Fredrick Douglas and Benjamin Franklin lives were not one in the same, and not only for the obvious reasons of Fredrick being a black Slave in Talbot County, Maryland during the 19th century and Benjamin a free white male in Boston, Massachusetts in the 18th century. Fredrick Douglass grew up on the plantation of the man who was rumored to be his father. Other than knowing his grandparents and mother, who he’s only seen a few occasions he had little to none knowledge of his ancestries. Benjamin knew of his family’s origins. He lived in poverty with his parents and siblings. He was the youngest son and fifteenth child of his father’s seventeen children from two wives.…
Fredrick Douglas and Benjamin Franklin are two memorable individuals who have had a remarkable impact on their nation and time period. Even though Douglas and Franklin came from two completely different backgrounds they both faced many obstacles throughout their lives. Despite being from different time periods the two shared many things in common like the fact that they were both self-made, both Franklin and Douglas were able to turn nothing into something against all odds. While these two shared many things in common they were also very different.…
Both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas are heroic because they fought for freedom and liberty. In the White House Funeral Sermon, for Lincoln, the preacher says that,“the cause he so ardently loved, [he fought] not for himself only, not for us only, but for all the people in all their coming generation.”(SB page 68). This means that Lincoln not only fought for our generation, but for all the generations after us. He was courageous enough to lose his life for the country he fervently loved. In a poem written by Walt Whitman(SB, page 69) he says, “…the prize we sought is won…[but] on the deck my captain lies, fallen cold and dead. ” Lincoln literally laid down his life to serve the land he loved the most. Robert Hayden wrote a poem about Frederick…
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl are two of the most influential autobiographies of slavery. Douglass’s experiences are similar to Harriet Jacobs’s, but they have their differences. Jacobs said “O, you happy free women, contrast your New Year’s day with that of a poor bondwoman! With you it is a pleasant season, and the light of day is blessed.” Douglass said “The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege.”…
Fighting for liberty and freedom, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass are heroic because they put others before themselves. To begin with, Abraham Lincoln fought for the safety and protection of the people and the states in the Civil War, “[...]not for himself only, not for us only, but for all people in all their coming generations” (SB, pg. 68, Sermon). He fought for the liberty of the people because he represented the country and whatever he did, he did for the good of the country since he wanted the North and South to be united together. As a result, he died, after he had saved the country, a hero, “The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done[...] walk the deck my Captain lies, fallen cold and dead” (SB pg. 69, Poetry).…
Frederick Douglas was a free black and prominent black abolitionist who believed the Constitution was opposed to slavery. Douglas wrote about how the Constitution had good objects in it about the United…
Many people revel in the understanding that, no matter how different we look on the outside, human beings are all the same inside, not just with the placement of organs and the ways our muscles flex, but also in our wants and fears, such as our need to understand the meaning of life and our fear of death and the unknown. This sense of sameness makes characters in books and movies relatable and easy to connect with. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Frederick Douglass’s The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, the fictional Guy Montag and one of the leading abolitionists of the 19th century, Frederick Douglass, experience many of these conditions as they fight an oppressive government and its laws. In Fahrenheit 451 and The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, both authors…
“When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose. You’re invisible now. You got not secrets to conceal.” We have all felt at some point in our life that we’re alone and that nothing can get worse. It’s almost as Bob Dylan states we have nothing to lose or in a metaphorical term you’re invisible. Imagine these thoughts on your mind 24/7 eating away your very soul or you as a person. Sadly Frederick Douglas, Malcolm X, and Sandra Cisneros all shared these thoughts in common. Although some of their complications and lives were different these differences didn’t restrict their thoughts to being all similar. In a way feeling these thoughts only made them victorious and made them to be role models for many.…
Having the right to make your own decisions is more than just a simple right. It means everything making your own decisions is what make you yourself. Without it there’s no freedom, you don’t get to be your independent self. Because everything you do is decided by someone else.…
In the same way that notable American Philosophers are incredibly innovative in revolutionary movements, Frederick Douglass’s life experiences had provided for him a proficiency in which to articulate the need for change. Douglass, whose eccentricity and intelligence, being fashioned in the thick of slavery, likened himself to that of transcendentalists. One could argue that in theoretical, scholarly, and modern terminologies that Douglass’ life illustrates numerous transcendent parallels to those of familiarity as Ralph W. Emerson and others who in stark comparison, provided support to one John Brown (Meehan, 2008). Douglass fervently encouraged the extension of essential tenets determined as individual rights, freedom, and equality to…
Henry David Thoreau and Frederick Douglass had two very different ideas of protest. Thoreau’s idea was passive and done individually. Douglass’s idea was active and also done individually. Frederick Douglass was trying to expose the horrible aspects of slavery and Henry David Thoreau was protesting slavery and against the government. However, Frederick Douglass’s idea of protest was better and more effective.…
There are many similarities in the three different stories,”Learning to Read and Write”,”The autobiography of Malcolm X”, and “The only Daughter”. All of these writers struggled to achieve what they wanted or fighting for. Although they were similar at times they were still very different. What they wanted to achieve in the end was different, but they achieved it through their writing.…
a better chance at connecting with the audience there. Lincoln was disappointed to realize, that most people seemed to be for slavery and not against it which only helped Douglas in the debates. In Charleston, Lincoln knew he had to work even harder to come back from Jonesboro. Lincoln took this opportunity to show his support to the Fugitive Slave Law and to break away from the idea of him being an abolitionist. Lincoln made sure that all he spoke was truth and to accept that fact that sometimes he was wrong. Lincoln stated in this debate that he believed that slavery was being protected by the Constitution, and although it was a bold statement, it seemed to move in his favor. Also, Lincoln stated, “Now, my opinion is, that the different States have the power to make a negro a citizen under the Constitution of the United States, if they choose. The Dred Scott decision decides that they have not” (Holzer, 226). Lincoln began to regain his confidence in the fifth debate at Knox College. Lincoln spoke more aggressively and firmly attacked Douglas’ points. Lincoln believed that no one should be able to take away an individual’s God-given right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” blacks were “our equals” (Holzer, 236). If Lincoln had one belief that could never be taken away from him, it would be that everyone was equal and that slavery was “morally and politically wrong.” This debate was a very important mile…
Lincoln is also recorded saying (source 3:2), “but I hold that notwithstanding all this, there is no reason in the world why the Negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the declaration of Independence”. So Lincoln wants everybody to be equal but then again he doesn’t. Lincoln also states that in source 3:2 that like Douglas he is also in favor of his race being the superior race.…
What was Lincoln’s view on slavery and racial equality? Many people were pro-slavery. Stephen Douglas, Lincoln’s opponent for the Illinois Senate, was one and aggressively challenged Lincoln on his anti-slavery views. Lincoln’s statements concerning slavery were used to turn his constituency against him. Forced to defend his views, Lincoln held several public debates with Douglas around the United States. James McPherson notes that while in Charleston, Illinois for a debate with Stephen Douglas on September 18, 1858, Lincoln was asked if he was actually interested in racial equality. Responding defensively, Lincoln stated, “Anything that argues me into his idea of a perfect social and political equality is but a specious and fantastic arrangement of words by which a man can prove a horse chestnut to be a chestnut horse.” (“Mudsills and Greasy Mechanics for A. Lincoln” 185-186). While he did think that blacks were “entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence,…