Frederick Douglass and Henry David Thoreau

The fact that their work is still relevant today is something that Henry David Thoreau and Frederick Douglass have in common and the fact that they are both wrote from the Transcendentalist Era perspective and they both abhorred slavery is also a common factor. Although, in their writing they both have a different take on life Thoreau having been born free and was educated at Harvard, and Douglass’ was born a slave and self-educated they still had some of the same goals since Henry David Thoreau and Frederick Douglass’ were both slave abolitionist who were involved with the Underground Railroad and both where very passionate about their work on the issues of slavery but from a different point of view since Henry David Thoreau could not experience slavery but, only acknowledge that slavery was cruel and wrong through what he learned about slavery whereas, Frederick Douglass was born a slave and knew firsthand the effects of slavery. It could also be said

Both Jefferson and Douglass have the same ideas when it comes to justice. Jefferson talks in the constitution about how liberty is a main thing all people should have. And if all men are created equal then everyone should be treated in this manner. With that justice is a part of everyone’s life and will constantly be that way. The Works of Thomas Jefferson quote Jefferson says this, “As it takes nothing from that, and asks but a simple permission, by an act of natural right, to do one of moral justice.” Jefferson’s works says a lot about how he thinks as he wrote the constitution. He wants moral justice to be part of everyone’s life, as it should be. If there is no moral justice in the world people won’t have any ideas what’s right or wrong. Benjamin Orange Flower says this about Jefferson’s ideas of justice, “Whose appreciation of the importance of enlightenment was only second to his passion for justice.” Not only does this show how important justice was to Jefferson it also tells how it was first on the list. Justice was big deal to Jefferson as it was too for Douglass. Douglass all his life just wanted some justice to be served on his part and his people. All the people he fought for just wanted justice to be served, it morally wasn’t right for the people to treat them that way. This idea of justice was important for Douglass, as well as

In the year 1845 Douglass wrote Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. This was his autobiography in a sense. Before the book was published Douglass had many nay sayers questioning his

Douglass and President Lincoln agreed that slavery needed to be abolished and the Nation needed to be united as one. Lincoln realized that he needed to bring in Frederick Douglass; the combination of a strong and influential black leader and the President of the United States could now create a cohesive group of abolitionists and the Union. Frederick Douglass realized that President Lincoln’s own personality and political judgment would help him free slaves across the country. Realizing each other’s strengths, both men were able to be effective through the use strong actions and powerful words of one another; their relationship played a key role in changing the nations views on slavery and race.

We can see in both of these two narratives are told using personal stories of their suffering while using other descriptions of other characters to help tell the overall story of the experiences of slaves. Douglass give us many examples of the many horrible way the slave masters and slaves overseers treated their slaves. By showing us the violent killing and beating of slaves by the overseers without even being help responsible for it. One of these

He tells them that slavery is in contradiction of what the founding fathers valued and believed in, as well as what they fought for. Frederick says the founding fathers believed in freedom and equality. The same things they fought to get away from, are the same things white Americans were doing to African Americans in that present time. He says in his speech, “Feeling themselves harshly and unjustly treated by the home government, your fathers, like men of honesty, and men of spirit earnestly sought redress,” (404). This quote is an example of how the founding fathers were feeling under England’s government, and how Frederick Douglass was relating it to how blacks were getting treated and how they felt throughout the United States in that present time. He wanted white Americans to recognize how they were portraying their nation. Another way he gets his audience to recognize what they were doing was wrong was by using their emotions to trigger shame and disappointment within themselves. Mr. Douglass shames them by comparing them to their founding fathers, who they look up to and celebrated. He says in the speech, “You live and must die, and you must do your own work…You have no right to wear out and waste the hard-earned fame of your fathers to cover your indolence,” (407), to shame his audience on not carrying on the principles and morals that the founding fathers worked so hard to gain. Another example of him guilting his audience is when he

In 1619, when the first Africans were brought into Jamestown, Virginia to aid in the production of crops on the farms of Caucasian landowners, a period in our country’s dark history began, and with it a struggle for equality and freedom. For over 200 years, slavery consumed the United States, compelling blacks to long and later fight for the freedom their fair skinned counterparts had stripped from them. Decades later, the oppression of black rights marked the beginning of another struggle; one for basic rights that the black population had been denied. During these struggles, several names would come to mind for their achievements and efforts against racism and slavery, names like Frederick Douglass and Anne Moody. Frederick Douglass paved his own road to freedom while Anne Moody put her life on the line fighting for the rights that she knew she deserved. Although time frames apart, both Frederick Douglass and Anne Moody were able to resist and fight racism due to their thirst for knowledge, the help they extended towards other blacks, and their faith in succeeding despite previous failures.

