Why I Admire Frederick Douglass (c)

Why I admire Frederick Douglass

Since this is Black History Month, I’m devoting my columns to suit the theme. Several weeks ago, Maya Collins wrote an article for the Daily Southerner on a group in Tarboro that formed recently called the Frederick Douglass Foundation. A high school student leads the group, which is dedicated to the principles that Douglass stood for. I think it’s appropriate that the legacy of Douglass continues to endure in this way, especially in our small town.
I have been fascinated with Frederick Douglass for over ten years. What an amazing story he has! Born a slave, he escaped to freedom and became a world-renowned orator, author, minister, and activist. Along the way, he developed convictions that still ring true, especially those regarding free speech, justice, and education.
Douglass was truly a self-educated man, stating: “Read and you will forever be free.” Learning to read was the catalyst for Douglass, the orator and statesman. His master’s wife provided him with the basics and when Douglass surpassed her expertise, he sought out books to keep him on the path to literacy.
One book in particular made a lasting impression on the young Douglass, and that was The Colombian Orator. At age twelve, Douglass devoured it, memorizing passages, then pacing the floor while he practiced his delivery. Scholars believe that this determination was a factor in Douglass’ transformation into an orator respected across the country and around the world. In his later years, Douglass spent about six months out of the year traveling in the United States and abroad giving lectures. Here are some up-lifting quotations from the speeches of Frederick Douglass:
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
“Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning.”
“What is possible for me is possible for you.”
The impact of Frederick Douglass on the history of our country, especially in the area of civil rights, was impressive. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared Douglass’ ideology for the equality of all people. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech echoes a speech given by Douglass called "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Both men scolded a nation for espousing equality, while ignoring conditions that forced blacks into poverty.
Fast-forward forty years to the election of President Barack Obama. In remarks at the Democratic Convention in 2008, then Senator Obama, delivered what has become known as his “Yes, We Can” speech. It reflects the optimism and encouragement of Frederick Douglass’ advice that what was “possible for me is possible for you.”
My fascination with Douglass began when another teacher and I won a fellowship to the Library of Congress. While working at a small, rural high school in Halifax County, North Carolina, we were presented with an opportunity to study at the Library for a week with other teachers and school librarians from across the country. My partner and I were charged with the task of developing a lesson plan on Douglass, and the experience taught me amazing things about the life of this extraordinary man.
In his early years, Frederick experienced great hardship. In his Autobiography, he writes that: “in the hottest summer and coldest winter, I was kept almost naked – no shoes, no stockings, no stockings, no trousers, nothing on but a coarse tow linen shirt, reaching only to my knees…I had no bed...” Frederick also witnessed the suffering of others. He wrote in painful detail about the flogging of his “Aunt Hester,” whose only mistake had been her absence on a night when her master desired her. Most appalling was the master’s defense for the mistreatment by quoting from the Bible.
A shocking aspect of slave life was the lack of decent food. A typical day went like this: “Our food was coarse corn meal boiled. This was called mush. It was poured into a wooden tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. The children were then called, like so many pigs, and like so many pigs they would come and devour the mush…”
At the age of fifteen, Douglass had an epiphany, and set about to break the chains of slavery. First, he stood up to his master, a Mr. Covey, fighting him for two hours. With his master now beaten, Douglass felt his “long-crushed spirit” rise, leaving defiance in its place. This was the turning point for Douglass, who resolved that “however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact.” (54) He began to plot his escape from bondage, first by boat and then by train. In 1835, he successfully escaped to freedom by train and by boat.
From this point on, Douglass was blessed with good fortune and support. His first speech at New Bedford, Massachusetts was met with wide acclaim. For the next sixty years, his life was filled with many accomplishments and honors, among them: successful journalist and owner of the North Star newspaper; friend to President Lincoln; appointment to the office of Recorder of Deeds in Washington, D. C.; candidate for Vice-President of the United States; supporter of equal rights for women; widely traveled lecturer.
After his death in 1895, a monument to him was built in Rochester, New York, where he had published the North Star newspaper. His home, Cedar Hill, in Washington, D. C. became a National Historic Site. A U. S. postage stamp was created in his honor and many of his original documents are held at the Library of Congress.
I’m always amazed that Frederick Douglass, in spite of the suffering he endured, never showed any bitterness. His achievements as a writer and minister are ingrained in the history of our country.
However, I believe that one of his greatest legacies is that his autobiography is required reading in schools and colleges across the United States. This man, a former slave, accomplished so much. Think of how much the youth of today can achieve, with all the opportunities for education and personal growth.
I hope that the words of Frederick Douglass will continue to live on, inspiring us to keep believing in ourselves.