Frederick Douglass was an American writer, focusing on his time in slavery and his life after his release. In 1845 he published his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American. But before Douglass, another man wrote a story. A personal account explaining the times, while trying to shed light on his religion, his name was Jonathan Edwards and he published in 1740. While Edwards led a successful and relatively laid-back life, Douglass led a more difficult life than 'Edwards, but, easier than most slaves. While Douglass found his freedom from slavery, it could be argued that Edwards also found freedom in religion. Whereas on the contrary, these men could not be more different, nor have different stories of their life difficulties; they were each looking for something. While once again Douglass was in search of humanity and Edwards in search of a higher being, both men were both motivated by equality. Wanting to maintain their credibility with the public, the two tried to reach out in several ways. While Douglass needed more to reach white audiences, they were skeptical. Edwards, on the other hand, wants to reach as many people as possible to save their souls. Growing up was surprisingly different for men, Frederick Douglass was a slave born in the South. Although his heritage is somewhat of a mystery, most believe that his father was his master from a young age. Slavery was an integral part of American culture and was widely accepted in the South. Jonathan Edwards, on the other hand, was raised modestly and very comfortably. He was a priest, preaching loudly everywhere, trying to help as many people as possible. Religion was an important part of society, widely accepted everywhere too, and challenged the way people acted and you...... middle of paper...... hell. Douglass, however, believed he was in the hell of slavery and wanted to fight for potential future slaves to be free. Douglass continually kept his faith in God and leaned heavily on Him during difficult times. While Edwards wanted to use spirituality to convert nonbelievers, Frederick Douglass saw faith as a way to question the morality of human slavery. While Douglass was a believer, he saw hypocrisy in self-proclaimed Christian slave owners. Aside from the superficial differences between Jonathan Edwards and Frederick Douglass, they both believed in distinct causes and would stop at nothing to make themselves heard. Both have greatly influenced today's society, and their own times have helped combat prejudice and morals. Works Cited Baym, Nina and Robert S. Levine, eds. The Norton Anthology: American Literature. 8th ed. New York: WW Norton & Company, Inc., 2012. Print.