Frederick Douglass And The Fight For Women 's Suffrage

Throughout history, there have been many black-rights activists that use their power of speaking to fight injustice and promote equality. One of those activists, who fought for equality with the power of his words, was Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was an African American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He had a vision of the roles of African Americans during and after the war to ensure they receive citizenship and freedom. Frederick Douglass faced many tribulations throughout his life and that only made his speeches for equality and justice that much more powerful because he was a victim of injustice. Douglass believed that if African Americans want to have citizenship and be seen as equals, they must prove that they deserve it. In order to prove that African Americans deserve citizenship, Douglass encouraged them to enlist and join the fight for equality. Although there were obstacles in seeing his vision implemented Douglass stood his ground and fought until his vision becomes reality.

Frederick Douglass had integrationist views. These included the right of women to vote and to be interested in and involved in politics just as much as men (Huggins & Handlin, 1997). He believed at the time that women were being cheated out of their rights, and also that the country and political system was being cheated because women were not having their voices heard. The more he studied the Constitution, the more he decided that it was against slavery. Before, he had thought the document supported having slaves. From there, Douglass attacked the hypocrisy that he believed was so strong in the US, along with the hypocrisy that he also believed was strongly seen in the Christian church (Huggins & Handlin, 1997). He advocated for education, and for making men and women, black and white more equal than they were. During that time in his life, he called for the court to rule to let black children into school so they could get an education. Slave rebellions were suggested, but Douglass would not support them. He did not feel as though violence was the answer to the problems black people faced (Huggins & Handlin, 1997).

From his life as a slave to his escape and support of the abolitionist movement to even his attack on segregation, Frederick Douglass was the true embodiment of the abolitionist movement. Of course, there were other important abolitionists as well such as John Quincy Adams and Arthur Tappan. Despite their importance, John Quincy Adams had only fought for the abolitionist movement late into his life, and Arthur Tappan had donated large amounts of money while also writing some Abolitionist articles. Yet neither of them were able to get the public’s support like Frederick Douglass had, making him the most important figure in the Abolitionist

Frederick Douglass realized that he had to take matters into his own hands and help gain voting rights for African Americans without the help of President Lincoln. It takes a lot of ambition to seperate yourself from President Lincoln. Douglass gave a speech in Rochester, New York, about the hypocrisy of the 4th of July. Even though he was nervous to be in front of the audience, he was still determination to get his point across to the them. In the speech, Frederick said, “He who could address this audience without a quailing sensation, had stronger nerves that I have” (Douglass 169). Despite the fact that he was nervous to be giving the oration, he knew that this would help the chances of slaves being freed. His tenacious nature gave him the motivation to give the speech. Frederick Douglass was known as a great writer and abolitionist. After African Americans were freed, Frederick did not stay complacent, he continued to work hard in order to achieve his goal, which was to abolish slavery for good. Douglass, “set his powerful ideas and commanding speaking voice to the task of ending slavery” (Douglass

Frederick Douglass was many things; a man, an orator, a writer, an avid abolitionist, a presidential advisor and a slave. Douglass lived the majority of his life as a free man after escaping his bondage at age 20. However, everything he did and accomplished over the course of his life was influenced and affected by his past as a slave. Just as slavery shaped Douglass’s existence, the politics of the 19th century would not escape the pressure of the debate over slavery. From the American Revolution to the Civil War, slavery embedded itself into the Southern economy and culture to the point where the argument over its expansion would necessitate complex political workarounds, and break up the national political parties of the last few decades down sectional lines.

Frederick Douglass has brought much attention to the wrong doings of slavery but he also brought attention to the nations other problems, like women's rights. “In 1848, he was the only African American to attend the first women's rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York…Douglass stood and spoke eloquently in favor, arguing that he could not accept the right to vote as a black man if women could not also claim that right. The resolution passed.” (biography)

Douglass was a brave man who escaped from slavery. When he arrived in the free state of New York he began to take interest in speaking about the freedom and liberty that everyone should have. “[...] never felt happier than when an anti-slavery meeting. I seldom had much to say at the meetings, because what I wanted to say was said so much better by others. But, while attending an anti-slavery convention [...] I felt strongly moved to speak [...]

