Frederick Douglass for Kids Read online

  Marble statue of three suffragists by Adelaide Johnson in the Capitol crypt, Washington, DC (left to right): Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USA7-27850

  Large numbers of African Americans abandoned all hope in America and fled to Canada. Even many men and women who were not fugitives but were legally free citizens of the United States moved their families to Canada. Why? Because the Fugitive Slave Law was so powerful, slave hunters could kidnap their children and whisk them away into slavery without legal protection or help. Couples such as Martin and Catherine Delany moved to Canada where they felt they could raise their children in safety. Disillusioned and distraught, many people found it hard to believe that their nation’s government could allow such an outrage.

  Frederick Douglass, however, decided to stay and fight the battle, even though it waged stronger than ever. He denounced a government that would make decisions such as this. He traveled far and wide, delivering fiery speeches in defense of freedom.

  HOST AN ORATORICAL CONTEST

  Frederick Douglass was a brilliant orator, one of the most famous in American history. The speeches and lectures he gave, many without notes, thrilled the hearts of his audiences and still ring a clear message in support of civil rights today.

  Familiarize yourself with many of Frederick Douglass’s speeches and letters by reading Philip S. Foner’s book, Frederick Douglass: Selected Speeches and Writings, abridged and adapted by Yuval Taylor (Lawrence Hill Books, 1999). Practice reading Douglass’s speech on “The Rights of Women” from the July 28, 1848, edition of the North Star. (In Foner and Taylor’s book, you’ll find a copy of the speech Douglass gave at the Seneca Falls Convention.)

  You can host an oratorical contest in your neighborhood, your classroom, or your community. Schedule a date when the contest will be held. Find a location that has a stage where each person can speak. Ask volunteers to be judges for the event, and award prizes.

  Invite participants to each select one of Frederick Douglass’s speeches to practice. Each orator should memorize the words of his or her speech and practice saying them out loud.

  If you live near Washington, DC, sign up to join the Frederick Douglass Oratorical Contest hosted by the National Park Service at his home. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/frdo/forkids/oratorical-contest.htm.

  He took an active role in the Vigilant Committees that were organized throughout the North. Frederick and Anna Douglass set up their home as an official stop on the Underground Railroad.

  A Decisive Split

  For the first four years after starting publication of the North Star, Frederick Douglass remained a staunch Garrisonian, firmly supporting William Lloyd Garrison and his views. Gradually, however, new ideas began to take shape.

  His involvement in the women’s rights movement and his association with John Brown helped influence this new way of thinking. He became disillusioned with the hope of peacefully bringing an end to slavery after the Fugitive Slave Act was brought into law. Another factor, however, was that in publishing the North Star, Frederick Douglass read and studied many important documents and books.

  One of the documents he decided to study was the Constitution of the United States. Previously following Garrison’s teaching that the Constitution was a pro-slavery document and therefore men should not vote during elections, Frederick Douglass now read the actual wording of the Constitution himself. He reached an entirely opposite conclusion. Douglass decided that instead of being pro-slavery, the principles in the Constitution did not support slavery at all! And therefore, as a free citizen of the United States, it was his duty and privilege to vote.

  On the Question of the Constitution

  Frederick Douglass split from the Garrisonian philosophy that Americans should not vote because they opposed the US Constitution as an unsound document. In his own words, Douglass explained his newly formed position:

  After a time, a careful reconsideration of the subject convinced me that there was no necessity for dissolving the union between the northern and southern states, that to seek this dissolution was no part of my duty as an abolitionist, that to abstain from voting was to refuse to exercise a legitimate and powerful means for abolishing slavery, and that the Constitution of the United States not only contained no guarantees in favor of slavery, but, on the contrary, was in its letter and spirit an antislavery instrument, demanding the abolition of slavery as a condition of its own existence as the supreme law of the land.

  In 1851 Frederick Douglass officially broke away from William Lloyd Garrison and his followers. Douglass established new friendships, however, with men and women who supported his new views.

  He continued his commitment to the antislavery cause. On July 5, 1852, he delivered his fiery and controversial speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” Standing before an attentive audience at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, Douglass proclaimed to the nation that he could not join in this national holiday celebrating the nation’s birth of freedom when millions of Americans still were not free.

  Frederick Douglass changed the name of his newspaper several times, including this version, Frederick Douglass’ Paper. From the collection of the Rochester Public Library Local History Division

  Frederick Douglass became active in politics, attending conventions for the Liberty Party where he was chosen for key leadership positions. In 1855 he published his second autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom. In this edition, Douglass included a new section about his years living as a fugitive and eventually becoming a free man.

