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Impact Of Frederick Douglass On African Americans

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In 1872, Frederick Douglass captured the essence of black Americans’ relationship to the party of Abraham Lincoln when he said, for blacks, “the Republican party is the ship, all else is the sea.” Douglass, the ex-slave, orator, and publisher, who worked tirelessly to abolish slavery, and then later, to secure suffrage for black Americans, was perhaps the most respected black man in America after the Civil War and was widely regarded as the leader of his race. Having counseled Lincoln during the war, Douglass supported Lincoln’s Republican party after the war, endorsing General Ulysses S. Grant for president in 1868. The importance of Douglass’s association with the Republicans grew after 1870, however, when ratification of the Fifteenth …show more content…

Douglass implored blacks to remain faithful to Grant and the Republicans. “[W]hatsoever may be the faults of the Republican party,” he stated, “it has within it the only element of friendship for the colored man’s rights.” He continued, proclaiming he would rather “put a pistol to my head and blow my brains out, than to lend myself in any wise to the destruction or defeat of the Republican party.” As Douglass later noted in his autobiography, he saw “no path out of the Republican party” that did not lead blacks “away from our friends and directly to our …show more content…

In that span, blacks paid their debt to Abraham Lincoln, their Great Emancipator, by loyally voting for his party in local, state, and national elections. During Reconstruction, Republicans rewarded that loyalty by pressing for civil rights legislation and other protections for black citizens. They secured passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which sought to protect blacks’ access to public accommodations; and it was President Grant who successfully – although only temporarily – destroyed the Ku Klux Klan and its efforts to intimidate and disfranchise black voters. However, in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Republican enthusiasm for black causes appeared to wane. Following a disputed election in 1876, the Republicans acquiesced to the Democrats’ demand for removal of Union troops from the South in exchange for the election of Rutherford Hayes. This “compromise” left southern blacks without federal protection and at the mercy of white “Redeemer” governments that quickly gained power. Moreover, a handful of congressional Republicans often joined with the Democrats to stifle legislative proposals seeking to provide aid to education or to enforce voting rights for blacks. Despite this, blacks remained loyal to the Republicans – if not out of enthusiasm for the party’s record on

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The Radical and the Republican by James Oakes Book Review James Oakes’ The Radical and the Republican is a thorough and captivating account of two of America’s most distinguished figures, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. In his intriguing and polished work, Oakes examines the issues of slavery, race, politics, and war in America during the mid-1800’s. Though both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas engendered immense social and political change throughout the Civil War era, the relationship between the two men is often neglected.

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He believed that every man, even African-Americans should have the same chance and be able to better their lives. Even though, African-Americans may not be on the same playing field as Caucasian Americans in all respects, with national rights toward all Americans. Douglass thoughts on slavery, would be up to the local self-government as well as, an individual self-determination. He would go as far as to said, “That he would not force government involvement or make to free people who did not want it for themselves.” Douglass felt that it should be handle at the state government level, as what they decide to do with the departure of slavery (Fonder,

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Alfred M. Green, an African-American living in 1861, believes that “the world today is on the side of freedom and universal political equality.” Although African-Americans had been wronged in the past by people, Green decides to look past that time. In his speech, he urges the fellow African-Americans to join the Union forces through addressing possible counterpoints strengthening his argument, mentioning religion and moral sides making them feel guilty, and appealing to their sense of nationalism. As a way to persuade them further, he introduces all the possible counterarguments the citizens may have by saying “it is true” (line 9).

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Baillie Weil Dreams and Nightmares - Sanders Analysis Essay - Douglass February 16th, 2023 Your Fathers not Mine: An Examination of Frederick Douglass’ 1852 Address In Fredrick Douglass’ 1852 speech “What to The Slave is The Fourth of July,” Douglass uses the history of Colonial America and the feeling of oppression to impart the necessity of abolition in America to his audience. Specifically, Douglass first emphasizes the distance from Colonial American History through varied pronouns; second, his pronoun usage helps establish the repetitive grammatical structures that create pleasing sonorous patterns; third, and finally, the combination of these aspects reinforces his ultimate message of abolition in the American system. Ultimately, Douglass’

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His accounts of the complex events leading to the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation are particularly lucid. Oakes argues that Lincoln had surreptitiously delivered the death blow to slavery by the end of 1861. As to Douglass, I learned a great deal from Oakes's discussion of his three autobiographies, written in 1845, 1855, and 1881 (edited, 1891) and of how these works document the change of Douglass from reformer to an instance of the American success story. Oakes also describes well and detail a chilling meeting between Douglass and other African American leaders and President Andrew Johnson in which Douglass unsuccessfully tried to persuade Johnson to extend the right to vote to African

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The abolitionist movement of the 1800s includes many heroes. Each risked personal harm, got in trouble with the law, and even lost life for their good deeds. Each’s work influenced the world positively, and the contributions continue to live on today. Of these heroes, Fredrick Douglass is one of the most impactful, and in this essay, we will explore just how Fredrick Douglass changed the world. Douglass’s contributions to the abolitionist movement are numerous.

