Read this excerpt from chapter 7 of the narrative of the life of frederick douglass by frederick douglass and answer the question.

they both advised me to run away to the north; that i should find friends there, and that i should be free. i pretended not to be interested in what they said, and treated them as if i did not understand them; for i feared they might be treacherous. white men have been known to encourage slaves to escape, and then, to get the reward, catch them and return them to their masters. … i nevertheless remembered their advice, and from that time i resolved to run away.

which of the following best describes the cultural context here?

life of abolitionists in the south in 1830s
life of slaves and white people in the south in 1830s
life of educated class in the south in 1830s
life of slaves in south during civil war