The 13th Amendment (ratified in 1865) abolished slavery, the 14th Amendment (ratified in 1868) granted national birthright citizenship, and the 15th Amendment (ratified in 1870) stated nobody could be denied voting rights on the basis of race, skin color, or previous servitude. The North Star, January 26, 1849 Nobody doubts it. This, however, did not answer the purpose. The Spirit of Colonization The Destiny of Colored Americans Farewell to the British People: An Address Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? Douglass Monthly, January 1859 That system was American slavery. To me the American slave-trade is a terrible reality. He also argued that immigration made the US stronger and scorned those who believed White people are the owners of this continent and that it is best not to take on board more passengers than the ship will carry.. Read the full text below of the sage words from one of the greatest orators of all time. Their opposition to the then dangerous thought was earnest and powerful; but, amid all their terror and affrighted vociferations against it, the alarming and revolutionary idea moved on, and the country with it. In the name of peace, which experience has shown cannot be other than false and delusive while the rebellious spirit of Slavery has an existence in the land, we implore you to abolish slavery. Though it is now gone, its asserted spirit remains. His own testimony is nothing. It is the antagonistic force in your government, the only thing that seriously disturbs and endangers yourUnion. The North Star, May 30, 1850 The whole scene, as I look back to it, was simple, dignified and sublime. One in five Medal of Honor recipients have been immigrants. A worship that can be conducted by persons who refuse to give shelter to the houseless, to give bread to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and who enjoin obedience to a law forbidding these acts of mercy, is a curse, not a blessing to mankind. They are a trouble to me; I am weary to bear them; and when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you. They, however, gradually flow back to the same old channel, and flow on as serenely as ever. But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. & David Blight continue their discussion on Frederick Douglass by taking a closer look at some of his most renowned speeches. The Scrapbooks Series is made up of seventeen scrapbooks assembled by Hunter which contain clippings and other items concerning race relations and other social, political, and economic affairs pertaining to African Americans. The time for such argument is passed. It esteems sacrifice above mercy; psalm-singing above right doing; solemn meetings above practical righteousness. Glasgow, Scotland, March 26, 1860 Country, Conscience, and the Anti-Slavery Cause: An Address The Negro Exodus from the Gulf States: A Paper 1411 W Street SE Douglass Monthly, October 1859 It carries your minds back to the day, and to the act of your great deliverance; and to the signs, and to the wonders, associated with that act, and that day. I doubt if there be another nation on the globe, having the brass and the baseness to put such a law on the statute-book. American County Histories: A Unique Research Resource, Part VII: Abraham Lincoln Library Abolitionist Books, Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin with his Essays and Will, Book Directory: Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman, The Value of Primary Sources Webinar Slide Deck, The Active Role of Women in the Temperance Movement, When Newspapers Began the Shift to Mass Media, The Civil War and the Formation of the Modern Newspaper, Friendly Guide for Librarians to COP 5 [PDF], Webinar Video: Quantitative Reporting on Digital Collections. At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. In the deep still darkness of midnight, I have been often aroused by the dead heavy footsteps, and the piteous cries of the chained gangs that passed our door. They perambulate the country, and crowd the highways of the nation, with droves of human stock. The sunlight that brought life and healing to For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. You could instruct me in regard to them. Douglass lived in an even more brutal era and experienced the worst forms of racial prejudice and American hypocrisy. Read its preamble, consider its purposes. I will show you a man-drover. In a speech delivered in June 1863, Douglass spoke what the future may hold for Black people. He returned home to. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. I n a very telling sign, the fateful words of Frederick Douglass from a speech he delivered 170 years ago still resonate Tell me citizens, WHERE, under the sun, you can witness a spectacle more fiendish and shocking. In that instrument I hold there is neither warrant, license, nor sanction of the hateful thing; but, interpreted as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a GLORIOUS LIBERTY DOCUMENT. That he is the rightful owner of his own body? The following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total. The Church and Pejudice Republican Party leaders now describe the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol as legitimate political discourse.. The Slaveholders Rebellion: An Address 688 Pages, 5.50 x 8.25 x 1.36 in, You have no right to enjoy a childs share in the labor of your fathers, unless your children are to be blest by your labors. But overt White supremacy was still a social and political norm. Everywhere, in this country, it is safe to speak of this foreign slave-trade, as a most inhuman traffic, opposed alike to the laws of God and of man. This certainly sounds large, and out of the common way, for it is true that I have often had the privilege to speak in this beautiful Hall, and to address many who now honor me with their