A human being in a perfect state of nudity, tied hand and foot to a stake, and a strong man standing behind with a heavy whip, knotted at the end, each blow cutting into the flesh, and leaving the warm blood dripping to the feet; and for these trifles.
This vivid imagery illustrates the brutal reality of physical punishment inflicted on enslaved individuals.
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More from Frederick Douglass
I looked into this kitchen with peculiar interest, and remembered that it was there I last saw my mother.
I believed I should get enough to eat at Covey’s, even if I suffered in other respects, and this to a hungry man is not a prospect to be regarded with indifference.
It had no interest in recognizing or preserving any of the ties that bind families together or to their homes.
My grandmother was all the world to me, and the thought of being separated from her was a most unwelcome suggestion to my affections and hopes.