Featured article: “Heroes of Progress, Pt. 48: Frederick Douglass” by Alexander C. R. Hammond

Alexander C. R. Hammond writes, “Douglass’s relentless advocacy for equality under the law helped to shift public opinion in the United States against slavery, and his influence in the creation and ratification of the ‘Reconstruction Amendments’ (a series of constitutional amendments that ensured equal freedom and voting rights for black Americans) led to a better and more prosperous future for millions of people.”

In this lesson, students will learn the incredible story of Frederick Douglass, one of the leading human rights leaders of the 19th century. His actions and powerful words continue to inspire social justice movements advocating for equal rights for all.

To honor the intent and authenticity of the primary source material, we have kept Frederick Douglass’s original language. Before working through this lesson, we encourage you to discuss with students that this is a text reflective of the time period in which it was authored and may be jarring for some. This text presents the unique challenge of using certain thorny words which may lead to further difficult conversations. We advise you to preview this important information about the text and prepare discussion norms to navigate this challenging primary source material. While the lesson calls for a read aloud activity, it may be advisable to consider replacing certain words or skipping over them.

During the pandemic, actor Laurence Fishburne made this homemade video about Douglass’s life for the History Channel. Watch the 5‑minute clip to learn some basic facts about Douglass’s life and answer the following questions.

• What were the circumstances of Douglass’s childhood?
• Explain how Douglass learned to read
• What was the “Abolitionist Movement”?
• Describe the details of Douglass’s escape from slavery.
• How did Douglass interact with Abraham Lincoln?
• Identify one specific way that Douglass worked as
  • An abolitionist
  • A writer, and
  • A speaker

Read the article, and then answer the following questions:

1. In what ways did Douglass pursue his education, even in the face of extreme prejudice?

2. What was the significance of Douglass’s fight with Covey when Douglass was 16 years old?

3. What role did Anna Murray play in Douglass escaping slavery?

4. What was the impetus for Douglass to publish his first autobiography in 1845?

5. What did Lincoln accomplish in issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, a move advocated for by Douglass?

6. Write a short description of each of the “Reconstruction Amendments” to the US Constitution, which Douglass supported.

7. What are the legacies of Douglass’s advocacy? In other words, how have his writings, speeches, and direct action affected legislation and rights in the United States?

Douglass’s first book, published in 1845, is one of the most important narratives in American history.

Work with a partner or in a small group to read these potent excerpts from “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” and answer the questions.

Excerpt 1: Chapter 1 

“I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant.” (Douglass, Chapter 1)

● What were some of the motives behind enslavers denying basic personal information to those they enslaved?

Excerpt 2: Chapter 6

“Very soon after I went to live with Mr. and Mrs. Auld, she very kindly commenced to teach me the A, B, C. After I had learned this, she assisted me in learning to spell words of three or four letters. Just at this point of my progress, Mr. Auld found out what was going on, and at once forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me further, telling her, among other things, that it was unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read. To use his own words, further, he said, ‘If you give a nr an inch, he will take an ell. A nr should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nr in the world. Now,’ said he, ‘if you teach that nr (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy.’ These words sank deep into my heart, stirred up sentiments within that lay slumbering, and called into existence an entirely new train of thought. It was a new and special revelation, explaining dark and mysterious things, with which my youthful understanding had struggled, but struggled in vain. I now understood what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty—to wit, the white man’s power to enslave the black man. It was a grand achievement, and I prized it highly. From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.”

● What was Douglass’s realization about the connection between literacy and freedom?

● How did the deliberate efforts to keep slaves uneducated help to maintain the enslavers’ control and power?

Excerpt 3: Chapter 7

“My mistress was, as I have said, a kind and tender‐​hearted woman; and in the simplicity of her soul she commenced, when I first went to live with her, to treat me as she supposed one human being ought to treat another. In entering upon the duties of a slaveholder, she did not seem to perceive that I sustained to her the relation of a mere chattel, and that for her to treat me as a human being was not only wrong, but dangerously so. Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tender‐​hearted woman. There was no sorrow or suffering for which she had not a tear. She had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach. Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. Under its influence, the tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger‐​like fierceness. The first step in her downward course was in her ceasing to instruct me. She now commenced to practise her husband’s precepts. She finally became even more violent in her opposition than her husband himself. She was not satisfied with simply doing as well as he had commanded; she seemed anxious to do better. Nothing seemed to make her more angry than to see me with a newspaper. She seemed to think that here lay the danger. I have had her rush at me with a face made all up of fury, and snatch from me a newspaper, in a manner that fully revealed her apprehension. She was an apt woman; and a little experience soon demonstrated, to her satisfaction, that education and slavery were incompatible with each other.”