  Douglass was alarmed about the 1857 US Supreme Court decision regarding Dred Scott. Dred Scott, a slave, had been taken by his owner to live in a free state, where slavery was against the law. Nonetheless, Scott’s owner didn’t obey the laws. He kept Scott as his slave and eventually moved back to a slave state. Upon his master’s death, ownership of Scott was transferred to his master’s widow. Dred Scott argued that he should be a free man because he lived for a time in a free state, but the courts declared otherwise, stating that slaves weren’t protected by laws because they were not considered citizens. As a result of this case, Douglass delivered his famous speech, “The Dred Scott Decision,” in which he rallied against a government that declared all blacks, slave or free, were not citizens of the United States.

  The battle for equality was raging, and Frederick Douglass fought valiantly in the heat of the fray.

  The Raid on Harpers Ferry

  In late October 1859, a large crowd gathered to hear Frederick Douglass speak at National Hall in Philadelphia. Suddenly, however, a shocking announcement interrupted the meeting. John Brown had attacked a US arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia! Brown’s plan had been to steal the guns at the arsenal and use them to free slaves.

  Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

  Frederick Douglass recognized the influence Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, had on the abolitionist movement. He stated, “Nothing could have better suited the moral and humane requirements of the hour. Its effect was amazing, instantaneous, and universal. No book on the subject of slavery had so generally and favorably touched the American heart.” Before Stowe traveled to England to raise funds to help the cause, she invited Douglass to visit and give his recommendation on how to use the money. Douglass gladly gave his advice and wrote her a letter of endorsement to carry on her trip.

  From the collection of the Rochester Public Library Local History Division

  Corinthian Hall, one of Rochester’s grandest sites for concerts, balls, lectures, and plays. Frederick Douglass spoke often at this esteemed hall, including his famous speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” From the collection of the Rochester Public Library Local History Division

  Interior view of Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. From the collection of the Rochester Public Library Local History Division

  John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. Courtesy of the Library of
Congress, LC-USZ62-126970

  Frederick Douglass realized immediately that his friend had finally acted upon his plans. The next day, more news arrived. Colonel Robert E. Lee from Virginia and his troops captured John Brown and his men. Brown’s carpetbag was searched. Letters from Frederick Douglass were found inside.

  “Flee!” urged the friends of Frederick Douglass. But where? How? It was widely known that Douglass was in Philadelphia. Government marshals were hot on his trail. Hurried plans were made to whisk Douglass back to his home in Rochester in an attempt to outrun the officers carrying documents for his arrest.

  Frederick Douglass quickly dispatched an anonymous telegram to the telegraph operator in Rochester, who was a fellow abolitionist:

  Tell Lewis (my oldest son) to secure all the important papers in my high desk.

  Any papers from John Brown were hidden. After a very anxious trip, Frederick Douglass finally arrived home in Rochester. Minutes later, there was a knock at his door.

  It was a friend along with his neighbor, Lieutenant Governor Selden of New York. Selden informed Douglass that the governor of New York undoubtedly would arrest Douglass.

  “Leave the country immediately!” his friends warned.

  Frederick Douglass headed for Canada on the spot. And not a moment too soon. He later learned that within six hours after he left, US marshals arrived in Rochester searching for him.

  Even though Frederick Douglass had nothing to do with John Brown’s raid, he knew the government would never believe his testimony. Douglass was a friend of Brown’s. That alone would have been enough to sentence Frederick Douglass to death.

  To England and Home Again

  After quickly booking a passage to England, Frederick Douglass braved the cold and choppy winter sea voyage. Upon reaching Great Britain he said, “England had given me shelter and protection when the slave-hounds were on my track fourteen years before, and her gates were still open to me now that I was pursued in the name of Virginia justice. I could but feel that I was going into exile, perhaps for life.”

  He spent the next six months in Great Britain lecturing against slavery, speaking about John Brown’s raid, and visiting former friends. Suddenly, however, a message reached him. Heart torn with grief, Douglass said, “News reached me from home of the death of my beloved daughter Annie, the light and life of my house. Deeply distressed by this bereavement, and acting upon the impulse of the moment, regardless of the peril, I at once resolved to return home, and took the first outgoing steamer for Portland, Maine.”

  Douglass returned to his home in Rochester and managed to stay there in secrecy for nearly a month. By this time, however, conditions in America had changed. Political winds had shifted. John Brown was now considered a hero by many, a martyr who sacrificed his life for the freedom of the slave. A great political election took place in the nation. Abraham Lincoln was sworn into office as president of the United States.

  An angry South elected its own president. Southern states seceded, or tore away from the Union. The United States was no longer united. Shots were fired. A civil war, great and terrible, was declared.

  Frederick Douglass took refuge in England when his life was in danger following John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-DIG-cwpbh-05089

  5

  “NOW WE ARE ENGAGED IN A GREAT CIVIL WAR …”

  A Voice for the Nation

  Everywhere he spoke, listeners flocked to hear Frederick Douglass, the famous orator. Frequently lecturing without notes, Douglass listened carefully to other speakers, evaluated the emotions and sentiments of the audience, and then rose to speak out in thunderous tones about the issues at hand.

