The Contributions of Frederick Douglas, William Apess, Sarah Margaret Fuller, and Sojourner Truth

This was a time that would determine if slaves would be freed or kept as if they were owned property. Slaves would be left hoping that they could walk as far and wide as there two legs could carry them. They would be hoping for that one whiff of the smell of freedom. “Freedom now appeared, to disappear no more forever”(Douglass). Slaves would have to wait for the results to come. There were some former slaves that would impact history very greatly with their words, and some, their writing.

According to the Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, "[...] all men are created equal, [and] they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." One would then expect that every man, would be entitled to their freedom, and it was true, for all white men. African-Americans, however, faced a very different reality. They were still forced into slavery, they were deprived of those rights that all men were meant to have. While the north states opposed slavery, it was permitted in the south, and as the slavery issue raged on, one man would stand to fight for his freedom. His case, would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court's decision would

The way the Declaration of Independence was wrote meant only about 15 percent of Americans gained full citizenship. In an article published in a 1973 issue of Maryland Historical Magazine, Linda Grant Depauw wrote that the American Revolution was about gaining and protecting the freedoms of white property-owning men – no other races, genders, ages, or social status. The other 80 percent of negroes, servants, women, and minors therefore had no “inalienable rights” from the Declaration. Besides not having rights, these individuals were unable to vote because they were not of the specified race, gender, or social status. During this time, Howard Zinn shows evidence of wealth equaling power since only property owning, white-males were entitled to inalienable rights and the right to participate in governmental affairs.

One of the things talked about in the Declaration of Independence is that everyone is created equal, meaning that your race, ethnicity, or religion does not matter. Now, we have evolutionized and finally understand that this does not determine our social class and we treat everyone the same. In the Declaration of Independence it is shown as “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal.” The author, Thomas Jefferson, and Continental Congress put this in the document, not just because some people wanted it, but because it was something that they believed in. Sometimes, we see equality happening, but many times, people do not understand that they need to change their attitude because the Continental

Although the Declaration of Independence stated that “All men are created equal,” the U.S Constitution denied minorities basic human rights, such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With this, the line had been drawn. Skin color had now become the definite indicator of how race would be defined in future American society.

It also was never fair to all of the people who lived in the colonies. Many African-Americans and Europeans never had many rights as whites males did. Females also did not have a big role in the colonies and its government. They were only to work and clean the home that the husband owned and to take care of the children if they had any. The Declaration was in the works and was not thought out properly so it may have had some flaws but the mind set of colored people and women not having rights would greatly affect how they are seen in America’s future.

" I feel safe in the midst of my enemies, for the truth is all powerful and will prevail." Said Sojourner Truth during one of her battles for freed slave rights. Truth was born as a slave in which after 30 years she escaped. After she dedicated her life to helping freed slaves get their rights along with women's rights. Sojourner Truth is a hero to not only women, but to everyone because she changed America for women and color people by being brave, determined, and Godly.

During the late 1840s, Sojourner acquired a reputation as a powerful speaker. Oliver Gilbert was a friend of the Benson’s and they reached out to him to help write Truth’s Narrative. He started making Truth’s narrative at Northampton and had it published by William Lloyd Garrison. A man by the name of Yerrinton printed Truth’s narrative. Truth was supported through donations and the sale of The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, originally published in Boston in 1850. Strangely, Truth sold her 128-page book for 25¢ per copy. Truth travelled for years at a time and surprisingly she was able to take care of herself, while only producing 25¢ for every book she sold.

“A person held in servitude as the chattel of another” (Slave, n.d.). This is the definition of a “slave”. The most well-known cases of slavery occurred during the settlement of America, for well over 300 years, slavery was allowed and for the most part considered the “norm” within our country. There were many eradicators who made an attempt to end slavery, as we know at some point; they were successful at doing so. One very influential person was, Fredrick Douglas, he along with many others, were extraordinary influences in the anti-slavery movement. Douglas was known for being a social reformer, author, journalist, women’s and human rights activist, a publisher and an abolitionist all in one. He helped to shape and strengthen our nation and try to make it one with equality as possible. Dedicating his life to fighting for justice for all Americans, specifically African-Americans and minority groups. Frederick Douglass rose from slavery, this fact itself inspired him to do so much more than just write about what it was to be a slave. He turn into one of the leading African-American voices. Douglass would eventually become the best-known abolitionist in the country and the most famous black American of his time. As an alternative to only arguing against slavery, Douglass took a different approach, he asked some hard questions about what freedom really is. The speech by Fredrick Douglas, entitled “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” represents just that. It express his discontent for the way the slaves were been treated while using sarcasm to prove his point that the slaves are entitles to their freedom, liberty and all American democracy.

African Americans viewed themselves as beneficial and important citizens of America, and not just when it came to wanting to fight in the war. Understandably, they were offended and upset when Lincoln and the federal government proposed sending them all, slave and nonslave alike, to a colony in Central America, and they felt that the needs of the nation at large prevented them from being able to leave without helping their fellow countrymen however they could, using their constitutional right of freedom of assembly to meet together and come up with a resolution explaining their position and the reasoning for it (Doc. B). Following the war, African Americans were highly interested in participating in the formation of the new state constitutions and governments for the Reconstruction period. In Virginia, African Americans came together, similar to the ones in New York, asserting their opinion and ideology that all men in the state should have equal rights, namely suffrage and the other rights the Declaration of Independence had promised citizens of the United States, since they were now free men and therefore should have the same

By promoting their race, Booker T. Washington and Fredrick Douglass sought independence by emancipation, education, and equal rights. These great American leaders believed the second paragraph of the United States Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created

Frederick Douglas was a slave who eventually became free. Later on, Douglas became known as a powerful, political figure. Because he was a powerful figure, former president Andrew Johnson desired to have Fredrick Douglas give a speech on the Fourth Of July in1852. The leading citizens were expecting Douglas to speak highly about how great America was, but he did the complete opposite. Fredrick Douglas risked his life by telling the absolute truth about America. His speech has left great effect in the 21st century today. A lot of the things that he mentioned are still present in today's time because history repeats itself, a lot of racial issues are still present, and due to slavery and other situations, society has structured colored people

Frederick Douglass’s books and speeches had led to the division of the North and the South. During the Civil War Douglass had been a strong believer in the Union. He had even convinced Abraham Lincoln to let African Americans enlist in the army. He had put up recruitment posters saying “Men of color, to arms.” He had been convincing Lincoln of black rights from the start of the war. Even though at the end of the war slaves had earned their freedom, they were still discriminated against.

The Declaration of Independence (1776), written by only educated white men – Thomas Jefferson (Southern Colony), Benjamin Franklin (Middle Colony), and John Adams (Northern Colony) - established the basic rights that citizens were entitled to in a free country. However, this document contradicted the Constitution’s claim that all men were created equal, particularly in racial and gender identifiers such as slaves, Native Americans, and women. Slaves were essential in the economic development of the South. Most southerners considered slaves as property, only three-fifths of a man, and as a result, equality for

Privilege equates to power over others, often leading the powerless to suffer from inequity. Feeling confined in their situations, both author Mary Wollstonecraft and abolitionist Sojourner Truth confront their perceptions of inequity through a critique of sexism towards women. Marry Wollstonecraft’s 1792 essay, “The Vindication of the Rights of Women”, focuses on equality between men and women; a defiant tone outlining society’s tendency to hinder its own advancement by limiting women to singular roles. In activist Sojourner Truth’s speech, “Ain’t I a Woman” from 1851, Truth mirrors Wollstonecraft’s assertions, candidly explicating opposition to the ways society has shaped its ideals concerning women. Despite the expanse of time between the