Similarities Between Washington And Frederick Douglass

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“Where slavery is, there liberty cannot be; and where liberty is, there slavery cannot be.” President Lincoln. The two novels being compared are “Up from Slavery” by Booker T. Washington and “The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass” by Fredrick Douglass. Both men were born into slavery in the North-Eastern part of the United States in the 1800’s, but many years apart. While both Washington and Douglass experienced slavery and hardship, and were eventually freed so that they could speak publicly and teach others, they were different in how they experienced slavery, taught others, and shared their opinion on slavery. Washington and Douglass both experienced slavery, but Washington’s life of slavery was much shorter. Washington was …show more content…

After the hotel season ended, Booker moved back home to Malden. He was elected to teach at a colored school. He taught them more than just books, he taught them about cleanliness, pride, and even taught them how to build. The demand for education was so great that he opened a night school to serve students who had to work during the day. Washington also established a reading room, started a debating society, taught two Sunday schools, and gave private lessons to a few young men that he wanted to prepare for Hampton. Douglass had a strong desire to help others. He improved the lives of fellow slaves, and he ran a sabbath school while under the ownership of William Freeland. Douglass wrote and lectured against slavery and also devoted attention to the women’s rights movement. He became involved in politics, and when the Civil War broke out in 1861, he fought to allow black men to fight for the Union. Not long after that Lincoln established the Emancipation Proclamation.

Washington and Douglass shared their opinion on slavery, but in very different ways. Washingtons outlook on slavery was that “it happened and it shouldn’t have, but instead of complaining about it let’s work together and build trust.” Douglass also shared his opinion on slavery, but in a way that more straight forward than Washington. In his speeches on slavery he talks about how Covey treated him as a slave and even referred to Covey as a