In continuing with my study of classic American literature and history, I now turn to the dark history of slavery. It's a very depressing topic that I often tend to overlook, yet nonetheless it is an undeniable truth of America's vicious history. On par with the removal of Native Americans, the slavery of African Americans was the most inhumane event in American history that should not be ignored. Especially in these days of the Black Lives Matter movement, a recent social upheaval calling for an end to systemic racism. I think it's fair to say that the blacks have come a long way since the days of slavery but still their is a long way to go for justice and equality. I'll later get more into the history of slavery but for now I want to focus on one it's earliest heroes; Frederick Douglass.
I recently zipped thru his autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, and found myself quite awe-inspired. Here was a first hand account of someone who experienced the cruel and unforgiving lifestyle of being a slave for nearly 20 years. No account before this had ever been so vivid with detail, and it's publication in 1845 quickly became a bestseller. Thru this publication the abolition movement gained traction and Frederick Douglas became it's leading voice for social reform. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation he continued a life dedicated to justice and equality for all people; white, black, women, native, and immigrants.
What is most incredible about Frederick's life story is the complete transition he underwent. This is the ultimate rags-to-riches story, of a man entrapped in slavery who is able to acheive his freedom, and furthermore use that freedom for the betterment of his kin and humanity. His biography is like something out of a movie, but real life adventure, suspense, and drama. He is like Moses, a slave and leader of Israel seeking the Promise Land. He is like Patrick Henry and the Patriots before him, set on liberty or death. He endures many near death hardships before he finally achieves this goal.
Life as a Slave
In his autobiography Frederick makes it clear that it is not known to him exactly what day he was born (however it is later determined to be in the year 1818). He also details the sad account by which he was separated from his mother as an infant and raised by his grandmother near the Chesapeake Bay of Maryland. He was of mixed-race yet never learns of his white father. At age 6 he began his slave work for the Auld family in Easton, Maryland. Two years later he was fortunate to serve the family in the city of Baltimore, rather than the rural plantation fields. It was during his youth in the city that he learned to read and write as a young boy.
It was during his youth in Baltimore that Frederick developed an intellectual capacity from the books he read, quite uncommon from most other slaves. This gave way to his early ambition for freedom, which was constantly at scorn with the slave-owners. Frederick even details in his biography that his discovery to read, was his greatest liberation yet also his greatest enemy. For several months he taught other slaves how to read the New Testament yet this entire operation was later squashed by other slave-owners. They ultimately feared that an educated slave would be a dangerous slave.
Much to Frederick's dismay he was later relocated to the plantation in 1833 to work for a wicked farmer named Edward Covey. As a young teenager Frederick endured many whippings from Covey which he states broke his body, mind, and soul. Yet one day Frederick chooses to fight back and Covey withdraws his whippings from that point on. Frederick later considers this a major turning point in his life by which he went from a slave to becoming a man. This urge to resist demonstrated Frederick's inner strength and furthered his desire to be free.
In his autobiography he mentions various accounts by which he plotted his escape, always conflicted by the severe punishment of escape yet the glorious feeling of freedom. After several years in the plantation he later returned to work in the city for William Freeland. During this time Frederick worked at the shipyards as a caulker and was even able to acquire some wage (though he gave the majority of his earnings to his master). While in the city however Frederick made many friends and fell in love with a free black woman named Anne Murray. It was thru her help that he was able to board a train to the north dressed as a sailor with protection papers. He eventually arrived to New York City, where he found refuge with an abolitionist named David Ruggies.
Abolitionist, Preacher, and Writer
In 1838 Frederick married Anne Murray and began his new life of freedom in New Bedford, MA changing his surname from Bailey to Douglass. He quickly found work in the shipyards cutting wood, shoveling coal, and various other labor tasks. While the work was very dirty and physically demanding he was very pleased to be working now as a free man, able to collect his full dues. In his new found community, Frederick did not waste much time to get involved with social and religious organizations. By 1839 he had become a notable preacher and orator and soon caught the attention of other prominent abolitionists.
He later established a partnership with William Lloyd Garrison, a leading figure of the abolitionist movement thru his publication of the Liberator. Soon Frederick Douglass was giving lectures to large anti-slavery assemblies throughout the northern states. One time in particular in Pendleton, Indiana he was nearly attacked to death before he was saved by a local Quaker family. By 1845 at the urging of William Lloyd, Frederick wrote and published his autobiography describing his life as a slave and escape in great detail. The book was instantly a best-seller and demonstrated Frederick's eloquent and passionate writing skill.
Thru the profitable funds of his book Douglass was able to officially buy his freedom. However also due to the sudden publicity from his book, he was urged by other abolitionists to spend some time away in Europe. During this brief time in Ireland and England he toured with other prominent British abolitionists and was quite popular by the general public. However by 1847 he returned to his wife in Massachusetts to continue the fight against slavery. He later played a significant role in the Underground Railroad and helped nearly 400 slaves escaped with resources and safe-houses.
By 1848 he had broken away from his partnership with William Lloyd Garrison to become his own leading social reformer. He also became a prominent supporter of the Women's Suffragette movement and at the invitation of Elizabeth Cady Stanton he spoke at their Seneca Falls Convention. In 1850 he began publishing his own newspaper of ideals, known as Frederick Douglas' Paper. He promoted freedom in the south, yet also education and desegregation in the north. He also used the publication to promote his 2nd autobiography released in 1855, My Bondage and My Freedom. However in 1859 due to his association with the radical John Brown, Frederick chose to live abroad for some time. Although he urged against Brown's slave rebellion he feared he could be tried for associating with him.
Douglass later returned home and continued his activism during the Civil War. He encouraged black men to join the Union Army and fight for their freedom, however he also urged that President Lincoln treat the black soldiers with fair pay. The Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 was a great satisfaction for Frederick Douglas however even after the 13th amendment was passed in 1865 there was still much work to be done. He pressed for civil rights for the freed slaves and urged President Johnson and President Ulysses Grant to confront radical white supremacy such as the Ku Klux Klan. By 1870 Frederick Douglas played an influential role in the passing of the 14th and 15th amendment which granted African Americans legal protection and the right to vote. He also played a big role in the Civil Rights Act of 1871, which brought legal enforcement on the KKK and led to over 5000 arrests.
Frederick and Anna had five children and remained married for nearly 40 years until her death in 1882. He then married a white suffragist Helen Pitts in 1884, which caused great controversy however they remained happily married for 11 years until his death. In his final years Douglass moved to Washington DC where he served on various state positions as the US Marshall, the Recorder of Deeds, and the Ambassador to Haiti. He revised his third and final autobiography the Life and Times of Frederick Douglass in 1892. He died in 1895 of a sudden heart attack at the age of 77, leaving behind an incredible legacy. He is among the greatest African American leaders in history on par with other great names such as Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth.
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