  Frederick Douglass always thought about and spoke about the nation through the eyes of a former slave. He gave his testimony about life as a slave. He urged audiences to consider the slave’s point of view and see slavery as the evil it was against human rights. In letters he wrote to political leaders of the day who were also slaveholders, he pressed them to imagine how they would react if their own children were sold into slavery.

  Frederick Douglass believed in total equality. He believed in integration in all areas of life, including public transportation, schools, and political and social circles. Wherever he went, often in spite of great resistance, he stepped forward as an equal to everyone else, man or woman, black or white. He saw himself as equal because he believed God made it so.

  Deeply religious, Douglass firmly believed that one day God would bring justice and end slavery forever in America. He was a devout Christian, yet Douglass was also outspoken against the “Christianity” of the slaveholders. He argued that no one could be called a Christian who owned another person, even if that slave was treated with kindness. The sheer act of owning another human being, Douglass declared, was against the biblical principles of God.

  Over 10,000 African Americans served in the Union Navy. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-36959

  Frederick Douglass believed one person could make a difference. He took it upon himself to integrate public education in Rochester, and he succeeded. He took it upon himself to integrate public transportation wherever he went, and he succeeded. Through the papers he published, the speeches he gave, and the actions he took, Douglass took it upon himself to help bring an end to slavery, and he succeeded. He dedicated his life to freeing the slave and establishing equal rights.

  Frederick Douglass had one of the most brilliant minds this world has known. And when he heard that the first shots of the Civil War had been fired, he hurried to his newspaper office and printed an article stating, “God be praised! that it has come at last.”

  A Great Visionary

  As an American, Frederick Douglass was not thankful for the war. Yet looking at the situation through the eyes of a former slave, Douglass was deeply thankful that the time had come to break the chains of slavery. His heart united with the hearts of every slave and fugitive upon hearing the news that the Civil War had begun. Freedom! At long last, the slaves would be free!

  A true visionary, Frederick Douglass immediately rose up and rallied a two-fold cry. Just one month after the beginning of the war, he published two points in an article in his newspaper, “How to End the War.”

  “Freedom to the slave should now be proclaimed from the Capitol,” Frederick Douglass cried, “and should be seen above the smoke and fire of every battle field, waving from every loyal flag!” Douglass believed the first thing to do to bring an end to the war was to immediately emancipate, or set free, every slave.

  The second thing Douglass believed would end the war quickly was to enlist black troops. He declared, “We have no hesitation in saying that ten thousand black soldiers might be raised in the next thirty days to march upon the South. One black regiment alone would be, in such a war, the full equal of two white ones.”

  Frederick Douglass lectured about this all over the northern states. He wrote urgent letters to political leaders, repeating the message. He traveled to Washington, DC, and shared his message with President Lincoln. He believed he knew the way to end the war, and he was right. It just took the rest of the nation, its political leaders, and its president several dreadful and devastating years to realize what Frederick Douglass had known from the beginning. The Civil War was a war about slavery, and the only way to bring it to an end was to free the slaves and allow black soldiers to fight.

  The Douglass’ Monthly

  Frederick Douglass renamed his newspaper the Douglass’ Monthly. During the war, he championed the cry to free the slaves and enlist black troops. Eager to see the war quickly brought to an end, the Douglass’ Monthly became a platform for other abolitionists to join his crusade.

  In the Douglass’ Monthly, Frederick Douglass followed the progress the nation was making toward emancipation and enlistment of black troops. In the numerous articles he wrote, he pressured Lincoln to move forward on both agendas. He also urged the people of the Union to join his cause
. “From the first,” Douglass admitted, “I reproached the North that they fought the rebels with only one hand, when they might strike effectually with two—that they fought with their soft white hand, while they kept their black iron hand chained and helpless behind them.”

  Born a slave, Sergeant Milton M. Holland later received his freedom, perhaps because he appeared white. When war was declared, he joined the private militia, Attucks Guards, before recruiting for and enlisting in the 5th US Colored Troops (USCT). He received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during battle.

  Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-118552

  His war effort was not limited to his newspaper’s readership, however. Frederick Douglass stated, “In every way possible—in the columns of my paper and on the platform, by letters to friends, at home and abroad, I did all that I could to improve this conviction upon the country.”

  Disappointed with the nation’s decision not to enlist black troops, Frederick Douglass rejoiced with each step the Union took toward emancipation and arming black regiments. When General Butler announced the policy to receive runaway slaves as “contrabands” of war who could enjoy freedom within Union lines, Douglass was vocal in his approval.

  Harriet Tubman (1820-1913)

  Almost single-handedly, Harriet Tubman journeyed deep into southern territory, organized small groups of escaping slaves, and personally led them to freedom in the North. After the Civil War broke out, she served the Union as a spy, nurse, and army scout. (Note the haversack she is carrying.) Friend and fellow abolitionist Frederick Douglass gladly wrote an endorsement for her biography, Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman.