Frederick Douglass was not born the prolific abolitionist he is known today. Douglass observed and faced experiences that helped shape his determination to escape and attempt to end slavery. Frightening and sadistic scenes such as Aunt Hester's whipping opened Douglass's young eyes to slavery, eyes that were then innocent to the atrocities of slavery. Since realizing the reality of his predicament, Douglass achieved the mental and physical freedom that would help transform the slave Frederick Bailey into the man Frederick Douglass. As Douglass's autobiography Account of the Life of Frederick Douglass shows, Douglass first gained his mental freedom through education, a door opened for him by his learning to read. His physical freedom would not be so easy to regain, as his rebellious fight against Covey shows. It was cases like these that allowed Douglass to win his freedom and fight to end slavery. Throughout his early years of slavery, Douglass was "aloof from the bloody scenes which often occurred on the plantation." (Douglass, 20) Captain Anthony's whipping of Aunt Hester made the brutality of slavery very clear to young Douglass. It was the first time Douglass witnessed such brutality, Aunt Hester's whipping was a major and horrific moment for Douglass; Douglass would eventually experience many more of these horrific crimes against humanity, but this first experience changed his entire worldview. If he didn't fear his slave master before, then he certainly did at this point. For him, life would not be happy and free, but cruel and harsh, a bit like Aunt Hester's beating. Obviously, slavery was already real by this time, in the 19th century, but it is middle of paper ......imore and his free status reinforced Douglass's belief in the possibility of acquiring his own freedom. Frédéric gained his freedom by boarding a train dressed as a sailor. The uniform was provided by Murray with part of his savings to pay for travel expenses. His freedom was marked by his arrival in New York and the journey lasted approximately 24 hours. Once he arrived, Douglass sent for Murray. Murray played a crucial role in helping Douglass gain his freedom. Douglass's account highlights slavery through the eyes of the slaves themselves. The story of Douglass's life as a slave and his growth into the man he eventually became is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The way Covey tried to break Douglass ultimately only made him stronger. The abolitionist movement, no, the world would not be the same if Frederick Douglass had not been born.