In his own life story, Fredrick Douglass makes known his difficulty in receiving an education, something we take for granted today. He goes on to relate a conversation between his master and mistress: “Learning would spoil the best Negro in the world. Now, if you teach this negro... to read, it will no longer be possible to keep him. He would be forever unfit to be a slave. He would become unmanageable and worthless to his master. As for him, it could do him no good, but do him a lot of harm. (Douglass 41) An educated slave poses an immense threat to the act of slavery and those who enslave. Knowledge is dangerous in any form; there was a fear of causing a slave to question authority and the entire institution of slavery. Intelligence enlightens the slaves on the evils of slavery and this has a spiral effect to the extent that this information would not be kept to oneself. Knowledge edifies slave men and women of their quality of life and enables them to distinguish themselves as human beings rather than as property. Slave owners deprived their slaves of a basic education in hopes of reducing the chance of rebellion and, conversely, a slave would need an education to be freed. Acquiring knowledge was far more powerful than any weapon. We see this idea throughout Douglass's narrative, as Douglass was able to free himself through education. Slaves are not inherently dangerous until they understand and recognize the harms of slavery. It is only when they are educated and aware of the situation they have been forced into that they hate the idea of ​​being enslaved. Furthermore, this enlightenment threatens the entire foundations of slavery to the extent that slaves have the mental capacity to rebel against their master, although a majority...... middle of paper... . the easy life is almost never celebrated; rather, it is those who have led difficult lives and achieved success who are the ones we admire. Douglass is famous for overcoming his difficulties and freeing himself from the chains of slavery. His journey was strewn with pitfalls and his struggle difficult, but “…after years of long and tedious effort, I finally succeeded in learning to write.” (49) Knowledge liberated him. ​​By simply learning the fundamentals of reading and writing, Frederick Douglass imposed a threat on his superiors. His story is a direct product of his slavery; his powerful story brought a situation to light. Douglass is exactly what slave owners feared. Frederick Douglass was born a slave; Thanks to Frederick's continued resistance against his unfortunate "birthright," he remained an educated adult, a famous abolitionist, and an inspiring orator..