Frederick Douglass for Kids Read online

  Frederick Douglass at his desk in Haiti. Courtesy National Park Service, Museum Management Program and Frederick Douglass National Historic Site; FRDO 3899, Carol M. Highsmith, photographer, www.cr.nps.gov/museum

  Charles Burleigh Purvis (1842-1929)

  Charles Burleigh Purvis served as a surgeon during the Civil War. After the war, he was appointed as the head of Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, DC, becoming the first African American to hold such a position. Son of famous abolitionists Robert and Harriet Forten Purvis, Charles helped mend a division between his father and Frederick Douglass over their different views on how to bring slavery to an end.

  Courtesy of Documenting the American South, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries

  BANANA LEAF CARD

  A traditional craft in Haiti uses banana leaves to create designs on cards.

  Materials

  Banana leaves (can be found in the frozen section of most Asian markets)

  Cardstock or sturdy paper, 8½ × 11 inches

  Pencil

  Scissors

  Craft glue

  Dry the banana leaves outside in the sun. Fold the piece of cardstock or sturdy paper in half to make a card. On the front of the card, use a pencil to draw a design. You can draw a traditional design from Haiti such as a basket or a palm tree, or you can draw any design you choose.

  Cut the banana leaves into small pieces and glue the pieces onto the card to fill in the design in an interesting way. To make a palm tree, cut a flat part of a dried banana leaf into small triangles and glue these close together to form the trunk of the palm tree. Then cut a flat part of the banana leaf into leaf-shaped pieces and glue these at the top of the tree to form the palm fronds.

  The black lion, as Frederick Douglass was now known, shook his mane in anger and roared as never before. Douglass declared emancipation had become a fraud! Where was justice? Where was trial by jury and the protection of the Constitution? Where was government of the people, by the people, and for the people? Let the law be obeyed, Douglass demanded, and the nation’s problem would right itself.

  Point by point, example by example, and speech by speech, Frederick Douglass made the truth be known. The newspapers, southern legislatures, and northern sentiments endorsed mob violence as an excuse to take away the power of the black vote. Douglass recognized the slanderous tactics. His speeches during these years were so brilliant that countless copies were printed and distributed throughout the South. Hope was restored once again.

  Now in the twilight of his years, Douglass heard a new voice rise up in America to carry the torch. Ida B. Wells caught the fire that burned brightly in the heart of Frederick Douglass. She made it her personal cause to expose the horrible truth about the epidemic of lynchings that spread its sickness throughout America.

  Douglass and Wells corresponded often. They wrote a pamphlet together about racism that was given out to visitors to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The day would come, Douglass believed, when the United States would see its African American citizens enjoying the full freedoms to which they were entitled. With new voices and a new generation to lead the fight for civil rights, he was sure of it.

  Saying Good-bye

  On February 20, 1895, Frederick Douglass attended the Women’s Council, a women’s rights organization, in Washington, DC. When the meeting adjourned, he returned to his house at Cedar Hill where he had dinner with Helen. Later that evening, he collapsed in his home from a heart attack and died.

  The nation mourned.

  His wife, children, and grandchildren held a private service at Cedar Hill to give a tender good-bye.

  Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931)

  Ajournalist from Memphis, Tennessee, Ida B. Wells made it her personal crusade to let America know about the horrible lynchings and mob violence that were terrorizing the nation. In 1893 Frederick Douglass collaborated with Wells to write a pamphlet that explained how racism excluded most blacks from participating in the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

  Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-107756

  Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

  As a young poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar traveled to Chicago and found work at the World’s Columbian Exposition. He was appointed clerk to Frederick Douglass. After Douglass lectured at the fair, Dunbar stepped forward to the speaker’s platform and read aloud “The Colored Soldiers,” his stirring poem in honor of black troops who fought during the Civil War. Douglass warmly praised his skills. Later, upon hearing of Douglass’s death, Dunbar wrote a poem in honor of this great man.

  The Douglass family pew at the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church in Washington, DC. Photo by author

  Metropolitan A.M.E. Church in Washington, DC. Douglass gave his last speech here on January 9, 1894, called the “Lessons of the Hour.” At the event, former Senator Blanche K. Bruce introduced the great orator.

  Photo by author

  A funeral service was held in the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church in Washington, DC. Thousands of mourners passed by the casket in double lines. Standing guard were members of the Sons of Veterans, descendants of black troops who fought in America’s wars. Important political leaders from the nation’s capital attended the funeral service. Many speeches and touching stories were shared. Longtime friend and woman’s suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony rose to read a letter from Elizabeth Cady Stanton written for the service. Pallbearers included former senator B. H. Bruce, P. B. S. Pinchback, and Dr. Charles Burleigh Purvis. Local businesses and schools closed. Newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean carried the news that one of the greatest men in history had left his footsteps forever in the hallmarks of time.

