Recently I read Fredrick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight. It is an extensively well-researched biographical account of American Abolitionist Fredrick Douglass. This book provides a complete account of Fredrick Douglass’s life from his birth as a slave, and his remarkable journey until his death. Fredrick Douglass was one of the most prominent black men in American history. In his life in the 19th century, he was involved in almost all the pivotal events that shaped black history during his time. Hence a biography of his life also reads like the history of the black struggle during the 19th century.
Douglass was born enslaved on the Eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County, Maryland. He has very little memory of his mother, he does not know about his biological father. He was greatly attached to his grandmother but very early in his life, he is separated from his grandmother by the cruel system of slavery. By chance, he is sent to Baltimore where away from the plantation his life is a little better, importantly he is taught to read by Sophia Auld the wife of the master in Baltimore. This very little teaching of the alphabet changes Douglass’s life, he secretly starts reading the King James version of the Bible and his reading opens to him a new world. He comes to know about abolitionist working in the north who considers slavery wrong. This for the young Douglass brings awareness of his unnatural state of being a slave. Although his life turns to the worse after his stay in Baltimore, and he is sent back to work on various farms after this, he never loses hope of escaping from slavery. He secretly reads books, especially books that will help the future Douglass the orator.
Douglass escapes from slavery and manages to arrive in Manhattan. His first impressions of New York, especially his first experience as a free man are poignantly captured in this book. He gets introduced to Garrisonians and gets trained under Garrison himself. This starts his remarkable journey as an orator in the circuit. Although other Garrisonians can speak about the ills of slavery, he who had lived and seen it has something more personal to share with the audiences. This makes him a star speaker all our the North. I was astounded by how many speeches and the endless tours the young Douglass does in his early years. He is highly influenced by the Jermiad tradition of the bible, and seeing Douglass speak becomes a huge thing. Douglass in this yearly year is a Garrisonian who wants to use moral persuasion and does not want to get involved in direct politics. He also starts to write his biography and visits Europe to promote his work. This also brings him new friends from across the Atlantic.
Douglass after his initial years starts to move away from Garrisonian, and he starts publishing his own newspapers. The effort he had to put to run this newspaper, to keep his family afloat, and the back-breaking speaking tours he has to make becomes a feature of his life till the end of his life. Douglass’s life also coincides with remarkable changes happening in the USA. Especially the north and south are slowly moving towards a civil war. The north becomes more and more vocal about the opposition to slavery and the south feels insecure about the north’s idea of curtailing slavery. There are multiple tumultuous events that happen during this period, especially the supreme court judgment on the Dred Scott vs Sandford case stated that the enslaved people were not citizens of the USA. This becomes a huge setback to the Garrisonians. The victory of Lincoln in the presidential elections and the secession crisis become huge events. Douglass initially is critical of Lincoln, he considers Lincoln’s position to curtail slavery in the south as conservative. So Douglass does not have high hopes for the Lincoln administration, he even fears that Lincoln might be willing to have peace talks with the intransigent south. The south’s reluctance to accept any offers becomes a blessing, Douglass correctly predicts that if there is a civil war slavery will not stand a chance after it. Hence he is vocally in support of the war. He continues to give remarkable speeches and campaigns for the abolition cause and gets involved more and more with the republican party after his break with the Garrisonians.
As the civil war progresses and Lincoln gradually moves towards more radical positions like the emancipation declaration and then hiring black men in the union army he appreciates the remarkable statesmanship of Lincoln. The two great men of their times Lincoln and Douglass had great respect for each other, their remarkable meetings are poignantly captured in this book. Once slavery is abolished Douglass starts canvassing for voting rights for blacks, the fourteenth and fifteenth amendment brings remarkable joy to Douglass’s endeavors. He is unable to believe that things that were once mere dreams had come to fruition in his own life. Lincoln’s untimely killing deeply affects Douglass, in the memorial speeches to Lincoln Douglass quotes from Lincoln’s second inauguration speech which he considered a sacred effort.
In the years after the abolishment of slavery, there are many challenges that arise in Douglass’s life. Especially he loses his sense of purpose, what happens to an abolitionist after the abolition is a nagging question. He is forced to redefine himself in these years. In the reconstruction years, Douglass feels let down by the growing reconciliation that the North felt toward the South. This Douglass feels is contrary to the memory of the civil war. The Confederate forces and the Democrats start controlling the southern states once again, and they pass various laws curtailing black voting. There is also a growing problem of lynching of black people in the south. Douglass feels that as the years move forward from the civil war the blacks seem to lose the victories gained by them. This gives paradoxically to Douglass the purpose he seems to have lost after the abolition of slavery.
Douglass also becomes part of the power equation in Washington, he holds various posts during these reconstruction years and the aftermath. The new generation of blacks starts to criticize Douglass for being close to the republican party. Douglass remains a lifelong republican supporter as he believes in the party of emancipation. He also campaigns for various presidential candidates of the Republican party, yet he feels constantly disillusioned by the party not doing enough to safeguard black lives and rights.
Douglass’s final years are constantly mirrored in controversy, his extended family is a constant source of economic needs. Douglass’s second marriage to a white woman also creates a scandal among the press in Washington. Yet among all the challenges and the advanced age, Douglass is constantly trying to hope and live.
Douglass’s life is an epic living close to seventy years, his life was a mission, a constant struggle to overcome the limitations imposed upon him by society. His unbelievable energy and continuous struggle is awe inspiring and this book captures the epic extraordinarily well.
Ashok 