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Life as a Slave
Chapter 12
Life in Baltimore
In Baltimore, Sophia Auld begins teaching young Douglass his letters — until her husband Hugh forbids it, delivering what Douglass calls his first anti-slavery lecture by explaining exactly why literacy is dangerous to a slave.
Sophia Auld's initial kindness and reading lessonsHugh Auld's explanation of why literacy ‘unfits’ a slaveCity slavery versus plantation slaveryThe Hamilton family's cruelty toward Henrietta and Mary