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Douglass’s grandmother Betsey Bailey serves as a heartbreaking example of the cruel, intergenerational nature of slavery. After Lucretia and Andrew both die, the slaves considered part of their estates are sold off by strangers. Because Betsey is elderly and can no longer work, she is left in a hut to die alone. Those who divide the Anthony estate assess the slaves as objects or livestock, with degrading, utilitarian logic. They don’t care about Betsey’s loyalty or kindness, nor do they treat her elderly age as something worthy of respect or care. She is only considered to have any value as far as she can work. Beyond this dehumanization, Douglass emphasizes the mental toll Betsey suffers seeing her family forcibly separated from herself and each other, while being left completely alone. Douglass’s devotion to describing his grandmother’s plight contrasts sharply with the dismissal of the people who divide the Anthony estate. By describing Betsey with love and expressing grief and outrage on her behalf, Douglass asserts her humanity. Betsey’s story also emphasizes that dehumanization is inherent in the very system of slavery. Betsey’s fate stems from the logic of property law and capitalism, not any one evil master. 

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