Frederick Douglass and Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine and Frederick Douglass are two men who inspired two very different revolutions, one of which led to the founding of a new nation, the other of which led to the freedom from slavery of an entire race of people. These two revolutions were nearly a century apart, yet the principles of each are the same. Both Paine and Douglass spoke with such eloquence and forethought that it is not surprising that their writings made such an impact on citizens as to inspire such profound change that the course of history was altered forever.
Each author spoke to a particular audience. Paine's work was addressing the American colonists who were under the rule of the British monarchy, and Douglass was addressing the issues of slavery within the new nation. Both issues, within their era, were topics of heated debates and passionate protests. Paine and Douglass knew their audience and were aware that their words would surely inspire controversy, however it is doubtful that either man was fully aware of the change that their words would create.
Thomas Paine's Common Sense was first published on January 10, 1776 during on onset of the American Revolutionary War. It was a timely piece because at the time colonists were divided about...
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Certainly there were myriad slave rebellions, in the American South and elsewhere, before Douglass's time. But Douglass came along when the time was right for social change, when the South had been recently defeated and American slavery was in its most precarious state ever. Therefore, Douglass and Abolitionists like him: black and white; male and female, seized the moment, and in 1865 slavery was outlawed. The name Frederick Douglass is
The overall oppression of women in American society unfortunately reflected worldwide trends and therefore was not entirely nefarious; in most countries in Europe women were likewise unable to vote until the very end of the nineteenth or early twentieth century. However, the treatment of African-Americans has been deplorable throughout American history and is perhaps the largest stain on American democratic principles. The United States allowed slavery to persist within its
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