Frederick Douglass A Bastion Of Equality Essay

Douglass was a very eloquent man, and because of this he was viewed as one of the most influential abolitionists during and before the Civil War. But, even after the war during the Reconstruction Era, Douglass was able to realize that the country still had much progress to make before it could be truly viewed as a bastion of equality. At one point during the Reconstruction Era Douglass had said, “The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful and virtuous” (Douglass). Douglass had realized that the only way a nation can prosper and secure freedom for all its citizens is if the country prioritizes its citizens' security above all else. While the Confederacy had used their economic prosperity to justify slavery, Douglass

Douglass was born into slavery, and even as a young boy understood that education was his key to freedom. As a result, he managed to learn to read and write, and in 1838 at 20 years old he managed to escape to New York and declare himself free. Since he was born into slavery, Frederick Douglass was exposed to the horrors and injustices of it firsthand. He was influences by the immense mistreatment of black Americans in the states and as a result he grew very discontent with the state of the country, and because of this he worked alongside famous abolitionists such as Abraham Lincoln to pass and create legislation that would lead to the end of slavery. An example of this legislation would be during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War had ended. During this time Douglass influenced much of the new legislation passed, one of the most notable pieces of legislation that he argued in favor of was the 15th amendment. He argued that freedom for black slaves would be almost useless if their voting rights weren’t protected and because of this Abraham Lincoln had decided to pass the 15th amendment. Despite the fact that it was completely out of control, the fact that Douglass was an African American man in the 19th century united states was an incredible weakness. Even though he was a very educated and talented writer as well as speaker, many people during that time were unwilling to listen to what he had to say just because of his race. Despite being a black American and facing almost every obstacle imaginable, Douglass overcame all odds and, in the end, had a huge impact on the future of the United