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American Legend

Social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman.

After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement, famous for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. He was the perfect living response to slaveholders’ arguments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent citizens.

Douglass was a firm believer in the equality of all peoples, whether white, black, female, Native American, or Chinese immigrants. He was also a believer in dialogue and in making alliances across racial and ideological divides, and in the liberal values of the U.S. Constitution.

Douglass was convinced of the power of photography to combat racist ideas. During the Civil War he wrote more extensively on photography than any other American.  Historians have identified 168 distinct photographs of this amazing man.

References

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“What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July”

On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass addressed the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society, in Corinthian Hall, Rochester, New York. “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July”, as the speech is now known, is both a searing indictment of the continued existence of slavery in the United States and a call for hope and optimism for the future of the nation.

At just more than 10,000 words, the full speech is over an hour long. Many abridged recordings are available, including readings by:

However, American Studies professor Andrew S. Bibby argues that “… abridging his speech risks distorting Douglass’s intentions, cheapening his legacy, and robbing his great oration of its educational value.”

The full text of the speech can be found at TeachingAmericanHistory.org