(This is my first argument paper, and I bad at papers like these. Heh.)
In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass explains the corruption of the slaveholders. In his book, Douglas asserts that the slaveholders use their power and Biblical viewpoints to abuse their slaves badly as powerless victims of a corrupt system. It shows that the power fills the person with pride and they will then feel that they are higher than another race or person. An individual having more power will inevitably lead to corruption.
In one example of corruption, Douglass’s master Mr. Auld abuses his power. After Mr. Auld scolded Mrs. Auld, she becomes fearful that slaves will revolt and enslave the whites when they feel unsatisfied with their lives. She stops teaching Douglass to read and denies him access to newspapers and books. Mrs. Auld goes further into her beliefs that reading is not acceptable for slaves. While it is true that Mrs. Auld helped Douglass learn how to read, on the other hand, Mr. Auld scolded her that Douglass would be useless and could plan an escape to the North with other slaves, if given the resources.
The Corrupt Bargain of 1824 is yet another example of how having power will lead to corruption. John Quincy Adams bribed Henry Clay to become his Secretary of State to help convince Congress to vote for him as president. Opposing views claim that John Quincy Adams emphasized improvements in the United States; however, he failed to get Congress to adopt the program that he has in mind.
As a result, an excess of power invested in a person will blind them, and cause them to become corrupted with pride. With having more power, slaveholders like the Aulds and some presidents like John Quincy Adams becomes corrupted and wanting more and more power. An individual having more power will inevitably lead to corruption. With the corruption of powerful people, why can we not work together and be part of a team?
ns 15.158.61.48da2