presence. WebThe rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me. Updates? The Liberator, June 11, 1847 Prayers are made, hymns are sung, and sermons are preached in honor of this day; while the quick martial tramp of a great and multitudinous nation, echoed back by all the hills, valleys and mountains of a vast continent, bespeak the occasion one of thrilling and universal interest a nations jubilee. What is this but the acknowledgement that the slave is a moral, intellectual and responsible being? The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretence, and your Christianity as a lie. He went on to spread his voice on social justice through a long profound, powerful, and influential career. Though his actual voice was never recorded, the power of these performances offers an opportunity to hear the potency of his words with timely urgency over a century after his time. Some Founding Fathers opposed granting the vote to ordinary citizens, and early electoral districts were kept large to inhibit campaigning by all except those wealthy enough to travel across their expansive boundaries, the historian Lawrence Goldstone wrote in a recent essay called America, then and now.. Give Us the Freedom Intended for Us when ye make many prayers, I will not hear. Douglass Monthly, November 1859 Douglass Monthly, August 1863 Letter to My Old Master. You have no right to wear out and waste the hard-earned fame of your fathers to cover your indolence. Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? This Library of America series edition is printed on acid-free paper and features Smyth-sewn binding, a full cloth cover, and a ribbon marker. See African American Newspapers of the South, Part One. For that reason, only 6% of the nation was eligible to vote in the first presidential election, Goldstone said. This inexpensive Rochester, New York, December 8, 1850 I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! The North Star, September 8, 1848 be warned! sir, a slaveholder never appears to me so completely an agent of hell, as when I think of and look upon my dear childrenYour wickedness and cruelty, committed in this respect on your fellow-creatures, are greater than all the stripes you have laid upon my back or theirs. Chicago, Illinois, October 30, 1854 The anti-slavery movementtherewas not an anti-church movement, for the reason that the church took its full share in prosecuting that movement: and the anti-slavery movement in this country will cease to be an anti-church movement, when the church of this country shall assume a favorable, instead of a hostile position towards that movement. From the Potomac to the Delaware was a journey of many days. The North American Review, July 1884 Your fathers staked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, on the cause of their country. But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. They are food for the cotton-field, and the deadly sugar-mill. There, they adopted the last name "Douglass" and they started their family, which would eventually grow to include five children: Rosetta, Lewis, Frederick, Charles, and Annie. The Dred Scott Decision: An Address 971 pages, LOA books are distributed worldwide by Penguin Random House. But, to proceed. Included in this subseries is an array of print materials that provide a view of African American life in the South. Woman and the Ballot Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and anti-slavery orator, was one of the best writers in American history, and he had a profound effect on how Americans thought about the moral and economic implications of slavery. And nearly half of all Fortune 500 companies including Apple, Google and Amazon were founded by immigrants and their children. Frederick Douglass - Frederick Douglass National Historic Africa must rise and put on her yet unwoven garment. But I differ from those who charge this baseness on the framers of the Constitution of the United States. Douglass Monthly, August 1860 The Proclamation and a Negro Army: An Address Frederick Douglass Paper, November 16, 1855 Three score years and ten is the allotted time for individual men; but nations number their years by thousands. These people were called Tories in the days of your fathers; and the appellation, probably, conveyed the same idea that is meant by a more modern, though a somewhat less euphonious term, which we often find in our papers, applied to some of our old politicians. They felt themselves the victims of grievous wrongs, wholly incurable in their colonial capacity. White spectators openly gushed about Douglass muscular, yet lithe and graceful 6-foot, 200-pound frame, his full and rich baritone, and compared him to an African prince.. . Of Douglasss many speeches, What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? was perhaps one of the most well-known. Frederick Douglass Paper, January 20, 1854 Prejudice against Color Progress of Slavery These ministers make religion a cold and flinty-hearted thing, having neither principles of right action, nor bowels of compassion. Washington, D .C ., October 22, 1883 But, while the river may not be turned aside, it may dry up, and leave nothing behind but the withered branch, and the unsightly rock, to howl in the abyss-sweeping wind, the sad tale of departed glory. Frederick Douglass Paper, March 4, 1853 Under these, and innumerable other disadvantages, your fathers declared for liberty and independence and triumphed. Douglass was the most photographed American of the 19th century (160 photographs of him survive, compared to 130 of Abraham Lincoln). He was absolutely alone. Release date Title Notes July 22, 1982 Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches: March 8, 2022: It was slavery. To My Old Master Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. Douglass, subject of a new