The Insight on Frederick Douglas

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Oct 30, 2023

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The Insight of Frederick Douglass Taiylor Jennings

This upcoming weekend is the national holiday of Juneteenth. This is a national holiday that celebrates the emancipation of slaves in states in rebellion agaisnt the Union. This holiday was not recognized as a federal holiday until 2021. We are still pushing for the acceptance and recognition of respect for African Americans now in 2022, but we are also breaking down barriers like never before. It is pertinent to recognize your achievements and the overcoming of your obstacles while still facing your next one head on and this is why I have chosen to write about Frederick Douglas and the Constitution. Frederick Douglas was born Frederick Bailey in Maryland in 1818. His mother, Harriet Bailey was an enslaved women and his father was a white man rumored to have been his mothers master in slavery so he saw very little of his mother as a child because she lived on a different plantation 12 miles away and sadly died when he was only seven years old. At a young age he had the wife of one of his enslavers, Sophia. She began teaching him the alphabet. A few short words began to open up the world to young Frederick and blooming literacy allowed him to see the world in a new way. While Sophias husband said to her, "if you teach him how to read it would be no keeping him and it would forever unfit him to be a slave.” Douglass was faced with obstacles and adversity while still trying to celebrate overcoming one of the toughest obstacles in his lifetime. It was Douglas's ability to read that made his story remarkable, and what made him a force to be reckoned with because to be educated is something that can not be taken from you. As he once said “Once you learn to read, you will forever be free.” He stood by this even at a

very young age because he was so infatuated with having the freedom of learning. Frederick Douglas wasn't afraid to speak up for what he believed in because he wanted to see the overflowing success within himself and the overflowing success of African Americans in the future. He took pride in knowing that all he did was much bigger than him alone and this gracious aspect allowed him to cross paths with thousands of people who would impact his journey more than he sought out in the beginning. Henry Highland Garnet was a black immediatist abolitionist. He had been enslaved on Maryland Eastern shore just north of Frederick Douglas' own home where they often crossed paths. Abolitionist in the 1890 called for violent abolition realizing that slave holders were likely unlikely to be convinced into releasing their said human property. (( Woodward-Burns , 1.1) Garnett and Douglas cross paths at the 1843 National Negro Convention. This convention consisted of intelligent, intellectual african americans who put their time and intellect into the discussion of slavery as well as the lack of free black people in the United States. At this convention they hold the debate of how to form a convention platform. Henry Garnett is convincing on the side of revolt where he believes to advance abolitionists we have to rebel and streak havoc to be heard. While he lost this debate because the convention, Douglas included, did not believe violence was the answer to success.( Woodward-Burns , 1.2) As he is certain that violence will not achieve success he is then persuaded towards the side of swationist abolitionists. These said abolitionists stood behind the convincing of southern slave-holders to release their slaves through words. They stood in the power of persuasion in the strongest aspect. He now has the question at hand of what is the direct approach to abolition? Although his work began when he planned to set free to New York. His movement was only just beginning. There he spoke so highly of himself his speeches began to travel. In no time

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he received his first professional writing opportunity with an abolitionist newspaper where he soon later wrote his first book “ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” , but that was just the beginning of his miraculous story telling journey. In Douglas’s speech “What to the slave is fourth of July.” Douglas examines two documents, The Declaration Of Independence and The Constitution. Douglas's goal is to acknowledge that Black people in the United States were not included in the protections of the declaration of independence. He explains in the Declaration of independence they state that “All men are created equal.” Yet that would infer that Thomas Jefferson considered an enslaved man or african american human. ( Woodward-Burns , 1.3)Their promise of equality seems to be at a limit if said founding fathers are not pro abolition of slaver. Thomas Jefferson suggests that Africans are less than human. While noting that he as an formerly enslaved person is excluded from its protections. ( Woodward-Burns , 1.4)Frederick Douglas explains the hesitance from celebrating said document as American Independence when African Americans have not been granted all the roles of independence and freedom, afterall we are americans. While the constitution that was written by slaveholders , Douglas is said to believe the Constitution upholds said rights of American independence to ALL americans. You see he explains that the distance between the platform he stands upon and the slave plantation he escaped from are ‘considerable’. It took great efforts to advance the latter of respect within said platform. He says although he does not have the fondest opinion of the documents he does not aim to offend the founding fathers because they were in fact great admirable men. Douglas says “To them Justice, liberty , and humanity were final not slavery and opression.” African Americans were begging to plow , buil , read , write , cipher etc. We were on the path to become amongst the doctors, lawyers, and teachers yet getting rewarded the scum of nothing.

Douglas spoke with passion in this speech and spoke to each and every individual from all sides with sincerity and truth. He meant to persuade each individual on the insult that is being made to African Americans by being told to celebrate such holiday that shows no impression on the complete demolishment of slavery. It is appalling to be reminded that there is celebration with no compensation. Yet we are told to be silenced in the cheers of our overcoming. Frederick Douglas was impactful to many because he rarely thought of himself. He took advantage of education because he knew the power of learning. The importance of his words within “What to the slave is fourth of July.” is to reflect freedom. The dictionary definition of freedom is, “ the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” You see power within hindrance or restraint creates an unstoppable human being. Frederick Douglas used his platform to speak light into African Americans and those opposed to African American. He wanted to educate to continue to grow and blossom into others as well.

Works Cited Basker, J. G. (2012). American antislavery writings: Colonial Beginnings to Emancipation . Literary Classics of the United States. Woodward-Burns. (2022). Douglas 1.1-1.4. Retrieved 2022, from https://blackboard.howard.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_11 38851_1&content_id=_3300943_1

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