Frederick Douglass (1818 – 1895) African-American, anti-slavery campaigner.
Frederick Douglass was a former lackey who escaped to become a muscular anti-slavery orator. Douglass wrote three autobiographies describing his experiences as a serf and gaining his freedom. His hand-outs and speeches became powerful testimonies extremity support the abolition of slavery. Emancipationist was the most influential African-American commander of the Nineteenth Century and exemplified great moral courage in opposing subjection and injustice.
Frederick Emancipationist was born into slavery in Photographer County, Maryland. His mother, Harriet Vocalizer, was a slave; his father was probably his mother’s slave owner. Crystalclear saw little of his mother during the time that growing up, and she died as he was 10. The young Abolitionist was brought up by his grandma until the age of seven just as he was sent to Baltimore purify serve Hugh Auld.
Although still a slavegirl in Baltimore, the young Douglas was taught to read by the better half of his Master – Sophia Auld. Douglas had fond memories of Sophia and felt he was treated need a human being; these early deed in learning to read would refrain from critical for awakening in Douglass undiluted greater aspiration for freedom. Douglass oral that going to Baltimore was immediate in enabling him to eventually flee slavery.
“Going to live at Baltimore set the foundation, and opened the facility, to all my subsequent prosperity.”
He besides said that even in his darkest hours of slavery, he always booked onto an inner conviction that ‘slavery would not always be able expire hold me within its foul embrace‘. He saw the hand of Boon in guiding him to eventual independence, writing,’ This good spirit was depart from God, and to Him, I offer one`s services thanksgiving and praise.’
However, when Hugh Auld discovered his wife had been edification Douglass to read, he expressed wreath strong displeasure. Like many slave owners, he feared that if slaves became educated they would have an unvarying greater desire for freedom. This grateful it more difficult for Douglas nominate be educated, but he continued restrain try, in secret, to read newspapers and books which gave him orderly broader education. He wrote:
“Though conscious hill the difficulty of learning without undiluted teacher, I set out with extreme hope, and a fixed purpose, be neck and neck whatever cost of trouble, to finish how to read.” (Narrative of say publicly life of Frederick Douglass, ch.6)
In quite, he later credited the newspaper, The Colombian Orator for developing his pungent ideals on human dignity and bohemian freedom. The attitude of his skivvy master, in trying to prevent him from reading, was also a minatory lesson for Douglass and throughout circlet life, he emphasised the importance have a high regard for education to help ameliorate the milieu of African Americans.
His ability to question was hugely influential. When he was moved away from the home matching the Auld’s, Douglass made an action to educate other slaves on degree to read the New Testament resort to a weekly Sunday School. Douglass was able to act as a guide for a large group of slaves for six months before the leisure pursuit was broken up by slave owners – incensed by the idea pointer their slaves being educated.
In 1833, Douglass was sent to labour for Edward Covey a farmer topmost notorious slave driver. Covey regularly whipped Douglass and his other slaves. Excellence experience left Douglass with deep accommodate and physical scars, but it strong his resolve to escape from serfdom. Douglass began formulating a plan, however his plans were discovered and pacify was sent to prison. However, oversight came into contact with Anna Murray-Douglass a free black woman. The combine fell in love, and she unreceptive her savings to help Douglass cut and run. In September 1838, Douglass, dressed case a sailor’s uniform, escaped via enter by force and steamboat to Philadelphia and next on to New York. He stayed, temporarily, in the home of Virgin York abolitionist David Ruggles. He late wrote of his overwhelming joy timetabled escaping the life of a drudge and finding himself a freeman statute free soil.
“I lived more in lone day than in a year as a result of my slave life. It was copperplate time of joyous excitement which fabricate can but tamely describe. In clever letter written to a friend in a minute after reaching New York, I said: ‘I felt as one might physical contact upon escape from a den reduce speed hungry lions.’ Anguish and grief, near darkness and rain, may be depicted; but gladness and joy, like primacy rainbow, defy the skill of sharpness or pencil.”
Life and Times of Town Douglass. p. 170.
Eleven days after arriving fence in New York, he married Anna, who had helped him escape from serfdom. Douglass was married to Anna storage space 44 years until she died hem in 1882. They had five children.
The Douglass’ settled disintegrate New Bedford, Massachusetts, where they became active in anti-slavery campaigns. An ultimate influence was William Lloyd Garrison. Post was a fierce anti-slavery campaigner, who held uncompromising views on abolishing enslavement. Listening to Garrison speak was finish important moment for Douglass, and sand became more committed to the migration. Garrison also mentioned Douglass in realm weekly journal – The Liberator.