  “Contemplating my life as a whole, I have to say that, although it has at times been dark and stormy, and I have met with hardships from which other men have been exempted, yet my life has in many respects been remarkably full of sunshine and joy.” —Frederick Douglass

  After the services in Washington, DC, the casket was transported by train to Rochester, New York. Crowds lined the streets on that cold winter’s day. The 54th Massachusetts Band played to honor the nation’s great hero. The casket was put on view at city hall, where thousands stood in line to pay their last respects. Even more dignitaries gathered at Central Church for the funeral service. Family and friends also attended this service before bringing the casket to its final resting place in Mount Hope Cemetery. Other memorial services were held throughout the city.

  In the years following the death of Frederick Douglass, his widow Helen Pitts Douglass created a memorial at Cedar Hill. His books, papers, and personal possessions were carefully preserved. The house then came under the care of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and eventually the National Park Service.

  Funeral procession for Frederick Douglass in Rochester, New York. From the collection of the Rochester Public Library Local History Division

  Many famous men and women gathered to honor the life of Frederick Douglass at Central Church in Rochester, New York. From the collection of the Rochester Public Library Local History Division

  Gravesite of Frederick Douglass in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, New York. Courtesy of Claire Marziotti

  AFTERWORD

  A Great Man Among Men

  Frederick Douglass was a man of decisions. As a child, he made the decision to learn to read and write because he realized literacy was the path to freedom. When he was a young man, he decided to take freedom into his own hands and escape from slavery. As an abolitionist, he decided to publish his personal story in a book, even though he knew it would endanger his life. And when he had the choice to live in England enjoying peace and equality, he decided to return home to the United States and fight for the freedoms of his people.

  Frederick Douglass was a man of principle. He believed in equal rights. Advocate of the oppressed, he worked tirelessly to persuade his fellow Americans to treat each other with decency and respect in all situations
. His brilliant speeches, powerful articles, influential books, and decisive actions spurred others to uphold the rights and freedoms outlined in the Constitution as the finest principles Americans could choose to follow.

  Frederick Douglass was a man of action. He was the forerunner of the American civil rights movement. Everywhere he went he stepped forward as an equal whether it was in a railroad car, a restaurant, a speaker’s platform, a hotel, or the capital of the United States. He instigated the first sit-ins, first freedom rides, first protest marches, and first attempts at integration many regions of the country had ever seen. He inspired others to take a stand in support of equal rights.

  Frederick Douglass was a great man among men. A true American hero, his life was a testimony to the power and purpose one individual can pursue to change the world.

  Frederick Douglass (1817/1818-1895)

  FREDERICK DOUGLASS

  by Paul Laurence Dunbar

  (Selected stanzas)

  A hush is over all the teeming lists,

  And there is pause, a breath-space in the strife;

  A spirit brave has passed beyond the mists

  And vapors that obscure the sun of life.

  And Ethiopia, with bosom torn,

  Laments the passing of her noblest born.

  The place and cause that first aroused his might

  Still proved its pow’r until his latest day.

  In Freedom’s lists and for the aid of Right

  Still in the foremost rank he waged the fray;

  Wrong lived; His occupation was not gone.

  He died in action with his armor on!

  Courtesy of Documenting the American South, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries

  We weep for him, but we have touched his hand,

  And felt the magic of his presence nigh,

  The current that he sent thro’ out the land,

  The kindling spirit of his battle-cry

  O’er all that holds us we shall triumph yet

  And place our banner where his hopes were set!

  Oh, Douglass, thou hast passed beyond the shore,

  But still thy voice is ringing o’er the gale!

  Thou ’st taught thy race how high her hopes may soar

  And bade her seek the heights, nor faint, nor fail.

  She will not fail, she heeds thy stirring cry,

  She knows thy guardian spirit will be nigh,

  And rising from beneath the chast’ning rod,

  She stretches out her bleeding hands to God!

  Resources

  Websites to Explore

  Frederick Douglass for Kids

  www.FrederickDouglass.wordpress.com

  This is the official site for the book Frederick Douglass for Kids. Read Douglass’s manumission papers that showed he had purchased his freedom. Learn more about the Latimer case. Read biographies of well-known men and women Douglass associated with and knew. Download a free teacher’s guide with reproducible worksheets for classroom use.

  Frederick Douglass National Historic Site: Virtual Museum Exhibit

  www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/douglass/ On this site, view photographs of the Douglass home at Cedar Hill. You’ll see personal items, favorite possessions, and household accessories used and owned by Frederick Douglass and his family.

  Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

  www.nps.gov/frdo/index.htm

  See what’s happening for teachers, kids, and visitors at this site hosted by the National Park Service. A history of Cedar Hill, a list of books Douglass owned, and diaries of Frederick and Helen Pitts Douglass can be viewed.

  The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress

  http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/doughome.html View a detailed time line of Frederick Douglass’s life as well as his family tree at this interesting site. You can also find many speeches, letters, and documents to read, some in Douglass’s own handwriting.