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Frederick Douglass, born a slave and later the most influential African American leader of the 1800s, addresses the hypocrisy of the US of maintaining slavery with its upheld ideals being freedom and independence on July 4th, 1852. Douglass builds his argument by using surprising contrasts, plain facts, and provocative antithesis. Introducing his subject, Douglass reminds his audience about the dark side of America for slaves, in sharp, surprising contrasts with the apparent progressivity within the nation. He first notices “the disparity,” that “the sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and deaths to me,” as an African-American former slave. It is surprising for the audience to hear that the Sun does not bring him any prosperity, that the Sun, the source of life on earth, brings him destruction.

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Frederick Douglass During the year of 1852, Frederick Douglass came forth and denounced the evil of the Fourth of July. The Fourth of July was when the colonies won the British in the American Revolutionary War. Douglass didn’t agree to the celebration of the Fourth of July. In his point of view, he saw it as a day of hypocrisy. Frederick, a born slave, knew the truth behind the Fourth of July known as a day of freedom.

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An abolitionist, a former slave, and Republican Statesman Frederick Douglass had given a moving speech “What to the Slave is The Fourth Of July” to an audience of white New York Abolitionists in the year 1852. In addition, Douglass’s purpose of the speech is to emphasize the meaning of the Fourth of July to slaves and how the white men have a sense of freedom while the slave has to deal with the reality of what the day means to them. In the speech, Douglass had created a harsh tone to discuss the importance of anti-slavery. Douglass begins his speech by explaining the idea of what a slave may think of the Fourth of July because he had been a slave and by expressing the way he feels about the holiday that represents freedom for the people in the United States. He calls upon the audience by asking them a question using an interrogative sentence “[...] allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here today?”

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Frederic Douglass delivered “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” on July 5, 1852, in the city of Rochester, New York. In the speech, the orator expressed thoughts and feelings of people who were held in bondage, whereas the country exulted at the celebration of independence. Being a black slave in the past, Frederic Douglass contended for an abolition of slavery; therefore, the oration for Independence Day represented a voice of hope for his people in front of a mainly white audience that shared anti-slavery ideas. Clearly, the speaker was familiar with the listeners and equated to them expressing respect, fearlessness, and harshness, thereby establishing credibility. Furthermore, he referenced to the Declaration of Independence and Founding

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Frederick Douglass The point that is created by the institution of slavery can not only be negative to slaves in such a cruel and unjust system, but it can also have a negative effect on the slaveholders. In Frederick Douglass’ book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, he is able to display the negative effect of slavery not only on the slaves but also on the slaveholders. Douglass and his owners feel these effects throughout the narrative of his life as a slave who achieves freedom from slavery.

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Throughout history there have been few important black civil rights activist. Arguably one of the most important leaders named Frederick Douglass was born into slavery, in February 1818. Douglas wrote many pieces of literature, but he only wrote one fictional story, The Heroic Slave in 1853. This story is based loosely off of real people and actual events in Frederick's life. In the modern world all people are considered equal by law, back in the slavery era the idea that blacks were equivalent to whites was constantly questioned.

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Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a first hand experience into the imbalance of power between a slave and a slaveholder and the negative effects it has on them both. Douglass proves that slavery destroys not only the slave, but the slaveholder as well by saying that this “poison of irresponsible power” has a dehumanizing effect on the slaveholder’s morals and beliefs (Douglass 40). This intense amount of power breaks the  kindest heart and changes the slaveholder into a heartless demon (Douglass 40). Yet these are not the only ways that Douglass proves what ill effect slavery has on the slaveholder. Douglass also uses deep characterization, emotional appeal, and religion to present the negative effects of slavery.

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The legendary abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass was one of the most important social reformers of the nineteenth century. Being born into slavery on a Maryland Eastern Shore plantation to his mother, Harriet Bailey, and a white man, most likely Douglass’s first master was the starting point of his rise against the enslavement of African-Americans. Nearly 200 years after Douglass’s birth and 122 years after his death, The social activist’s name and accomplishments continue to inspire the progression of African-American youth in modern society. Through his ability to overcome obstacles, his strive for a better life through education, and his success despite humble beginnings, Frederick Douglass’s aspirations stretched his influence through

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The most important African American leader of the nineteenth century is the abolitionist, writer, and orator Frederick Douglass. Douglass was born into slavery sometime around 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. (“Frederick Douglass Biography,’’ 2017.). Douglass did not know his birthday which is very common for slaves, and later in life he chose to celebrate it on February 14th because his mom used to call him as her little valentine. (“Shmoop Editorial Team,’’ 2008.).

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