Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
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Frederick Douglass was the most important African American of the nineteenth century and one of the most significant writers and orators in American history. David Blight's long-awaited authoritative biography of this great American is based in part on papers never seen by previous biographers.
Douglass was born a slave and escaped at the age of twenty. He was fortunate to have learned to read as a boy, and he would develop this skill forbidden to slaves to become one of the great writers of his era. But first he would make his reputation as the most celebrated orator of the abolition movement. Drawing on personal experiences, including his dramatic escape, he developed a genius with words and held audiences spellbound for hours. He knew his Bible and, like Jeremiah, warned his nation about the moral corruption of slavery. Over his lifetime he wrote three versions of his autobiography, all of which are classics of the slave narrative and of American memoir. He also edited two newspapers and mastered the short-form political essay.
This former slave met with Lincoln in the White House and rejoiced in the victory of emancipation. He would become a loyal Republican for the rest of his life, steadfast in his commitment even when challenged during Reconstruction by younger men who accused him of blind allegiance to his party. He saw the promise of Reconstruction dashed by the resistance of former slaveholders and their allies, and he fought this betrayal as eloquently and ferociously as he had fought slavery itself. As a lecturer, he likely reached more listeners than any American of his century.
Douglass's personal life was complex: his children were financially dependent on him even as adult, although they maintained relationships of great mutual devotion. His second marriage, to a white woman, scandalized even some of his supporters. He lived with a modern dilemma of fame like few others of his era.
Frederick Douglass was the African American founder of the nation's second republic, the one born of the Civil War. He is a towering figure deserving of this biography based on nearly a lifetime of research.
Simon & Schuster, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2018
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