The Influence Of Douglass On Great Britain In My Bondage And My Freedom

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness was promised to all American citizens in the constitution. In Douglass’s My Bondage and My Freedom, as well as his 1852 speech, The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro, he makes it crystal clear that free black americans, the individuals whose sweat and tears built America, were exempt from these promises. Interestly enough, the same rights and treatments that Douglass deserved in America, he enjoyed during his hiatus as an orator in Great Britain. As the mother country of America, one would expect the experience in both countries to be similar. Douglass explains the world of difference between the two countries by blaming the unconstitutional institution of slavery. While in the North, Douglass writes

It does not promote racist and pro slavery ideals, in the intense way America does.The best example that illustrates Douglass’ experience in Europe is his letter to William Lloyd Garrison. It is filled with Douglass’ amazement that he is allowed to sit at the same table in a restaurant, share taxi rides, and enter through the same hotel door as his white friends without offending anyone. Douglass writes, “I find no difficulty here in obtaining admission into any place of worship, instruction, or amusement, on equal terms with people as white as I ever saw in the United States. I meet nothing to remind me of my complexion. I find myself treated at every turn with the kindness and deference paid to white people” (Douglass, 297). Douglass compared the kindness the experienced here to what the would hear when attempting to enter white only facilities in America, “We don't allow niggers in here”. Coates, a Miami University scholar writes, explains that slavery was officially abolished in England in 1807 but long before that the English Court pass laws to forbid it (Coates, 331). The fact that slavery had been abolished approximately forty years before Douglass’ arrival and was never a large scale commodity as it was in America was mostly the reason that Douglass was able to experience equality in

His very friends, on opposite sides of the ocean, behaved differently in regards to his success. While in Britain, Douglass through the support of his friends decided that he should start the first successful African American newspaper. His European colleagues were delighted by the idea. Not only did they encourage the idea, but they raised money so Douglass would be able to purchase a printing press and other materials. Prior to his return to America, Douglass’s Boston friends had heard of his plan to start a paper, The Liberator. Their reactions were drastically different. One could argue that the Garrisonians were against the idea of the creation of the North Star because it would created competition for their own paper. Although this point is valid, it does not justify the Garrisonians alluding to the fact that Frederick is simply was not educated enough to edit a newspaper and that he was a better orator. When reflecting on this conflict, Douglass writes the reasons that his Boston “friends” objected the creation of the paper, “First, the paper was not needed; secondly, it would interfere with my usefulness as a lecturer; thirdly, I was better fitted to speak than to write; fourthly, the paper could not succeed” (Douglass, 315). Even after these hurtful critiques, many of his English friends encouraged him to pursue the paper.