Frederick Douglass is one of the most prominent figures in African American history. He was an abolitionist who risked his life and fought to end slavery within the United States. He is famously known for being an excellent speaker for anti-slavery lectures. In 1852, Frederick Douglass was asked to give a speech at an event honoring the signing of the declaration of independence. To their surprise, he used this platform to shed light to the millions of slaves who suffer and are beaten to death by the same people who scream for justice, liberty, prosperity and independence. Instead of arguing against slavery, Frederick Douglass incites a sense of irony to the people who see this day as a day to be celebrated in its glory, ignoring the injustice

However, he was definitely going to have some trouble getting what he wished because that was a very sensitive topic and many white would be against getting rid of slavery since many were masters and owned slaves. Frederick Douglass was not the one to give up on something he believed to be important to him. He believed that it was going to be tough to get antislavery over with because the United States Constitution and the churches supported slavery, therefore Douglass believed that the whole system is filled with false hopes (13). Frederick began to get into politics because he noticed that Abraham Lincoln was not really doing much to end slavery. His reasoning was changing and he was not really trusting Lincoln as much as he was in the beginning. Frederick Douglass noticed that President Lincoln was acting really slowly at wanting to free the slaves. Douglass was really disappointed because he was doing everything he could to abolish slavery but not Lincoln. When President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation Douglass began to trust President Lincoln again. Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation (173) was the most important point for Frederick Douglass because he really showed that he cared to free the slaves. Frederick Douglass kind of regretted saying the negative comments about President Lincoln because he noticed that it was not his fault he was not moving along

Frederick Douglass played an important role in the Civil rights movement, but before that he was just another mistreated slave. As a slave Frederick Douglass was taught to read by his mistress and he would trick the little white boys into letting him do their homework so that he continue learning how to read and write. When he was older and knew how to read well he was given a book named The Columbian Orator, he learned how different freedoms were for black and white people. “You will be free as soon as you are twenty-one, but I am a slave for life! Have not I got a right to be free as you have.”

Frederick Douglass’ main goal was to diminish the amount of racism and sexism in America. Douglass himself gave the timeless definition of racism being a “diseased imagination”. Many in his audience consisted of white politicians and people who had the power to decide the fate of his people. The other small percent of his audience were the slaves, who Douglass hoped would be inspired by his triumphs to escape their shackled lives. He reached out to his audience in a multitude of ways like speeches, newspapers, and books that described how life was under a slave master. It was in this way that Douglass helped build up the abolitionist movement that led to President Lincolns decision to abolish slavery. Later on in his journey to achieve freedom, he became an advocate for women’s rights, yet he still believed that equality for the black population was more important than women’s right to vote. In conclusion, Frederick Douglass used his writing and orating skills to get his message across to the audience and make an impact on the fight against

When he becomes free, his views and ways of dealing with slavery start forming, he starts understanding the importance of participation in the political struggle, social organizations and political parties. By the beginning of the Civil War Douglass has developed integral and coherent system of views on slavery and ways to eliminate it, nature and even the outcome of the impending war, which he foresaw. During the war, he elaborated his views, complemented them with military strategy and demand on political and civil rights for black Americans. These views he advocated in his journalism, relied on them in his social and political

Frederick Douglass was a slave who was a consultant to Abraham Lincoln. One who had stood up for slavery, and for freedom to every single person that was considered 2/5ths of a person. His thought about slavery were horrible about how he thought it was gonna be like.

Women, they play an integral part in every culture and society in the world, but their traditional roles were prevalent in the United States merely decades ago and have been such for millennia. Frederick Douglass’ view of women, similar to many men of his era, portrays an expectancy of women to serve under the men in his novel, yet in The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, he also adamantly disagrees with this generalization by depicting equality in punishment. Through the use of pathos, Douglass impresses the images of women, beaten and helpless unto his readers, sets a standard that the women are not ranked equally as the men. On the other hand, the use of his diction in describing male and female slaves throughout the piece suggests a view

Frederick Douglass was a anti slavery activist, he was a former slave. He had his own newspaper. As a former slave he wanted no other person to experience