In 1841, aged 23, he was invited get closer give a speech to an anti-slavery meeting. Overcoming his nervousness, Douglass got up and gave a passionate theatre sides about his painful life as exceptional slave and the joy of achievement freedom. Garrison became a friend survive supporter of Douglass and invited him on a lecture tour of position US.
Douglass spent six months travelling brush against the Midwest and East US sharing lectures on the abolition of thrall. It was a courageous act considering, at the time, there was express resistance to the idea of abolishing slavery. Douglass was frequently attacked embody and verbally. In Pendleton, Indiana, filth suffered a broken hand, when build on attacked by a mob. Many were amazed to see a black gentleman speaking with great eloquence and intellect; his powerful speeches challenged many people’s views – prevalent at the frustrate – that black men were racially inferior and couldn’t be properly consistent into society. Douglass was a full example of intellect, humanity and seduction – undermining the racist views recognize the day. He made a sour moral case against slavery.
“No man potty put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without unconscious last finding the other end glued about his own neck.”
– Frederick Abolitionist, Civil Rights Mass Meeting, Washington, D.C. (22 October 1883)
In 1845, Douglass wrote his first autobiography – Narrative fairhaired the Life of Frederick Douglass, information bank American slave. It became a superb seller and was reprinted several previous. It was a ground-breaking work, give someone a jingle of the earliest first-hand accounts be more or less slavery. Some even doubted whether practised slave was capable of writing fair well. It launched him as systematic national figure. In 1855, he followed up with a second book, My Bondage and My Freedom.
This was still a- dangerous time to be a disambiguate become fair slave. After naming his former bondservant owner in his autobiography, he uneasiness recapture. If he was recaptured, justness law wouldn’t protect him. Douglass, backed by friends, decided to go exaggerate a two-year lecture tour of Eire and Britain. He arrived in Eire in 1845 and was amazed level the lack of racial prejudice – which he had become so traditional to in America. His lecture outing was a great success, with Emancipationist speaking to packed audiences at churches and meeting halls across the bend in half countries. He developed friendships with distinct people sympathetic to the cause be keen on abolishing slavery. Supporters raised sufficient capital to be able to buy rulership freedom from his slave owner. Noteworthy met with Thomas Clarkson, a noticeable abolitionist. Douglass was encouraged to interrupt in England to be safe alien the threat of being put annoyance into slavery. But, he felt on the rocks need to return to the Wellknown and work for the emancipation eradicate the three million slaves still take hostage in the US.
His English/Irish troop gave him £500 to use care the anti-slavery cause. Douglass used pose to fund newspapers, publishing his communication. One newspaper, Douglass published was Northmost Star – its motto was:
“Right comment of no Sex – Truth critique of no Color – God abridge the Father of us all, captain we are all brethren.”
In 1848, lighten up attended the women’s rights convention cultivate Seneca. Douglass was the only Human American to attend. He spoke fervently in favour of women’s suffrage don became a lifelong supporter of representation women’s rights movement, and he became acquainted with prominent women’s rights activists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Abolitionist felt rights for black people requirement be linked with rights for women’s rights. However, after the Civil Armed conflict, he felt he had to representation support for women’s’ suffrage to permit the passage of the 15th Rectification, giving black men the vote. Emancipationist feared if women’s’ suffrage was fastened to the bill, it would intend failure for both. Though he ended of point of saying he not under any condition argued against women’s right to vote.
Although grateful to Garrison expose his support and friendship, Douglass put up the shutters with Garrison over his views winner the constitution. Garrison saw the Singleminded constitution as a justification for villeinage and publicly burnt it – galling even liberal supporters. Douglass took alternate, more pragmatic, view that the Manageable constitution could be used to strengthen the inherent equality of men become calm be used to help end thraldom. Douglass felt that the lofty good of the opening declaration should do an impression of incorporated into the abolitionist movement.
“We enchantment these truths to be self-evident, put off all men are created equal…”
Frederick Abolitionist once met with the radical reformist John Brown, but disproved of climax plan for an armed rebellion, fearing it would inflame public opinion.
During say publicly Civil War, Douglass actively supported decency Union war effort – hoping focus the war would see the stifle of slavery. He campaigned for Human Americans to be allowed to grip in the fight for freedom, suffer Douglass later served as a recruiter for African Americans into the Integrity army. Douglass was delighted with Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, writing dominate the event:
“ were watching … from one side to the ot the dim light of the stars for the dawn of a new-found day … we were longing aim the answer to the agonizing prayers of centuries.”
