I just finished the very lengthy Pulitizer Prize winning book by David Blight, titled Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom. It is well worth the read to get a better understanding of the life of Frederick Douglass and the pivotal issues in America from the 1820s to the 1890s.
10 things about Frederick Douglass, slavery, Jim Crow, and world affairs I learned from this book:
He was born in 1818 in to slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He barely knew his mother who died when we was young. He was half white, meaning his mom was probably raped by her owner. When he was 12yrs old, the wife of his owner, Sophia Auld, taught him to read, which was forbidden at the time.
He was allowed some freedoms while a slave in Baltimore. His owner at the time, Thomas Auld, allowed Frederick to roam the docks in Baltimore alone and he could spend whole weekends away until he showed up late after a weekend away. Thomas then restricted his weekends, which was the catalyst for Douglass to plan his dramatic escape to the north.
His escape was funded by a free black woman named Anna Murray who Douglass met in Baltimore. Anna bought his boat and train tickets that would carry him to the north. He would take a boat and train up north to freedom. He dressed as a sailor to create the illusion of a free black man. Anna Murray would later travel to meet Douglass and would become his devoted wife of over 40yrs.
Douglass went to work for William Lloyd Garrison one of the most famous abolitionists of that generation. Garrison was a white aboltionist that is considered one of the most famous men to be part of the abolitionist movement. Douglass worked for Garrison, who paid Douglass his travel and speakers fees. It was during this time that Douglass became among the most well known figures of the period. Douglass also wrote a book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass that added to his fame.
He found Europe to have more equality for black people than America. Douglass made a few months long trips to Europe to speak during his lifetime. He discovered that there is more equality in Europe than in America. England freed their slaves in 1832 and never created Jim Crow type laws on black people like America did after the Civil War. One is because England had slavery, but it was in their colonies. England itself did not have slavery and the black population of England was less than 2%. Douglass found Europe to be a break from the racism of America.
The 1850s set the stage for the Civil War and Douglass was hoping that it would lead to the abolition of slavery. It started with the Slave Fugtive Act of 1850. From that point, southern slave catchers could come up north to recapture slaves. Northerners felt it was an attack on their laws and soveriegnty. Then the Kansas-Nebaraska Act of 1854 that basically repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820. The Kansas-Nebraska Act let states decide if they want slavery. This led to Bleeding Kansas where free soilers and pro-slavery forces moved to Kansas, which led to armed skirmishes between the two. A prequel to the Civil War.
He met with Abraham Lincoln twice and realized that Lincoln was more committed to ending slavery than his public utterances suggested. Abraham Lincoln well understood politics and knew he had to tread carefully on slavery and black rights as to not lose necessary support. It wasn’t until 1863, when the war turned around that he issued the Emancipation Proclimation. Douglass liked Lincoln and mostly felt he would do what he said.
He was an ambassador to Haiti during the Benjamin Harrison adminstration towards the end of his life in 1889. Haiti is the where the first successful slave revolt of a country in the 1790s against France took place. After that they were mostly alone in defending the island against the racism of more powerful countries surrounding it. One of those countries was the United States that tried to force the island to give up land so the American Navy could use it. Douglass refused to go along and lost his job shortly thereafter.
Douglass fought for women to get right to vote along with black people. Douglass was a strong proponent of total eqaulity and that meant for white women too. He eventually had a falling out with Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony over what he felt was racism because they felt they should have equality before black people. However, Douglass never stopped supporting women’s rights.
Douglass met President Grover Cleveland, who had him and his white wife, Helen Pitts, in the White House and did not treat them differently. One of the most shocking aspects of the book is that after Douglass’ wife, Anna, died, he married a white woman, Helen. It caused a serious scandal since interracial marriages were almost nonexistant at the time. Even his supporters were not thrilled with his marriage. Douglass was shocked to be invited to meet Grover Cleveland in the White House with his wife to have dinner. He said Clevelend could have cared less about their racial differences. This was more shocking considering Cleveland won all the south and was the first Democrat elected since the Civil War.
The book is well worth the read to learn about this great man whose bravery at fighting for equality at risk to his own life.
