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Biography

Frederick Douglass

As a young man, he experienced the brutality of slavery firsthand. As a leader of the abolitionist movement, he became one of America's greatest voices for freedom. After his escape from slavery in 1838, Frederick Douglass used his immense talents as a writer and orator to fight for emancipation. This program chronicles Douglass' incredible life, from his childhood in slavery and his work on behalf of freed slaves after the Civil War to his position as United States Minister to Haiti. Frederick Douglass would be useful for classes on American History and Culture, African American History, Literature, Political Science, Ethics and Speech. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

OBJECTIVES:

Students will learn about the contributions of Frederick Douglass to American history. They will explore his role in the abolition of slavery, race relations after the war, the post war Constitutional Amendments and beyond. They will examine the ways in which Douglass defied the accepted racial opinions of the nineteenth century and disproved theories of African American cultural, social and political inferiority.

NATIONAL HISTORY STANDARDS:

Frederick Douglass fulfills the following National Standards for History for grades 5-12: chronological thinking, historical comprehension, historical analysis and interpretations, and historical research capabilities for United States History eras 4, 5 and 6.

Vocabulary

• Aquiline
• Auspices
• Brethren
• Dehumanize
• Emanate
• Endeavor
• Initiate
• Isolated
• Lectern
• Mentor
• Pious
• Premise

Discussion Questions

1. Although Frederick Douglass never fought in the Civil War, he is considered one of the most important figures in the war's history. Why? How did he influence the war and the post-war United States?
2. What were the causes of the Civil War? Discuss the moral, political and economic causes. Do they all point to the same thing? If so, why? If not, why not?
3. Douglass possessed an imposing physical appearance. How did he use his appearance to his advantage?
4. Discuss the oratorical skills and talents of Douglass. How did these skills ensure him a place in American history?
5. Douglass was born a slave. What were his first duties as a slave child?
6. What is slavery's basic premise? What beliefs did the institution rest upon?
7. Why was it so unusual that Douglass learned how to read and write? How did his education change the course of history?
8. Discuss the differences in the lives and experiences of urban slaves and plantation slaves.
9. How did some slaves manage to escape?
10. Discuss the courage of Harriet Tubman, conductor of the Underground Railroad.
11. Douglass was skilled in the trade of ship caulking. Why couldn't he get a job as a caulker in New Bedford, Massachusetts?
12. Massachusetts was a free state, yet Douglass was not safe there. Why?
13. Douglass was one of the key members of the Abolition Movement. What was the Abolition Movement?
14. How did some people react to Douglass' speeches? Why were some people unhappy about him speaking in public?
15. How did Douglass obtain his freedom?
16. Discuss Douglass' relationship with abolitionist John Brown.

Extended Activities

1. Design a memorial or monument for the life and contributions of Frederick Douglass.
2. Create an anti-slavery poster that might have appeared in William Lloyd Garrison's newspaper, the Liberator in the 1850s.

Primary Sources

• Follow this link to the Douglass Archives of American Public Address (http://douglass.speech.nwu.edu/doug_a10.htm) for a transcript of Frederick Douglass' speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" 5 July 1852.