Fredick Douglass the Social Reformer

Fredrick Douglass was (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, c. February 1818 and died on February 20, 1895. Douglass was an African-American social reformer, speaker, and writer. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling rhetoric and insightful antislavery writing. For those who think that slaves did not have the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens, he endured as a living counter example to slaveholder’s argument. Many of the northerners also discovered it hard to believe that such a great speaker had been a slave. Douglas wrote numerous autobiographies, powerfully telling his experiences in slavery in his 1845 autobiography, narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave, which turns out to be significant in its support for abolition. Douglass wrote two more autobiographies, his last autobiographies, life and times of Frederick Douglass, which was published in 1881 covers the events through and after the Civil War. After Civil War, Douglass stayed active in the United States’ fight to reach its potential as a “land of the free”. Douglass also actively reinforced women’s suffrage. Douglass was the first African American nominated for Vice President of the United States as the running mate of Victoria Woodhull on the unrealistic and small Equal Rights Party ticket without his agreement. Douglas was a firm believer in the equality of al people, whether black, female, Native American, or even with the recent immigrant. Douglass narrative is important in American History because it is a primary source, this narrative is truly articulate, and this narrative led to plays role in abolitionist.

Douglass does not memori...

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...ess, Mrs. Sophia Auld, starts as a very kind woman but ultimately turns cruel under her husband Mr. Auld order. At the beginning, Douglass learns the alphabet and learns to spell small words from his mistress, but later Mr. Auld, objects, and states that if slaves could be able to read and write, they will not be able to fit to be a slave, and will become uncontrollable and miserable. Noticing Mr. Auld objection of slave being able to read and write, Douglass realizes the importance of reading and writing. Douglass even has hope for a better future and sees possibilities that reading and writing skills could help him. Douglass takes it upon himself to learn how to read and write all he can, but as he knew his skills, this fresh skill annoys him. Later Douglass gains an understanding of the word abolition and flourishes the idea to run away to the North one day.