The Lion That Wrote History: Frederick Douglas

Along with the demand for cotton came a demand for labor. Black slaves from Africa were used to hand pick cotton in cotton fields, a tedious and daunting job. After Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin, cotton production skyrocketed from the average 3,000 bails per year to 300,000 bails per year. Unlike the north, the south lacked transportation improvements such as railways, roads, and water canals.

Frederick Douglass the most successful abolitionist who changed America’s views of slavery through his writings and actions. Frederick Douglass had many achievements throughout his life. His Life as a slave had a great impact on his writings. His great oratory skills left the largest impact on Civil War time period literature. All in all he was the best black speaker and writer ever.

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.

In 1794, U.S. inventor Eli Whitney patented a machine that transformed the production of cotton by significantly speeding up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber called the cotton gin. By the middle of the 19th century cotton had become America’s leading export. This gave Sothern’s the rationalization to maintain and expand slavery despite large number of abolitionists in America. While the cotton gin made cotton processing easier, it facilitated planters in earning greater profits, resulting in larger cotton crops. This in turn increased slavery because it was the cheapest form of labor. As for the North, particularly New England, the cotton gin and cotton’s increase meant a steady supply of raw materials for its textile mills.

Frederick Douglass was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland, around 1818. Later in life, he chose to celebrate his birth on February 14, due to not having knowledge of the accurate date. In his Narrative Douglass expresses, “The white children could tell their

Douglass also served as an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and fought for the adoption of constitutional amendments that guaranteed voting rights and other civil liberties for blacks. Douglass provided a powerful voice for human rights during this period of our American history. Frederick Douglass was also worked very hard in the women’s rights movement. He once said

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in February of 1818, in Maryland. After his owner Aaron Anthony passed away, Douglass was given, as property, to Thomas Auld, and then eventually to Thomas’ brother Hugh Auld. When Douglass was

Frederick Douglass was born as a slave in Baltimore in 1818. He was raised by his grandparents after separated from his mother when he was only a few

Frederick Douglass was one of the most influential men of the anti-slavery movement. He stood up for what he believed in, fought hard to get where he got and never let someone tell him he could not do something. Frederick Douglass made a change in this country that will always be remembered.

Frederick Douglass affected the progress of the Civil Rights Movement. He had a vision of America achieving freedom and equal rights for all. Frederick Douglass was inspired to help others because of how he was treated during his child life, growing up a child of slaves. So therefore he made autobiographies of how his life was while he was a slave and how he

When the tour was completed, he continued with his aspirations of creating the abolitionist paper. Frederick decided to publish it in Rochester New York, further west than the home of the Liberator. On December 3, 1847 his weekly newspaper, the North Star was finally born (1, 80). At first, habitants of Rochester were upset to see another anti-slavery paper, but eventually the city took pride in being the home of the North Star. Unfortunately, the glowing reviews were not equal to the money needed for the production of the paper and Douglass had to depend on his own savings and contributions from friends to keep the paper going (5). He was driven back to the world of lecturing in an attempt to raise efficient funds for the North Star. The cash

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey born into slavery in February 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. The exact date of his birthday is unknown, although according to his book Narrative of the Life of an American Slave he chose to take February 14th being his birthday because his mother, whom died when he was about 10, referred to him as her “little valentine”. "I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it." (Douglass) Douglass was the son of a slave mother and possibly his owner. (Foner pg 390) “The opinion was ... whispered that my master was my father; but of the correctness of this opinion I know nothing.” (Douglass) At a young age he was selected to live

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland, around 1818. Douglass lived with his maternal grandmother, Betty Bailey. At a young age. Douglass was born with a white father he never met and his mother died when Douglass was only 7 years old. "Frederick was born an a plantation and he was later sent to a ship builder where he learned new skills and how to read and write at age 12"( "Frederick Douglass biography"1).

Frederick Douglass was more than just an abolitionist and and an anti-slavery activist, he was a leader. He influenced people to stand up and end slavery through his powerful speeches, his uplifting novels, and his admirable positive attitude toward the cruel subject. People may think that Frederick Douglass was just like any other slave, but he wasn’t. Frederick had a hard life, but whether or not he had a good life was in his hands. Frederick Douglass went through life with his head held high. It was hard for him to stay positive because he had it rough as a young boy, he was born into slavery and his parents were very little involved in his life, but the vision of dancing on free soil gave him a reason to wake up every morning.

Blacks had been enslaved in the South since the early 17th century. Around the time of the American Revolution and the Constitution, slavery was beginning to diminish and the importations of slaves into the United States was agreed to be ended by the founders of the Constitution. However, by 1800 the slavery institution began to thrive again due to the invention and widespread adoption of the cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney. This machine allowed much easier and more economical production of a variety of cotton, especially in the climate of the South. However, this still required the intense labor of a numerous amount of slaves. Slaves also worked in many other types of agriculture, including tobacco, sugar, hemp, corn, rice, livestock, etc. Many slaves also worked in Southern cities, working at a variety of skilled trades as well as common laborers. Each situation brought its own set of hazards, demands, and perks regarding labor, slave codes, housing, food, and clothing.