Frederick Douglass described in his autobiography that slaves were denied birthdays. No one cared. They weren't people.

So many slaves were the product of rape. Douglass himself was. His master owned Douglass's mother, and so exploited her not just for her labor but for her femininity.

Douglass describes watching an aunt get whipped by her irate master for having the audacity to love another slave. So he stripped her naked, tied her to a hook, and whipped her until she ran red with blood.