Frederick Douglass Impact

Frederick Douglass, a historic civil rights activist, was born into slavery and fortunately lived long enough to see it end. He may have outlived the enslavement however, equality and direct freedom was not a result of Americanized slavery’s extinction. Douglass lived his post slavery life during the time of Jim Crow laws, enforced segregation laws. He wrote a letter to an unknown recipient, briefing describing the negative impact these laws had on blacks. Although slavery was abolished, it was believed that the act on dominance still played a big part on how whites treated blacks and still does today. Douglass starts his letter by stating a small civil rights victory for blacks. According to a statement he wrote in the letter, he happily admits that black lawyers are now able to practice in Southern Courts, he says “it implies a wonderful revolution”. (1887) For blacks to have such a victory like this, even

Also the laws that are supposed to “protect” blacks because now they are “free” aren’t doing much defending. Then he goes on to explain that if the practices of “Mastery and dominion” aren’t yet left alone then blacks are still not free. The Jim Crow era lasted from the 1880’s through the 1960’s and although this era is now over, racism and acts of dominance still exist nearly a hundred years later. It also still remains more frequent among southern states. Frederick Douglass’s letter to his recipient was informing on the subject of how it was living with Jim Crow laws. With Douglas being born into slavery and having the chance to live through it, he saw the differences between what it meant to be “free” and black compared to being enslaved and