Frederick Douglass and Abolitionist Theory
In February 1818, Fredrick Douglass, named Fredrick Agustus Washington Bailey after the name of the person who legally owned him, was born into a plantation in the state of Maryland. Douglass' birthday was never genuinely known, due to the purposeful ignorance the slave owners held and the lack of education black people were provided in America during this time. The conditions of slavery from birth to death violated human rights and were never acknowledged as such under the law. This continuous oppression led to the creation of abolitionist theory.
Douglass’ story can best be explained through analogy. On a plane, a flight attendant will give a presentation on the importance of putting on your own oxygen mask before helping those around you. In the same way, Fredrick Douglass would not be able to help free other slaves and abolish slavery without escaping enslavement.
Frederick Douglass was inspired by the stories of other slaves who had escaped, and he was determined to do the same. In 1838, he made his first attempt to escape. He had saved up enough money to buy a train ticket to freedom, but was betrayed by a fellow slave and was forced to return to his master. Douglass made a second attempt to escape in 1838. This time, he was successful. He traveled by train to Delaware, and then to Pennsylvania. He was aided by a group of abolitionists who provided him with a place to stay and money to help him on his journey. He eventually made his way to New York, where he was welcomed by the abolitionist community.
Slave abolitionists believed that slavery ought to be abolished. Prior to Frederick Douglass's influence on the abolitionist movement, abolitionists banded together, pressuring the government to change laws relating to slavery and the personhood of black people in America. Fredrick, however, believed that through educating himself, persuading the public politically, and directly entering government, would slavery truly be abolished.
Douglass was determined to stay free, and he changed his name to avoid being recognized. He also worked hard to support himself and eventually became a successful abolitionist and public speaker.
When Fredrick Douglass escaped his master, he fled to Massachusetts. Settling in the region, he became a preacher and continued his work as an abolitionist. He learned how to create speeches, present to the public, and share his ideas. These were skills that were not taught within the freed slave community due to the dangers of visibility as a black person. Through the Church, Fredrick Douglass worked for he met like-minded abolitionists like Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman as well as connected with William Lloyd Garrison by submitting some articles for his newspaper. These connections allowed Fredrick to coordinate various protests such as a protest against segregated transportation.
Douglass wrote his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, which was published in 1845. The book was a powerful account of his life as a slave and his journey to freedom. In 1845 Fredrick took a trip to Ireland and England where he saw that black people were free. Although all black people under the law were free in the UK he saw the social divides caused by a lack of education and immense poverty placed upon black people.
When he returned to the US he began to reform the popular abolitionist theory by implementing aspects of feminism and intellectualism. Fredrick’s implementation of women’s rights as mandatory to abolitionist theory helped protect black families by not allowing black men to believe that they are somehow better than black women because they are closer to the white man due to their sex and gender. The idea of educating his community to liberate them is one that is continuously repeated and still commonly implemented today. Without Fredrick Douglass's contributions to abolitionist theory slavery would not have been abolished and if it had the civil rights movement to follow may not have happened. Frederick Douglass shaped the president of human rights philosophy and labor ideals for the rest of all future political movements and revolutions. While working for congress under the republican party he perpetuated anti-colonial ideals into popularity showing the average American that the plight against slavery is the plight towards liberty.