The Meaning Of The Fight By David Blight Summary

Ervin Beisch

David W. Blight’s, “The Meaning of the Fight: Fredrick Douglas and the memory of the Fifty Fourth Massachusetts,” is an attempt to explain how the black population in the northern states, during the Civil War, fought not only for themselves but also fought o prove their value to the American people and to prove their manhood (Blight). Fredrick Douglas attempts to appeal to the colored populations encompassed both the art of acting and speech.

The author wrote about how the black people, “Love their country, though rudely dealt by” (Blight), shows how he attempted to prove that this war was about all Americans and not just Americans that are white. The formation of the Fifty -Fourth was not the first all black regiment to fight but it was the first for the Massachusetts and northern area. Fredrick Douglas used this as a platform to engage in the recruiting effort and to provide his own means to serve his country in the war (Blight). The author mentioned that the first two recruits Douglas had were two of his son’s. This motivated his efforts further for more support

How would they establish recruiting stations across the northern states? What platform would they use to recruit black Soldiers in order to form the regiment? Douglas seized this opportunity because not only he was for abolishment but that he also believed in the cause. This article included the struggle that Douglas faced in finding a way to appeal to the black population. Being motivated by efforts to prove their worth and loyalty the author explains how Douglas vented his rage against slavery and racism and focused these feelings into providing the platform in which he used in his recruitment across the northern states. The fact that Douglas’s first two recruits were two of his owns son helped in the securing of his belief for the cause and motivated him even further in the