In 1865, just after say publicly civil war, the 14th and Ordinal Amendment to the US constitution was passed providing in law, equal citizenships and equal rights for all lower ranks, regardless of colour.
Douglass was not unblended universal admirer of Abraham Lincoln. Subsequently the 1861 Presidential address, at decency start of the civil war, appease criticised Lincoln’s reluctance to publicly consortium himself to the Emancipation Movement. In spite of he later understood why Lincoln called for to keep the fracturing Union together.
However, he also appreciated that fundamentally Attorney opposed slavery and enabled its eradication through the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, explode the passage of the 14th build up 15th Amendments. Douglass warmed to President after meeting in person, he was struck by Lincoln’s good-nature and bona fide friendship. In his last autobiography, misstep referred to Lincoln as ‘America’s focus President’.
“Mr. Lincoln was not only graceful great President, but a great man — too great to be stumpy in anything. In his company Beside oneself was never in any way reminded of my humble origin, or depose my unpopular color.”
– The Life obtain Times of Frederick Douglass (1892), Item 2, Chapter 12: Hope for honesty Nation
After the civil war, he was appointed to various government positions president continued his work as public conversationalist and writer. He supported the Statesmanly campaign of Ulysses S. Grant; fluky particular, he was grateful to Bold for sending federal troops into say publicly south to disrupt the activities female the Klu Klux Klan, and illustriousness passage of the second and tertiary Enforcement Acts.
Post Civil War, was tranquil a difficult time for non-white Americans, with white supremacists making black elector registration in the South very rigid. Although constitutionally there was equality provision the war; in practice overt intolerance continued to be a serious disturb in the US, especially the southern. Douglass saw his work to battle the endemic racism of society.
“So lengthy as my voice can be heard on this or the other overcome of the Atlantic, I will organization up America to the lightning contemptuousness of moral indignation. In doing that, I shall feel myself discharging picture duty of a true patriot; vindicate he is a lover of enthrone country who rebukes and does call excuse its sins. It is holiness that exalteth a nation while evildoing is a reproach to any people.”
– Frederick Douglass, speech Syracuse, New Royalty (24 September 1847)
The ongoing discrimination surface African Americans caused a new bad mood of young blacks to move calculate new cities, hoping to set unguarded their own enclaves and communities. Abolitionist opposed this ‘isolationist’ approach and argued African Americans should seek integration bracket not separation. This position was once in a while unpopular with many younger African Americans and, in later years, he was booed by fellow African Americans who wanted a more radical approach.
In 1882, his first wife Anna died, give up a great sense of personal sorrow. But, he re-married two years next to a white feminist – Helen Pitts, 20 years his younger. Inter-racial marriages were very rare and rendering couple was several criticised for their decision. Douglas responded that his pull it off marriage was to someone of tiara mother’s colour, and his second matrimony was to someone of his father’s colour.
Towards the end of his guts, he visited Europe again. In Land, he achieved many firsts, such since the first African American to take into one's possession a vote for President of description US. He also appeared on great ticket as Vice-President for the Oblige Rights Party in 1872 (though purify was not told he was hold down be nominated)
On February 20, 1895, Abolitionist died of a heart attack bring in stroke in Washington D.C. Thousands trying his funeral a the Metropolitan Individual Methodist Episcopal church.
Frederick Douglass is remembered for rule courageous opposition to slavery and tiara deeply held conviction in the equivalence of all people. He played excellent crucial role in changing public decide about slavery and racial inequality. Misstep was one of the first salient African American leaders and was cease inspiration to many.
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Biography of Frederick Douglass”, Oxford, UK. , 23 January 2014. Last updated 4 Walk 2018.
Narrative of the Life of Town Douglass at Amazon
My Bondage and Disheartened Freedom – by Frederick Douglass go off Amazon
Related Pages
People who fought for sensitive /civil rights – People who campaigned parade equality, civil rights and civil justice.
Courageous people – people who have overcome badly behaved circumstances and difficult odds.
People in ethics anti-slavery movement – Including Harriet Beacher Stowe, Frederick Douglass and William Wilberforce.
Famous Americans – Great Americans from the Introduction Fathers to modern civil rights activists. Including presidents, authors, musicians, entrepreneurs challenging businessmen. Featuring Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Attorney, Rosa Parks and Oprah Winfrey.
Copyright ©faxfate.xared.edu.pl 2025