● How did the corrupting influence of slavery influence both the enslaved and the enslaver?

Excerpt 4: Chapter 10

“This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning‐​point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood. It recalled the departed self‐​confidence, and inspired me again with a determination to be free.”

● What significant lesson did Douglass learn when he fought back against Mr. Covey?

Excerpt 5: Chapter 10

“I now resolved that, however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact. I did not hesitate to let it be known of me, that the white man who expected to succeed in whipping, must also succeed in killing me.”

● Describe the level of courage and determination required to seek physical and mental liberation from slavery.

Douglass knew the power of imagery to advance the cause of human rights. Douglass was the most photographed American of the 19th century. The second most photographed American of that time was Abraham Lincoln. 

First, watch this video about how Douglass used photography to achieve political and social change, influence public perception, and solidify his legacy.

Second, visit the National Portrait Gallery’s special exhibition, One Life: Frederick Douglass, and look at the Image Gallery.

Third, choose 3 different pieces of media from the Image Gallery; 1 image must be of Douglass. (There are 14 Douglass portraits to choose from.)

Answer the following questions for each of the 3 images. Use specific historical information and detailed analysis.

Context: When was the media (photo, painting, pamphlet) created? What was happening in Douglass’s life and the United States at that time?

Appearance: What message is the creator of the media trying to convey? For the portraits, how are the subjects dressed? What is their posture and expression? What do these details suggest about their self‐​presentation and the message they wanted to convey?

Purpose: What is the purpose of this piece of media? For your image of Douglass, why do you think Douglass chose to be portrayed in this way? How might this image be used to further abolitionist goals?

Impact: How might contemporary audiences have perceived this image? For the Douglass image, how does it contribute to our understanding of Douglass’s legacy today?

Reflection: How does Douglass’s use of photography inform modern social justice efforts (e.g., Black Lives Matter) and media use today?

Douglass advocated for women’s rights. He was the only African American to attend the famous Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, and the motto of his newspaper, the North Star, was: “Right is of no sex—Truth is of no color—God is the Father of us all, and we are all Brethren.” 

1. Read the following excerpts from Douglass’s speeches and writing on women’s rights.

Excerpt 1: Seneca Falls Convention Speech (1848)

“In this denial of the right to participate in government, not merely the degradation of woman and the perpetuation of a great injustice happens, but the maiming and repudiation of one‐​half of the moral and intellectual power of the government of the world.”

Excerpt 2: After the Passage of the Fifteenth Amendment (1869)

“When women, because they are women, are dragged from their homes and hung upon lamp‐​posts; when their children are torn from their arms, and their brains dashed out upon the pavement; when they are objects of insult and outrage at every turn; when they are in danger of having their homes burnt down over their heads; when their children are not allowed to enter schools; then they will have an urgency to obtain the ballot equal to our own.”

2. Form small groups of 3–4 and discuss the following questions.

● In his 1848 speech, what arguments does Douglass make for women’s rights?

● In the 1869 quote, Douglass points out the violence and brutality that African Americans endured while women, particularly white women, did not experience the same level of physical violence. What do you think is the purpose of Douglass’s statement?

● How did Douglass connect the struggles for abolition and women’s rights?

● Why was Douglass a significant figure in both the abolition and women’s rights movements?

3. Your teacher will assign each group a 19th‐​century women’s rights activist. Research their relationship and interactions with Douglass.

● Susan B. Anthony

● Elizabeth Cady Stanton

● Sojourner Truth

● Lucretia Mott

● Alice Stone Blackwell

● Ida B. Wells

● Harriet Tubman

With your groupmates, find:

● At least 1 specific historical example where Douglass and the female activist collaborated or supported each other’s efforts.

● An inspiring quote by the female activist.

Your group will present your findings to the class. Summarize the key points discussed during the activity, emphasizing Douglass’s role in both the abolitionist and women’s rights movements.