Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Lesson Plan

What does Douglass mean when he says that Mr. Gore "was just the man for such a place, and it was just the place for such a man"? What are the ideal qualities that a slave overseer should have, according to him, and why might they be necessary for maintaining the institution of slavery?

For Douglass, Mr. Gore is a perfect slave overseer because he possesses all the traits that are necessary or desirable for such a job. The traits that Douglass ascribes to Mr. Gore read like a description of a supervillain: cruel, ambitious, grave, relentless, etc. These are the sorts of qualities that were made desirable by the institution of slavery, which promoted the abuse of human...