Douglass was a man born into slavery. He was never taught to know what day it was anyway, so he claims he never knew his birthday. Douglass's young life was filled with work and watching other slaves being beaten for not doing what they were told. He says he woke up and heard his aunt screaming in pain. “I was often awakened at the dawn of day by the heart-rending cries of one of my aunts, who used to tie her to a beam and whip her on her bare back until she was covered in blood.” When born, a slave child was not allowed to stay with his mother more than a couple of months. She spent her childhood under the care of an elderly woman, who was kept enslaved only to raise children. "I have never seen my mother, to know her as such, more than four or five times in my life; and each of these times was of very short duration, and at night." After that, the mother was sent to another place so that the child would not have any connection with her. Additionally, Douglas wasn't given much interaction or knowledge about his father beyond knowing that his master was his father. "My father was a white man. He was admitted as such by everything I ever heard about my parents." Having his master as a father made his treatment even less attractive. It would seem that his master treated him even worse because that was his son, so as not to let the other slaves know anything. He came from a mixed family and was often looked down upon for being "yellow". He never received a kind word from his father and to this day he isn't sure if his master was really his father, but he believes it because that's what he was always told. The treatment of slaves was incredibly vile and unjust. Slave... middle of paper... ends up on his way to freedom because he feared that those who helped him would be punished. Frederick Douglass's tale had a profound impact on the abolitionist movement. It is believed that because Douglass was brave enough to write a story about his life and how it was affected by slavery and all the things he went through, other slaves were also able to find the strength to defend themselves. If Douglass had not done the things he did, other slaves would not have gained the strength and courage to stand up for their rights and there is a possibility that slavery would still exist today. Douglass' book remains relevant today because it is a true story about the struggles, trials, and tribulations faced by slaves across the country. Society might not have known what was happening if it weren't for his courage.