Why Is Frederick Douglass A Good Abolitionist?

There had already been extreme tension between northern and southern states in the United States of America, but things really exploded in the spring of 1861. The Confederate States of America was formed when the Deep South seceded, and shortly afterwards Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president of the US. On April 12, 1861, the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter. Three days later, Lincoln called for 75,000 troops with a term of just 90 days, but he received way more men than 75,000. His Proclamation not only stirred up the northerners, but it also excited the South. Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who had been freed by this point. He had always been a great speaker and strong abolitionist, moving many people because
He said, “The war now being waged in the land is a war for and against slavery; and that it can never be effectually put down till one or the other of these vital forces is completely destroyed.” This shows Douglass’s strong belief that the war was being fought over slavery, and that it would not end until slavery was either abolished or approved. Douglass also said, “Any attempt to secure peace to the whites while leaving the blacks in chains… will be labor lost. The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time; but the “inexorable logic of events” will force it upon them in the end.” This shows that Douglass believed that not only was slavery the topic of the war, but also that trying to allow peace for white people while keeping black slaves was a lost cause. He believed that it was destiny’s will, “inexorable logic of events,” to force America to recognize the fact that they could not truly have peace while allowing slavery. He encouraged people to fight for not only America and its government, but also the blacks. In a way, this statement is also a sort of threat, as I am personally reminded by it of Nat Turner’s slave