Douglass is significant to American history because of his efforts with President Lincoln. Douglass was not simply looking out for his own freedom; he was concerned for the freedom of every slave in America and was determined to do all that he could to help these men experience freedom. Even if this meant talking to the President of the United States. Paul Kendrick notes that Douglass' first meeting with Lincoln was in the summer of 1863 and this meeting "remains one of the pivotal moments in American history: when a former slave could enter the office of the president to discuss significant issues" (Kendrick). In addition, to this, Kendrick notes that even more remarkable than a former slave visiting the President is the fact that Lincoln seemed to "enjoy Douglass's opinions and views, no matter how contrary to his own" (Kendrick). Kendrick also writes that Douglass recalled that Lincoln was the "first white man I ever spent an hour with who did not remind me I was a Negro'" (Douglass qtd. In Kendrick). Kendrick contends that Douglass knew that Lincoln had "indeed been the essential man in this national crisis, perhaps the only leader who could have both preserved the Union and won emancipation" (Kendrick). This notion alone was reason enough to stay in contact with Lincoln regardless of how slow he seemed to respond to issues that were close to Douglass' heart. It is no secret that these men had very different objectives with Lincoln wanting to save the Union and Douglass wanting to establish equality for all. Kendrick notes that while many tried to avoid the issue of slavery for some time, "Douglass understood that the Union itself would not survive without the monumental contributions of African-Americans" (Kendrick). Douglass took his freedom and decided to good things with it. Just as he knew that slavery was wrong, he also knew that the battle would not be over until all slaves wee declared free.
Frederick Douglass is more than just a writer and he is more than a former slave. We can throw these terms...
"To degrade and stamp out the liberties of a race" signified the "studied purpose" of linking social and civil equality. Douglass concluded that if the Civil Rights Law attempted to promote social equality, so did "the laws and customs of every civilized country in the world," including the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Sermon on the Mount, the Golden Rule, and the Apostles' Creed. He warned
Stressing the shackles that slavery could latch to a man's mind, Douglass was given insight into the inherent transgression behind the bondage. And his ability to adopt such a perspective, while easy to underestimate from the distance of over a century, is quite remarkable given the overwhelming social constructions designed to deter that sort of thinking amongst his demographic. One of the more effective messages that he conveyed both
Douglass understands the importance of name which represent an assertion of identity, and identity is freedom: "I subscribe myself" -- I write my self down in letters, I underwrite my identity and my very being, as indeed I have done in and all through the foregoing narrative that has brought me to this place, this moment, this state of being." (Douglas 75 in Davis, Gates 157). This is why
Frederick Douglass: An Exceptional Escape from Slavery, an Exceptional Author, Citizen and Man How did Frederick Douglass' personal experiences illustrate 19th century American race relations? Was Douglass' life typical or exceptional? What was his legacy for future generations of Americans? Frederick Douglass often presented his life as typical. The narrative structure he applied to his own literary efforts as well as his efforts as a speaker and as a lecturer suggested that his
Douglass in the form of intellectual revolt. All of these incidents of violence which took place when Frederick Douglass was struggling to become a man free of the bondage of slavery and the inherent dangers that come with it, clearly indicate that the life of a slave during the early to mid-1800's was filled with brutality, murder and death, almost always at the hands of white slave owners and their
Frederick Douglass: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave was an autobiography crafted by the famous former slave and abolitionist to illustrate the horror of slavery. Over the course of the narrative, Douglass uses a combination of pathos, logos, and ethos to convince the reader of his or her moral obligation to fight against the enslavement of
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