The Life Of George Womble And Douglass - 1432 Words

The different treatments slaves received from their masters may have been caused by the different environments they were living in. After moving from the country to Baltimore, Douglass observed that slaves living in urban surroundings were treated differently from slaves living on plantations. Douglass notices that â€Å"a city slave is almost a freeman, compared with a slave on the plantation. He is much better fed and clothed, and enjoys privileges altogether unknown to the slave on the plantation† (Douglass 32). These differences can be seen through the experiences of George Womble and Douglass. Mr. Womble, a slave who lived on a plantation in Clinton, Georgia, says that â€Å"slaves on the Womble plantation were treated more like animals rather than like humans† (Womble 12). Children ate from a trough and shared meals with the animals, and his master would whip slaves â€Å"just to give himself a little fun† (Womble 2). Slaves were also punished unjustly. For instance, when he was sent off to complete an errand, Mr. Womble â€Å"stopped to eat some persimmons [instead]†¦of returning immediately† (Womble 13). As a result, his master â€Å"started beating him on the head with a wagon spoke† until â€Å"his head was covered with knots the size of hen eggs and blood was flowing from each of them† (Womble 13). This brutal treatment would not be accepted in the city. In urban areas, masters have â€Å"a sense of shame that does much to curb and check those outbreaks of atrocious cruelty so commonly enacted