Speaking about the important names in American history it is difficult to choose the most outstanding ones. This is because this country is mostly famous and prosperous due to its prominent people. They fought a lot of battles for freedom, justice and the most basic human rights. Of course, those fights were not easy ones, but in the long run they brought the brightest of the futures for the nation. Those men and women are widely celebrated across the country in order not to forget who made the present possible. The history of African American fight for equality is commemorated and celebrated and is known as Black History Month.
Frederick Douglass – one of the names you can often hear across the United States even today. He is the type of those individuals who are the symbols of national greatness. He is one of the biggest fighters for the “normal life” of black people. In other words, his name is a synonym for justice!
Short Biography
For those who do not know, Frederick was born in bondage in 1818. As an American slave, he managed to leave Maryland, the town where he made his first steps, and move to the North part of the country. Fortunately, the wife of his owner tried to teach him to read and write, but she didn’t manage to do that properly as education of slaves was forbidden. However, as a child, he continued to educate secretly as he realized that could help him do something great! As a fugitive slave, after a couple of difficult years, he managed to become the so-called “Abolitionist Frederick”. What does that exactly mean?
He became an abolitionist writer and orator. Inspired by Black human rights heroes, his only desire was to fight for the human rights of black men, women, and children. He always considered equal rights as something normal. Because of that, he started his career as a writer with the goal to change the mindset, emotions, and mentality of all residents in the USA.
However, Things Were Not Easy
Mister Douglass was not a typical writer. Immediately at the beginning of his career, when he started to talk about his idea on how to abolish slavery, he was considered a “political abolitionist” as well. Before the Civil War, Douglas knew that politics was the only way to protect every man and woman of color across the country. More precisely, he believed that politics and politicians were the only ones strong enough to bring justice and ensure that everyone respects each other regardless of their skin color, religion, or any other factor. Becoming a black politician was the hardest thing to be done. Reading the essays on fake news gives us an insight into the way politics was organized those days. We can see why it was a very difficult environment to be in, especially considering the fact that Frederick was a man of color and an ex-slave. This was happening long before the slaves even got the slightest chance to speak their truth.
His Public Appearance
Speeches that he made as well as the books he wrote were certainly influential across America in that period. He managed to clearly highlight all the elements of gross injustice and explain that African Americans do not deserve to be the constant victims of the system. From this perspective, he certainly had a talent to “create” an eloquent text, argument, or anything else that had enough power to wake up the entire society and ensure freedom for those individuals that were suffering the most. A lot of attention has been paid to his speeches which have been analyzed by many scholars and future scholars. This concept is widely presented in the student papers about Frederick Douglass which are available for anyone to be read. The works include some information on Frederick’s life and political career as well as give an extensive insight into understanding of his speeches. His ideas were ahead of his time and the way he expressed them is the favorite subject of linguists and sociolinguists to dwell upon.
The Suffering of the Whole Country
Thousands of victims had to leave their homes when the conflict occurred. The entire nation was desperate without any path, goal, or idea in which direction the whole country should go. That’s why the government simply had to be rebuilt and new ideas and solutions had to be developed to solve all the problems that all citizens of the USA were experiencing back then.
At that moment, radical Republicans were the most powerful in Washington. They were certainly capable of championing the cause of emancipation during the toughest moments of the US past. They wanted to create a new country that was completely different from “the first one” where the core values would be focused on racial equality. But, when, literally, nothing changed, that was the moment where “the historical superman” decided to do something amazing. No one could possibly believe that was the way the end would look.
In 1866, he led the delegation of 12 different leaders to the White House. They only asked for liberty and the union of the entire nation! Unfortunately, the conversation ended in a pretty bad manner. Andrew Johnson said the only way to ensure the racial conflict does not appear is to ensure that all African Americans leave the US territory.
So, what did Frederick do? After a long meeting, he wrote a speech under the name “Source of Danger to the Republic” that certainly changed black history as well as the happiness of each individual. Interesting story, isn’t it?
Conclusion
The equality fighter and one of the best writers of all time certainly is an inspirational historical character. Many Americans admire his work and the way he managed to change the entire world and make it a better place.
His example shows us that sometimes you need to be persistent and continue fighting for a long period to reach your goal. Do that even when the road to success looks like a thin veil of ice crystal that can crush every moment. Frederick’s path was never easy. He was growing up in tough conditions. But, he decided to educate, start the battle, and WIN. But, he didn’t just win the battle; he won the hearts of millions of individuals around the country. If you are looking for a role model – here is definitely one to choose.