Leaders, Achievers, Courage are only a few words that describe Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Abraham Lincoln and what they achieved. Frederick Douglass was a very courageous man and leader because he stood up for what was right and he escaped slavery, For Example in the text it says “ The more I read , the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers”. What that sentence means is that he was reading a book about a slave and his master and the more he read the more he wanted to enslave all slaves. Sojourner Truth was a courageous leader. She stood up for what she thought was right and for her that was women rights and ending slavery. In fact, in the text is says “ Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much right as men, cause christ wasn't a women! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a women! Man had nothing to do with him. ANother sentence was “ Then they talk about this thing in the head;what’s this they call it? [Members of audience whispers “ Intellect”] That's it honey. What's that got to f with women rights or negroes rights. She would always stand up for what was right. Abraham Lincoln was a Achiever and a Courageous leader. He was the man that stopped slavery. It's Important to realize, that in the text it said “ My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will, The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and

11.) Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” is similar to Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” because both pieces address the definition of a just

Thoreau is basically rallying for the absence of government in the lives of the citizens. He believed that everyone should govern himself. He also believed that no one should have to ride on the shoulders of the government, but instead rely on himself. He thought people should treat other people the way they wanted to be treated, and follow the natural laws of society. Martin Luther King Jr. believed there should be laws or it would be total anarchy. Thoreau believed that without the

The main difference between Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass was that Harriet was a white woman writing about slavery from a sympathizer’s point of view, and Frederick was an enslaved black man who wrote about his own experiences as a slave. The two shared some things in common despite this difference. Both were born and raised in the North. Both fought for the abolitionist cause. Harriet and Frederick were unwavering and courageous in their stand against slavery. Both writers were successful in their writing and traveled abroad to Europe (“Harriet Beecher Stowe”). Their writings gained the support of people around the world to abolish slavery. Their writings also gave rise to the Civil War, especially Harriet’s book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Both writers wrote anti-slavery articles at some point in their lives. Harriet and Frederick both were invited to meet President Lincoln. Frederick even became a consultant for Lincoln during the Civil War. Both people are considered influential heroes of the Anti-Slavery Movement (“Frederick Douglass”).

The works of Herman Melville and Frederick Douglass are both centered on the topic of slavery. Although both texts are similar in the sense that they focus directly on the theme of slavery, the functions of each work differ drastically. The differences in the works stem from both the style of the text, and the way that this style functions in accordance with the reader. Although Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno is drawn from an actual event, Melville embellishes and alters the event in the style of prose. The prose style used by Melville invites the reader to question the story while understanding that the majority of the work is fictional. The confusion of Captain Delano is brought onto the reader, and therefore engages the reader because of the limited point of view the story is told in. Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass tells of actual events that occurred using twentieth and twenty-first century plain style. This style of writing does not ask the reader to question what he is saying, but feel his emotions as they read the narrative. Although readers may understand both works to be stories about slavery written differently in terms of style, I argue that the way the texts are written sets up the readers interpretation of them. Melville and Douglass differ because Melville’s work invites the reader to think, whereas Douglass’s work invites the reader to feel.

Both authors Frederick Douglass and Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels focus on the topic of freedom. Both authors argue that they are being oppressed. However, this is where the similarities end. Engels and Marx believed that capitalism was a social system used by the proletariats to oppress the bourgeoisie, and that the only way to be free was to fight back against the system. On the other hand, Frederick Douglass focuses more on his individual story and his struggle for freedom, while he tries to appeal to his audience from an ethical point of view.

Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther king Jr. fundamentally altered the American tradition of protest and reform. Both of them shared the same idea, but viewed them differently. Dr. King wanted to ultimately raise awareness and open doors for groups while Thoreau wanted more individual rights for people.

American success history recognizes the contributions made by two of its renowned leaders. The two are regarded as heroes despite the obvious differences between them abound. The two figures are regarded with comparable amounts of reverence even though they lived their lives in different ways. Nevertheless, both Benjamin Franklin and Fredrick Douglas gained their status through treading pathway of hard work. This paper, therefore, seeks to discuss the experiences that shaped the lives of both Franklin and Douglas. It also seeks to analyze the life of Fredrick Douglas as presented by John Stauffer. In comparing the two personalities, I will lay much emphasis on the role education played in making