  Many Roads to Freedom: Abolitionism and the Civil War in Rochester

  www.libraryweb.org/rochimag/roads/home.htm

  Visit this site to learn more about the city where Frederick Douglass lived while he published his newspaper, the North Star. See photographs of his abolitionist friends, learn about his branch of the Underground Railroad, and read scrapbooks with newspaper clippings about his funeral.

  Places to Visit

  Frederick Douglass Driving Tour of Talbot County, Maryland

  Take this driving tour to visit the Eastern Shore of Maryland and see the location of Frederick Douglass’s birthplace as well as key sites from his childhood as a slave.

  A map is available from the Historical Society of Talbot County at www.hstc.org or call (410) 822-0773.

  Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park

  1417 Thames Street

  Baltimore, Maryland 21231

  www.douglassmyers.org

  Learn more about Frederick Douglass’s life working in Baltimore in the shipyards. Watch a movie about the maritime industry, see a copy of the Columbian Orator, and practice caulking a ship. Guided and school group tours are available.

  New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park

  33 William Street

  New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740

  www.nps.gov/nebe/index.htm

  Learn about the Underground Railroad in New Bedford. Visit Frederick Douglass’s first house as a fugitive. Discover a fuller history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers in the Civil War. Explore the visitor’s center and local whaling museums, and take the walking tour.

  Cedar Hill at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

  1411 W Street SE

  Washington, DC 20020

  www.nps.gov/frdo/planyourvisit/index.htm

  Enjoy a ranger-led walking tour through the beautiful grounds of Cedar Hill, the home of Frederick Douglass near Washington, DC. Stop in the visitor center to see the cane Lincoln’s widow presented to Douglass.

  Books to Read

  * for younger readers

  Collier, James Lincoln. The Frederick Douglass You Never Knew. New York: Children’s Press, 2003.

  Davidson, Margaret. Frederick Douglass Fights for Freedom. New York: Scholastic, 1968.

  Douglass, Frederick. My Bondage and My Freedom. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics, 2005.

  Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written By Himself. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1997.

  McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick. Frederick Douglass: The Black Lion. Chicago: Children’s Press, 1987.

  * McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick. Frederick Douglass: Leader Against Slavery. Berkeley Heights, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2002.

  McLoone, Margo. Frederick Douglass: A Photo-Illustrated Biography. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press, 1997.

  * Miller, Barbara Kiely. Frederick Douglass: Great Americans. Pleasantville, New York: Gareth Stevens, 2008.

  Russell, Sharman Apt. Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist Editor. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2005.

  Sanders, Jeff and Nancy I. Sanders. Readers Theatre for African American History. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.

  Sanders, Nancy I. A Kid’s Guide to African American History. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2007.

  Sanders, Nancy I. America’s Black Founders. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2010.

  Sanders, Nancy I. Black Abolitionists (Perspectives on History). Carlisle, Massachusetts: History Compass, 2011.

  * Sanders, Nancy I. D is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2007.

  * Spengler, Kremena. Frederick Douglass: Voice for Freedom. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press, 2006.

  Index

  Page numbers in italics refer to pages with pictures.

  A

  abolitionist biographies (activity), 64

  abolitionist movement. See also specific names of abolitionists

  black abo
litionists, 64

  Hundred Conventions tour, 51, 54

  Latimer case, 50, 51

  Massachusetts Antislavery Society, 45–46

  overview, 43–44

  popularity, 57–58, 62

  Stowe’s influence, 73

  Underground Railroad, 30–32, 55, 71

  Acción lending program, 105

  African American Civil War Memorial and Museum, 94

  African American National Biography (Gates & Higginbotham), 64

  African Methodist Episcopal Zion (A.M.E. Zion), 42–43

  ague, 2

  Allen, Richard, 29

  American Antislavery Society, 54

  Anna Murray Douglass Union of WCTU, 119

  Anthony, Aaron, 4–5, 7, 10

  Anthony, Susan B., 68, 69, 130

  Antislavery Fair, 61

  Antislavery Societies, 61

  Asbury A.M.E. Church, 111

  Attucks Guards, 79

  Augusta, Alexander T., 89

  Auld, Hugh

  as Douglass’s master, 7, 8–9, 15–16

  employment agreement with Douglass, 17, 19

  hunt for Douglass, 46

  sale of Douglass’s freedom, 63

  Auld, Lucretia Anthony, 4, 6, 8, 10

  Auld, Sophia, 8–9

  Auld, Thomas (slave owner), 4, 10–11, 15, 108, 109-110

  Auld, Thomas (Sophia and Hugh’s son), 8

  B

  Bailey, Betsey (grandmother), 2–3, 5, 110

  Bailey, Eliza (sister), 5, 108, 109

  Bailey, Frederick Augustus Washington. See Douglass, Frederick

  Bailey, Harriet (mother), 2, 4

  Bailey, Isaac (grandfather), 2