how do the masters treatment of the slaves as depicted in chapter one affect douglas

Douglas wants to know how this can happen. One important thing to note in this first chapter is Douglass's reference to God's curse of Ham and his progeny, for religion is a prominent theme in the work. Douglass is referring to the Old Testament tale of God cursing Canaan, the son of Ham, for Ham's offense committed against his father Noah. This became a justification for the enslavement of Africans because they were seen as the sons of Ham. It was often invoked by proslavery orators in the 1840s. Douglass states that the presence of mulatto children - the offspring between a master and one of his slaves - refutes this claim that the Bible condones slavery, as clearly not all slaves are the descendants of Ham.