Frederick Douglass (February 1817-February 20, 1895)

Frederick Douglass (February 1817-February 20, 1895) was a commanding abolitionist and spokesman for slaves, having been a former slave himself. Thousands of people were brought out of their indifferent attitude toward the value of human life by his powerful orations exposing the silent scream of the slaves. Many were deeply moved away from the opinion that it was a person's choice whether or not to enslave another person, and multitudes began supporting the right to life for all humans, regardless of their race or circumstances.

Frederick Douglass included this story in retelling his conversion:

<I loved all mankind, slaveholder not excepted, though I abhorred slavery more than ever. I saw the world in a new light....I gathered scattered pages of the Bible from the filthy street gutters, and washed and dried them, that in moments of leisure I might get a word or two of wisdom from them.> 1817FD001

In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, 1845, he wrote in chapter 2:

<Every tone [of the songs of the slaves] was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains.> 1817FD002

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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.

Endnotes:

1817FD001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Frederick Douglass. Page Smith, The Nation Comes of Age (NY: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1981), Vol. 4, p. 584. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg's Heart'N Home, Inc., 1991), 2.20.

1817FD002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Frederick Douglass, 1845, in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Chapter 2. John Bartlett, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1855, 1980), p. 556.


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