film, To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. The minister of American justice is bound by the law to hear butoneside; andthatside, is the side of the oppressor. Douglass Monthly, January 1863 The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. This includes commencement invitations from historically black colleges and universities, a fourth edition of Lunsford Lane's slave narrative, and newspaper clippings. New York, New York, January 13, 1864 Many of its most eloquent Divines. It was a startling idea, much more so, than we, at this distance of time, regard it. Nicholas Bromell, a historian who appears in the PBS film, says it was routine for even progressive leaders like abolitionists to warn of the hordes of Chinese immigrants coming to America during that era. Oh! And as a bonus for reading to the very end, here are a couple of quotes from Frederick Douglass that I encourage you to reflect on as we honor him today: Jeralyn Caveis a Senior Communications Associate with Advancement Projects Power & Democracy Campaign. Douglass Monthly, March 1863 They were great in their day and generation. Follow the drove to New Orleans. This enormous collection of African American newspapers contains a wealth of information about cultural life and history during the 1800s and is rich with first-hand reports of the major events and issues of the day. WebManuscript/Mixed Material Image 2 of Frederick Douglass Papers: Speech, Article, and Book File, 1846-1894; Speeches and Articles by Douglass, 1846-1894; 1848; Jan.; What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, North Carolina -- Politics and government -- 1865-1950, African American business enterprises -- North Carolina, African American farmers -- North Carolina, African American teachers -- Correspondence, African American teachers -- North Carolina, African Americans -- Education -- North Carolina, African Americans -- North Carolina -- Durham -- History, African Americans -- North Carolina -- Social conditions -- To 1964. Frederick Douglass: Speeches & Writings is published and kept in print with support from The Berkley Family Foundation and Elizabeth W. Smith. They were quiet men; but they did not shrink from agitating against oppression. Behold the practical operation of this internal slave-trade, the American slave-trade, sustained by American politics and America religion. People wept as he recounted the horrors of slavery or erupted in laughter as he mimicked his former slave master. a horrible reptile is coiled up in your nations bosom; the venomous creature is nursing at the tender breast of your youthful republic;for the love of God, tear away, and fling from you the hideous monster, andlet the weight of twenty millions crush and destroy it forever! The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced. With them, nothing was settled that was not right. Need I tell you that the Jews are not the only people who built the tombs of the prophets, and garnished the sepulchres of the righteous? Diversity has other strengths as well. Lessons of the Hour: An Address We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The charter of our liberties, which every citizen has a personal interest in understanding thoroughly. The North Star, March 15, 1850 I trust, however, that mine will not be so considered. When people talk today about Douglass speaking prowess, they often cite his defiant What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? address. There are also numerous drafts and copies of outgoing correspondence that Hunter wrote. Connect with Accessible Archives on Twitter, Facebook, or Linkedin to stay up to date on news and blog posts or get our latest blog posts by email. Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter and receive a coupon for 10% off your first LOA purchase. They showed forbearance; but that they knew its limits. Americans! Too many white southerners still lived by a slaveholding mentality: their institutions have taught them no respect for human life, and especially the life of the Negro. American County Histories: A Unique Resource! You may rejoice, I must mourn.. Everybody can say it; the dastard, not less than the noble brave, can flippantly discant on the tyranny of England towards the American Colonies. Movement leaders like Douglass and Ida B. The Final Struggle They were peace men; but they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage. Exeter, England, August 28, 1846 He remarried in 1884 to, On February 20, 1895, Douglass attended a meeting for the National Council of Women. The simple story of it is that, 76 years ago, the people of this country were British subjects. The War with Mexico Frederick Douglasss famous Fourth of July speech has caused much criticism over the years. Significantly, he held these positions at a time when violence and fraud severely restricted African-American political activism. He saw the rise of Jim Crow and murderous White mobs that used insurrectionist violence to attack and overthrow biracial governments throughout the Deep South. And instead of being the honest men I have before declared them to be, they were the veriest imposters that ever practiced on mankind. WebThe title of Frederick Douglasss first recorded speech, delivered in October 1841, just three years after his own escape from bondage, signaled the driving impulse of his extraordinary career: to lift the veil on American slavery and the white supremacist ideology that justified it. But a still more inhuman, disgraceful, and scandalous state of things remains to be presented. Blog entry posted on February 28, 2023 by Jill O'Neill. The duty to extirpate and destroy it, is admitted even by our DOCTORS OF DIVINITY. As the Civil War progressed and emancipation seemed imminent, Douglass intensified the fight for equal citizenship. 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