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Grant Pierce Frederick Douglass Anti-Slavery or Abolitionary Movement


 * Criticisms, Goals, Methods, & Achievements**

Born in Talbot County, Maryland during February of 1818, it was safe to say that he was born into a cruel and unforgiving world in which he had no say of his own. While he was a slave Douglass was given an opportunity many slaves did not; he learned to read. Douglass then began to hold lessons on how to read, teaching as many as 40 slaves to read such things as the New Testament from the Bible. For decades even centuries one of white man’s primary argument against abolishing slavery was that it was a gift to them for they did not have the mental capacity to govern themselves. It may not have always been mentioned allowed but it was an implied stereotype and Douglass was determined to prove them wrong.

Growing sick and tired of his enslavement he managed to escape at the ripe age of 20. He married Anna Murray a free slave, also his accomplice in his escape. As the pair settled down Douglass became more and more involved in the Abolitionist movement as he wanted other slaves to have the same freedom he now possessed. Douglass was soon recognized as a great orator and often spoke on the topic of slavery. Some were for the thought of an armed slave rebellion while Douglass totally opposed this and resorted to peaceful, diplomatic solutions. Towards the middle of his “career” Douglass formed the North Star, an anti-slavery newspaper that spread hope to those still ensnared in slavery’s tight grip. The newspaper got its name from the fact that slaves attempting to escape were to follow the North Star in the sky. A few other books followed including //The Unconstitutionality of Slavery//, but his real sway came from his public speaking. Many people began to listen and the repercussions of his speeches even reached Europe where slavery was on the backburner even abolished in some countries. Not only did he want slavery to be abolished, but he wanted equality for all. Although not focused on as much he was also a spokesperson for women’s suffrage and voting rights. It was not enough to simply free the 3 million some slaves remaining, but it was only right that they have the same rights as the white men that held all of the power at the time. He went as far to say that he could not accept the right to vote as a black male if women could not also have the same right(s).


 * Federal Involvement**

There are numerous ways that the government could have helped out with the abolitionary movement; funding, increased publication, harassment prevention, and the legislature to back it all up. Funding was hard to come by as many of the anti-slavery activists were of course slaves who had very little to no income. More funding could have helped spread the word and awareness of the wrongdoings of slave-owners. The people may not agree but to some extent they may at least listen to what Douglass and his colleagues had to say. Funding and publication go hand in hand cause it was seemingly costly run a print but often even if they had the money some articles would never be published anyways, especially in the South. Douglass was lucky enough to have his articles and books published on numerous occasions but during his earlier years with the movement he ran into more trouble. A big problem many of the abolitionists ran in to was angry mobs or slave owners who strongly opposed giving up their slaves and weren’t for letting a former slave getting too popular. On one occasion Douglass got jumped by an angry mob, had a family near to the cause not stepped in Douglass possibly could have died that day. He sustained only minor injuries allowing him to continue on with his “preaching” of equality. The icing on the cake would most definitely be legislature to prove that something was actually going to get done about their legitimate cause. Not only was freedom on the line but the basic rights of all humans were on the line, the women’s suffrage movement was beginning to take root partially in part by Douglass’ efforts.


 * References**

Among Douglass’ contemporaries were Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. Both of these women were strong anti-slavery activists seeing as they too were freed slaves. Harriet Tubman was heavily involved in the Underground Railroad which helped provide safe(r) passage for fleeing slaves. She alone rescued 70+ slaves also assisting in their relocation and settling. While Tubman also pursued women’s suffrage on the side, Sojourner Truth focused most of her time on the matter. She like Douglass would often give elaborate speeches to large crowds in hopes of leveling the playing field between men and women. Their methodology varied but in the end they all shared one common goal: equality.


 * Quote**

"Knowledge is the pathway from slavery to freedom." –Frederick Douglass


 * Works Cited**

"Abolitionism." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. .

"Abolitionist: Frederick Douglass." //PBS: Public Broadcasting Service//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. .

Douglass, Frederick and Delany, Martin, editors. "North Star, June 2, 1848." 1848.African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship, Library of Congress.

"Frederick Douglass." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .

"Frederick Douglass Legacy." //History.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. .