plantation, where his tasks included herding the milk cows in the evening and finding the
birds that his young master, Daniel Lloyd, had shot. He suffered no hunger, but he was often
very cold; he was provided only a long linen shirt to wear. He had no socks or shoes, no
trousers or any other clothing.
I used to steal a bag
which was used for carrying corn to the mill. I would crawl into this bag, and there sleep on
the cold, damp, clay floor, with my head in and feet out. My feet have been so cracked with the
frost that the pen with which I am writing might be laid in the gashes.
When Douglass was sent to Maryland...
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