Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was a famous African
American orator and author of the 19th
century. He was born as a slave and
became one of the most important figures of
the abolitionist movement.
Frederick Douglass believed that slavery was the
great sin and shame of
America, a country that he truly loved. Douglass was most
famous for his
fiery speeches addressed to white Americans and free black men,
but was also
an author of magazine and newspaper articles, books, and essays. He
was also
the editor of two periodicals. Frederick Douglass was
basically
self-educated. After learning that his learning to read and write
was so
strongly protested by his master, he started to believe that education
was the
key to his freedom. He would pay his poor white playmates for reading
lessons
with bread. With anytime that he had for himself, he would read and
write. When
Frederick Douglass spoke he did not care about what people
would be offended or
if someone would like not like him after it. He spoke
with a clear and harsh
voice that more often than not got his point across.
His speeches could be
compared to those of the 18th century Puritan minister
Jonathan Edwards.
Douglass talked of how people were disregarding the
Bible and the Constitution
by agreeing with the principles of slavery. One of
Douglass’ most famous
speeches, The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the
Negro, contains all of these
named characteristics. Many people doubted that
Frederick was ever a slave
because he was so well educated. To disprove his
critics he wrote his first
autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass, which told about his
experiences as a slave. Published in May 1845,
the book quickly became a best
seller in the North. European editions also
sold well. Later, in 1881, he
published he most famous work. It was another
autobiography called The Life and
Times of Frederick Douglass. This book
also dealt with his growing up as a
slave, but not only that. The book told
of the reasons he thought slavery
existed, the change of the nation during
and after the Civil War, and his
relationships with different figures
throughout American history. In the book he
said that he did not blame slave
owners for slavery, but that it was incubated
for several generations and had
become a way of life. He was able to look beyond
the current master to the
slave masters before his. Later Douglass wrote another
autobiography called
My Bondage and My Freedom. The periodicals that he edited
dealt with not only
freeing black slaves, but women’s rights as well. The
periodicals included:
The North Star, which later became Frederick Douglass’
Weekly; and
Frederick Douglass’ Monthly, which was a supplement to
Frederick
Douglass’ Weekly. The papers were published almost continuously
from December
1847 through May 1863, and gave him fame not only as an
orator but as a
journalist as well. Many people of all backgrounds will still
read Douglass’
work as years go by, because it deals with a significant time
of American
history. The lessons that he teaches can be applied to much more
than slavery.
He talked of having good morals and of remembering that
everyone is a human
being. The American spirit was definitely present in all
of his literature,
which is something that most Americans need. Frederick
Douglass’ work is
considered great literature because it transcends time. It
deals with a major
event in American history, but can still be educational
today.
Bibliography
Microsoft Encarta 2000 [1995-1999]. [Computer
Program]. Redmond, WA:
Microsoft Corporation. Rennert, Richard (Ed.).
(1995). Profiles of Great Black
Americans. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Douglass, Frederick. "My Escape from
Slavery." The Century Illustrated
Magazine 23, n.s. 1 (Nov. 1881): 125-131.
Douglass, Frederick. "The
Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro."
Rennert, Richard (Ed.)
(1995). A Salute to Historic Black Achievers. Nashville:
Thomas Nelson,
Inc. American Literature: Signature Edition. (1989). New York:
Scribner
Laidlaw. Douglass, Frederick. My Bondage and My Freedom. University
of
Illinois Press: 1990.