There is a time in American history when slavery was not only permitted, but was part of the original Constitution. However, among all those who were in favor of slavery there was always something against it. Slaves themselves, such as Frederick Douglass in his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, criticized slavery as did American writers, such as Henry David Thoreau in his speech "Slavery in Massachusetts". Although these two abolitionists are separated by class and education, they share the same anxieties about slavery. Both believe that slavery is inherently wrong and a crime against humanity. Because of their differences in life, they had different perspectives on the atrocity of slavery; however, they often came to the same conclusion. Frederick Douglass was born a slave, raised with the idea that he would be a slave his entire life. He experienced a revelation when learning to read, where “the thought of being a slave all my life began to weigh heavily on my heart” (Douglass 39). He was denied knowledge of almost everything: his age, his father and education. He states that his “lack of information regarding mine was a source of unhappiness” (Douglass 9). He questioned this treatment, fighting fiercely to gain the ability to read and write. One of his teachers, Hugh Auld, aggressively opposed Douglas's learning. Douglass then realized the power of an education: "I now understood what to me had been a very perplexing difficulty, namely, the power of the white man to enslave the black man... I understood the path from slavery to freedom” (Douglass 34 ). While Douglass fought for his position in life, others abused theirs. Henry Thoreau notes the relaxed and lethargic behavior of t...... middle of paper ...... t "in the errands of mankind" (Thoreau 2052); so, these are the men who passed the Fugitive Slave Act, these are the men who own men as chattel; and these are the men who succumbed to the barbarity of slavery. But Douglass and Thoreau are the men who fought slavery with their entire being. Douglass and Thoreau share the same principle that a man should not be the property of another man, which is an injustice. Douglass suffered firsthand the brutality of what slavery can entail while Thoreau saw the inhumane treatment of his fellow man. Douglass was a self-taught worker who did his best to overcome his natural life. Thoreau was a Harvard graduate who tried his best to overcome the law that prevented ignorant people from reaching their potential. Class separated these two men, Douglass and Thoreau, yet they were united in probity.