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Douglass’s mother, Harriet Bailey, dies when he is very young, and he has few memories of her. Nevertheless, Douglass takes care to detail her immense effort to forge a connection with him, illustrating slavery’s devastating effect on Black families and furthering his argument that it is a cruel and unnatural system. Soon after Douglass’s birth, Harriet is hired out to another farm 12 miles away. At worst, Harriet’s removal from Douglass’s life is a malicious move to keep her from bonding with her son, and at best, it is a decision made without any thought or consideration for a new mother. Despite this immense hurdle, Harriet walks the long miles after finishing work whenever she can, just to spend some time with her son, defying any dehumanizing slaveholder arguments that slaves don’t form or nurture family bonds. Nevertheless, Captain Anthony does not allow Douglass to see Harriet during her illness and forbids him from attending her memorial. As a result, Douglass admits that as a child he reacted to Harriet’s death as if she were a stranger. This sad anecdote illustrates both Harriet’s profound and powerful love for Douglass and how such love is anathema to slavery as a system.

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