Frederick Douglas.

“ My mother was named Harriet Bailey. She was the daughter of Isaac and Betsey Bailey, both colored, and quite dark.” (Douglas, 923.)

“My father was a white man. He was admitted to be such by all I ever heard speak of my parentage. The opinion was also whispered that my master was my father, but of the correctness of my opinion.” (Douglas, 923.)

If found this to be very interesting. Multi-racial children were popular during these times. Slave owners often had sexual relations with their slaves. because this epidemic was a popular one I decided to do some research. Research shows that “Slave women were forced to comply with sexual advances by their masters on a very regular basis. Consequences of resistance often came in the form of physical beatings; thus, an enormous number of slaves became concubines for these men.” (bowdoin.edu.) Women feared being beaten so they decided to give in to their masters and have sex, and children would be a result of this.

The children were seen as African American and like Douglas was often unaware of whom their fathers were. Due to the fact that the owners wouldn’t claim their children. However there were some that would. They were treated as slaves and had to endure the same activities their mothers and or parents did. “Sometimes paternal manumission – where a master frees his children out of fatherly affections – would occur. ((bowdoin.edu.) Although this was very seldom. It hasn’t to determine why slave owners would commit such actions, and why the salves would allow them. One will always wonder.

www.bowdoin.edu/~prael/projects/gsonnen/page4.html