Question

In My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass, why does Mrs. Auld follow her husband’s advice to stop teaching Douglass to read? She was afraid of her husband. Wives were expected to obey their husbands. Her husband agreed to teach Douglass all he needed to know. Douglass belongs to Mr. Auld, not to her.

Answer 1

Wives were expected to obey their husbands.

Around that time period it was considered improper for a wife to disobey their husbands. Wives at the time period had very few rights and were dependent on their husbands.