African Languages and Societies Commons^™

Suspected Of Having A Book: American Slavery As A Literacy Sponsor, Cody Schweickert

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Applying concepts from Deborah Brandt’s “Sponsors of Literacy” to Frederick Douglass’ “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” explains how American slavery functioned as an institutional literacy sponsor, and how Douglass achieved literacy against the opposing forces of his sponsor. During the antebellum period, the American slavery institution, fueled by pro-slavery Anglo Saxons, maintained a social structure that guaranteed political, economic, social, and legal advantages for whites over African Americans. Afraid that literacy acquisition for African Americans might lead to their self-empowerment and eventual freedom, pro-slavery whites dedicated themselves to anti-literacy legislation and other measures aimed at keeping African Americans …