Frederick Douglass An Abolitionist

Frederick Douglass once said: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Douglass was a man who throughout his seventy-seven years of life lived by this saying and went on to make huge differences in America. He knew that in order to make things better, people had to struggle and work. He was able to make a great impact on the foundations of America and helped to pave the path for the abolition of slavery. His leadership skills shown throughout this time period show just how strong he was. Douglass is considered by many historians to be “the most important African American abolitionist [in his time and] was the first nationally known African American leader in U.S. history” (Frederick Douglass Biography). He was known for his eloquence

He was buried in the Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York. He lived a life where he was able to see changes happen and actually play a role in the fight for them. He was able to publish three different autobiographies recounting the story of his life both as a slave and as an escaped, turned free African American man. When Frederick lived in New Bedford, Massachusetts, he joined a black church where he started to attend frequent abolitionist meetings. He also found out about The Liberator, a journal published by William Lloyd Garrison, a fellow abolitionist. It is Garrison who urged Frederick to write about his life. His first and one of his most prominent works is his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, which was written and published in 1845. He went on to publish two more autobiographies later on. In 1855, he published My Bondage and My Freedom and in 1881, he published Life and Times of Frederick Douglass and later revised it in 1892. His eloquence that benefited him so much during his life is clearly seen in these book, allowing those who read it to further imagine the impact he must have been able to have on everyone around him. These three accounts of his life allow his legacy to be passed on and lets people today know about everything that he did and all of his contributions that helped society become what it is

Despite facing trials as a child and young adult, he overcame his past and was able to make an impact on everyone around him, despite their race, gender, or political standing. Douglass, being born into slavery, did not have to have taken such large risks, but he chose to in order to fight for what was good. The brave stands that he took on many issues, particularly the abolition of slavery and even defending women’s rights, show just how much he cared about gaining freedom for himself and all other African Americans. He knew what was right for both them and the country. He was one of the first African Americans to take stands like this for their freedom and he can be considered one of the Everyone can continue to live by the ideals of the motto of The North Star today, “Right is of no Sex – Truth is of no Color – God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren” (Frederick Douglass