Frederick Douglass on Liberty

“‘Right is of no sex, age, country, color, or clime.’ The right to personal freedom is the most palpable of all other rights…”

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Tuckahoe, Maryland around 1817. He assumed the name Douglass after his escape in 1838. In 1841, he addressed a Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society convention and became employed as its agent. He wrote Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in 1845 to document his experiences and to counter those who said that a man of his abilities could not have been a slave. Famous and at risk for his orations against slavery and for women’s rights as well as the success of his book, for safety he travelled to England and Ireland. After British friends purchased his freedom, he returned to America and for several years edited his own newspaper, The North Star. He attended the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention and signed and published its famous Declaration of Sentiments.  

He at first opposed the Civil War when it appeared to leave slavery in place, but as Lincoln started to act against slavery, he became instrumental in recruiting and advocating for African-American combat units. He fought for passage of the 13th (Abolition), 14th (Equal Protection) and 15th (Voting Rights) Amendments. In 1872, Douglass was nominated for vice-president on the Equal Rights Party ticket headed by Victoria Woodhull. He did not run, maintaining his support for President Grant. He was the first African American to serve in important federal posts, including Marshal of the District of Columbia (1877-1881), Recorder of Deeds for Washington D.C. (1881-1886), and Minister-General to Haiti (1889-1891).

★ Frederick Douglass Autograph Manuscript Signed, 1846, with the seal of the British Anti-slavery Society. In May, 1846 at London’s Finsbury Chapel, Douglass delivered a passionate address that could have been the occasion for penning this quotation. #21704