Frederick Douglass: Breaking Down The Barriers

Breaking Down the Barriers

“Oh Lord, O my Lord! O my great Lord, keep me from sinking down.” This was a song sung by slaves to pass the time while they toiled the land. In the United States there were about four million slaves during the 1800s. One former slave wanted to portray the realistic views of the negative effect of the slave system during this era. Frederick Douglass, born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, was a prominent abolitionist, orator, author, and a national leader. Born a slave, Douglass went on to become an anti-slavery activist during the abolitionist movement in the 1840s. Through Douglass’s autobiographies and other works of literature, the social injustices and the realistic views of slavery was brought to America’s

The slave system was a broken system that held an impact on the nation as a whole. Many slave owners viewed slavery as a vital part of the economic progression of our nation, without slavery the nation would collapse. No one should be sub-servant to anyone regardless of race. Etienne Balibar and Emmanuel Wallerstein described what many slaveholders already seem to have understood: having a sense of history "is a central element in the socialization of individuals, in the maintenance of group solidarity, in the establishment of or challenge to social legitimation" (Walter 233-247). During 1855-1856 Douglass gave about 70 lectures during the abolitionist movement that spoke of the injustice of the broken slave system. One of Douglass’s famous quotes during one of the speaking engagements depicted his view of how the July 4th festivities were not for the “Negro.” “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sound of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and

Do you know what you are capable of accomplishing in life? Many of us have had or heard similar questions in their lifespan. It is our God-given right as humans to take control of your own life. That was the same message that Douglass wanted people, not just slaves to know. Self-ownership is taking total control over your life, body, and mind. Douglass maintained that every person is a self-owner, and that slave owners were “thieves.” Slavery was about control and dominance over someone else. The slaves were controlled by their owners, not themselves. They were told what to do, what they could eat, where to sleep etc. No one, regardless of race or gender should have that kind of power and control over another human being. Douglass wanted the slaves to stand up and stand tall. They were to take back what was and are