Douglass’s descriptions of the slave trade were extremely vivid, from the details of how American’s viewed slaves, to the sounds of whips cracking and how a woman was encumbered by the weight of the child she carried and the chains that she wore. These details would bring readers to know what it was like to be in a slaves shoes at that time. His speech is driven by first had accounts of the degradations of slavery and would not be credible if it wasn’t for this fact. I believe that Douglass’s tone throughout the speech was hopeful, he enforced the cause of the Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society with the hopes of making the United States more complete when slavery ended.
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,
Although not all of their goals were achieved the nation is still working towards a society where discrimination is completely gone. Frederick Douglass was an enslaved man that escaped; he then became a very well known abolitionist. He taught himself to read and write which people thought was very impressive and a sign of intelligence. Douglas experienced
His beatings and lack of food were only part of his miserable daily life. Eventually Douglass was able to successfully escape this life and vowed to forever actively support the equality of all
Douglass’s life as a reformer ranged from his abolitionist activities in the early 1840s to his attacks on Jim Crow and lynching in the 1890s. For sixteen years he edited an influential black newspaper, The North Star, and achieved international fame as a writer of great persuasive power. In thousands of speeches and editorials he levied an irresistible indictment against slavery and racism, provided an indomitable voice of hope for his people, embraced antislavery politics, and preached his own brand of American ideals. One of the reasons Frederick Douglass is the greatest reformer of all time is because he analyzed what he was advocating for well. This was especially hard for blacks at the time because they were put in a sort of bubble, isolated and feeling like they didn’t have the ability to stand up for themselves.
During that time African Americans were not seen as people, so Douglass had to fight against problems regarding slavery and his humanity every time he had to deliver one of his works. Douglass being a former slave made his words more powerful since he had to endure a lot. Through the use of imagery in his work, Douglass addresses events he and other slaves had to endure, making a difference in how people reacted. There were many abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison and Gerrit Smith. Nevertheless, they were both white, so they could not show problems about slavery in the same manner as Douglass could.
Frederick douglass was in a way a role model for other African Americans and his sources provided them with belief that they could achieve the same education as a white male as Douglass had done. Frederick douglass was the most well known african American at the time and he used his position to help other African americans any way he could and that included the abolition of slavery. Without sources like these African americans would not of had the motivation to think that they could be more than just
Douglass was able to come out with the North Star newspaper, which was one of his greatest accomplishments as an abolitionist. It gave the attention that Frederick wanted in order to take the steps in order to abolish slavery. If Frederick Douglass was able to use the power of his voice and words as a Black man who was disregarded, then it would have not been necessary for John Brown who has privilege and power to use extreme violence to get what he
His morals were so deeply entrenched in those of Christ’s that he could not help but continue to grow in his love for mankind every day, and hate the wicked acts of the world more with every passing moment. Abolishing slavery was not at all about quality of life or prosperous living to Douglass, but about establishing justice and peace on the earth. He knew that God alone informs good will and defines what righteousness is. So, just as God is the Great Liberator of all men, Douglass, in his imitation of Him, became a liberator for those to whom he was entrusted, namely: African-American slaves. Even as a child, when playing with his free friends, his “playfellows had no tendency to weaken [his] love of liberty.”
Most of his time was in the movement of the abolition of slavery. He did not want any other black person to face brutality, humiliation, and pain. His arguments became very useful in the anti-slavery movement. It is through his experiences of being a slave that he urged for the abolition of slavery (Douglass, 1845). Douglass’ style of narration makes the reader to be involved in the story emotionally.
He also struggled for stopping the racial violation and helped the fleeing slaves to escape. One of the main point of Douglass’s speech was slavery should be stopped. And he also argued that what’s the point of celebrating Fourth July if the term liberty doesn’t apply equally for all? He also exhibited that a slave is also a human being like others. If white people have the right to utilize all the rights and facilities as a citizen, on the whole as a human, why will the black people lead a life as sub human?
Douglass points to the vast unwillingness from the group of whites that refuses to fully perceive and accept African-Americans as deserving and equal citizens of the nation. Based on his personal experiences as a slave, Douglass is abundantly aware that the battle to abolish slavery is not an easy task. For the first twenty years of his life, he witnessed firsthand the abject cruelty of that institution in our country. Tactfully, Douglass seizes this opportunity to publicly highlight the unmerited and coarse differences in the treatment between the whites as opposed to the blacks living in the United States during this time period. He makes a “powerful testaments to the hypocrisy, bigotry and inhumanity of slavery” (Bunch 1).
Douglass was tired of his master taking control over him, so he fought back against slavery. Douglass tries to prove the point of anti-slavery and racial arguments, relating to the Scientific
Douglass is a African American that was a slave and did a Narrative about his time being a slave and in his Narrative he “threw light” at the American slave system. African American slave Frederick Douglass lived through a time of racism and how slavery was a natural thing to do but was a very awful thing. And slavery is when families who had colored skin were separated and sold of to a person that can do anything to them, the slave is pretty much like the slaveholder’s property. And in this essay I will talk about how Douglass’s position differs from those who supported slavery and also I will be talking about How Douglass used his Narrative to share his position. How Douglass “throws light” on the American Slave system is by showing
He became known as an inspirational person. Not many people are willing to go against what others believe, but Douglass was. His slave owner thought that it was “unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read” (Douglass 29), but that did not stop him from pursuing further knowledge. Education has a powerful effect that makes others fear that one has superiority over them one way or another. Slaves had their basic human rights taken away from them because slave owners wanted them to lack the ability to form an opinion on what was happening to them.
