list of frederick douglass' speeches

Entitled Becoming Frederick Douglass, the film looks at how a man born into slavery became one of the nations most influential leaders. I have said that the Declaration of Independence is the ring-bolt to the chain of your nations destiny; so, indeed, I regard it. Capt John Brown Not Insane At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Douglass Monthly, January 1859 Fellow citizens, this murderous traffic is, today, in active operation in this boasted republic. How unlike the politicians of an hour! Douglass had become an internationally celebrated speaker and newspaper editor. Primary Source Material from 18th & 19th Century Publications, In a final celebratory post for Black History Month 2023, it is worth returning to the 1883 Douglass Banquet. You declare, before the world, and are understood by the world to declare, that you hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal; and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; and that, among these are, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and yet, you hold securely, in a bondage which, according to your own Thomas Jefferson, is worse than ages of that which your fathers rose in rebellion to oppose, aseventh partof the inhabitants of your country. we wept when we remembered Zion. From the round top of your ship of state, dark and threatening clouds may be seen. Yet they persevered. This includes commencement invitations from historically black colleges and universities, a fourth edition of Lunsford Lane's slave narrative, and newspaper clippings. The country was attempting to build its first multiracial democracy through the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, which ended slavery, granted Black men the right to vote and introduced birthright citizenship. Then, I dare to affirm, notwithstanding all I have said before, your fathers stooped, basely stooped. They felt themselves the victims of grievous wrongs, wholly incurable in their colonial capacity. Lynch Law in All Its Phases, Ida B. This list of works by and about Frederick Douglass will help you brush up on your knowledge. Self-ElevationRev. If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. Hingham, Massachusetts, November 4, 1841 In this 1894 speech, Douglass spoke plainly about the use of lynching to terrorize Black Americans and prevent them from building social or political power. The far off and almost fabulous Pacific rolls in grandeur at our feet. The American Constitution and the Slave: An Address Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery the great sin and shame of America! Douglass lived until 1895, long enough to see much of the promise of his Composite Nation tarnished. New York, New York, January 13, 1864 Voters wait in line to cast their ballots during a primary on March 3, 2020, in San Antonio, Texas. This trade is one of the peculiarities of American institutions. January First 1863 The first autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself, catapulted him to fame and invigorated the abolitionist movement. What can we say about Frederick Douglas, the nations most formative abolitionist, on a day set aside to remember his impact on American society and his contributions to the racial justice movement? 2023 Cable News Network. Wasted Magnanimity Let it be thundered around the world, that, in tyrant-killing, king-hating, people-loving, democratic, Christian America, the seats of justice are filled with judges, who hold their offices under an open and palpablebribe, and are bound, in deciding in the case of a mans liberty,hear only his accusers! Some 150 years later, Douglass vision of the US as a multi-hued global beacon of liberty remains fiercely contested. Their solid manhood stands out the more as we contrast it with these degenerate times. Douglass Monthly, November 1859 On the 2d of July, 1776, the old Continental Congress, to the dismay of the lovers of ease, and the worshipers of property, clothed that dreadful idea with all the authority of national sanction. Your President, your Secretary of State, ourlords,nobles, and ecclesiastics, enforce, as a duty you owe to your free and glorious country, and to your God, that you do this accursed thing. Your fathers staked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, on the cause of their country. At Home Again It is carried on in all the large towns and cities in one-half of this confederacy; and millions are pocketed every year, by dealers in this horrid traffic. Saratoga, New York, September 12, 1879 Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). On April 16, 1883, Douglass addressed the 21st anniversary of emancipation in Washington, DC. Literary Classics of the United States, Inc. The historian Jill Lepore called it one of the most important and least-read speeches in American political history. And the historian Andrew Roth said Douglass address is one of the earliest and still most eloquent tributes to the beauty of Americas ever-expanding definition of the We in We the people.. Where these are, man is not sacred. Their conduct was wholly unexceptionable. A bloody Civil War fought over slavery had ended only four years earlier. In this must-read autobiography published in 1855, Douglass reflects on his life following his legal emancipation in 1846. Conservative American politicians have expressed open admiration for leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is widely seen as eroding democracy in his country in part by demonizing immigrants and eroding democratic norms. That people contented themselves under the shadow of Abrahams great name, while they repudiated the deeds which made his name great. The fact is, ladies and gentlemen, the distance between this platform and the slave plantation, from which I escaped, is considerable and the difficulties to be overcome in getting from the latter to the former, are by no means slight. Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. We cannot afford to set up for ourselves a separate political party or adopt for ourselves a political creed apart from the rest of our fellow citizens. Even Mammon seems to have quitted his grasp on this day. . But now is the time, the important time. People wept as he recounted the horrors of slavery or erupted in laughter as he mimicked his former slave master. Progress of Slavery 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. There is but one destiny it seems to me left for us, and that is to make ourselves, and be made by others, a part of the American people in every sense of the word. But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind. They did so in the form of a resolution; and as we seldom hit upon resolutions, drawn up in our day whose transparency is at all equal to this, it may refresh your minds and help my story if I read it. In the solitude of my spirit, I see clouds of dust raised on the highways of the South; I see the bleeding footsteps; I hear the doleful wail of fettered humanity, on the way to the slave markets, where the victims are to be sold like horses, sheep, and swine, knocked off to the highest bidder. Many of you understand them better than I do. The manhood of the slave is conceded. What, To The Slave, Is The Fourth Of July? (1852) performed by Nicole Beharie. Actors Nicole Beharie ( Scenes from a Self-Made Men: An Address ; Wells-Barnett, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Ida B. That system was American slavery. WebFrederick Douglass' Civil War: Keeping Faith in Jubilee. The Real Peril of the Republic Washington, D .C ., April 14, 1876 Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter and receive a coupon for 10% off your first LOA purchase. Glasgow, Scotland, March 26, 1860 Entirely self-taught, Douglass was a powerful writer and master orator, crafting speeches that called out American hypocrisy and challenged the nation to live up to its founding principles. The material discusses and illuminates the problems experienced by emancipated blacks during Reconstruction and into the early 20th century, encompassing agriculture, business, race relations, reconstruction, education, politics, voting rights, and economic improvement for African Americans. One recent poll found that 64% of Americans believe that their democracy is in crisis and at risk of failing.. Your fathers esteemed the English Government as the home government; and England as the fatherland. My soul sickens at the sight. Directed by Julia Marchesi; produced by Oluwaseun Babalola, edited by Derek Ambrosi; narration by Andre Holland; historical consultant, David Blight; executive produced by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Dyllan McGee. (LogOut/ Ethiopia shall stretch out her hand unto God. In the fervent aspirations of William Lloyd Garrison, I say, and let every heart join in saying it: Th oppressd shall vilely bend the knee. The drove moves tardily. Boston, Massachusetts, January 26, 1865 Washington, D .C ., January 9, 1894 The iron shoe, and crippled foot of China must be seen, in contrast with nature. Frederick Douglasss famous Fourth of July speech has caused much criticism over the years. The Charles N. Hunter Papers date from the 1850s to 1932 and consist of Hunter's personal and professional correspondence, scrapbooks of clippings, articles, reports, and memorabilia. The greatest and best of British statesmen admitted its justice, and the loftiest eloquence of the British Senate came to its support. Who can reason on such a proposition? Like the raven in the lines of Edgar A. Poe they have learned two words, and these are never more.. The documentary is filled with memorable moments. That he is the rightful owner of his own body? Let the religious press, the pulpit, the Sunday school, the conference meeting, the great ecclesiastical, missionary, Bible and tract associations of the land array their immense powers against slavery and slave-holding; and the whole system of crime and blood would be scattered to the winds; and that they do not do this involves them in the most awful responsibility of which the mind can conceive. Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? Woman and the Ballot Douglass wrote an open letter his former master, Thomas Auld, who prior to escape, owned him in the state of Maryland. Immigrants are nearly twice as likely to start businesses as native-born Americans. Such people lived then, had lived before, and will, probably, ever have a place on this planet; and their course, in respect to any great change, (no matter how great the good to be attained, or the wrong to be redressed by it), may be calculated with as much precision as can be the course of the stars. What the Black Man Wants. From poetry, novels, and memoirs to journalism, crime writing, and science fiction, the more than 300 volumes published by Library of America are widely recognized as Americas literary canon. The Slaves Right to Revolt: An Address Douglass Monthly, April 1861 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. The sunlight that brought life and healing to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, December 11, 1889 He never discovered the identity of his father. September 9, 1847 Posts and searches for the term civil war have recently spiked on social media and podcasts as the midterm elections approach. Owner of his own body the Fourth of July the peculiarities of American institutions ( LogOut/ shall! Stands out the more as we contrast it with these degenerate times notwithstanding all I said... Haiti, December 11, 1889 he never discovered the identity of his father many you... Clouds may be seen saratoga, New York, September 12, 1879 Let US know you! Men: An Address Change ), you are commenting using your Twitter account one recent poll found that %... Commenting using your Twitter account we contrast it with these degenerate times about Frederick Douglass help! Boasted republic more as we contrast it with these degenerate times shall stretch out her hand unto God,... A time like this, scorching irony, Not convincing argument, is needed least-read! Government ; and England as the fatherland far off and almost fabulous Pacific rolls in at. 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