Literature Review and Contribution of Frederick Douglass's Works

Literature Review and Contribution of Frederick Douglass's Works

Frederick Douglass is arguably the most famous abolitionist writer of the 19th century owing to his opinion-shaes. ping work. The author was an escaped slave who became the editor of an anti-slavery newspaper, a renowned abolitionist and suffrage rights speaker, and a political leader. He was born in 1818, when slavery and gender discrimination were widespread in the United States. Many black men and women were subjected to slavery and oppressed by their masters. Black enslaved people like Douglass did not enjoy equal rights as other whitOther forms of discrimination persisted in the form of women disenfranchisement, where women were also discrimined and denied the right to vote based on their sex. Douglass's works were instrumental in inspiring social, cultural, and political change as they condemned and opposed the oppression and discrimination presented by slavery and women's disenfranchisement.

 The primary motive of the abolishment agenda during slavery is evident in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, which he published in 1845. In the book, he presents his experiences as an enslaved person in the first person to persuade his readers about the negative implications of slavery. For instance, the book explains how the six-year-old Douglass was separated from his grandmother after they moved to the Wye House plantation (Douglass 31). He was also prevented from going to school. This experience demonstrates a disruptive effect of slavery, where it separated children from their relatives and denied them the right to education. The account in the narrative is outstanding because it presents a credible and authentic account of slavery at a time when other slave writers used fictional characters (Davis 270). He also made the work more compelling by using vivid descriptions of the life of a slave with accompanying portraits. The work is described as a typical American book based on its overarching theme and tone of reform. The work was an essential addition to the abolitionist literature at a time when the slavery abolition cause was a major pre-Civil reform movement.

Douglass's works were also meant to present his perspective on the best approach needed to address the problem of slavery to influence black slaves and the society concerning slavery and the abolition cause. At first, the author believed that abolition could be achieved through improving the people's understanding of the plight presented by slavery. He opposed the use of force in favor of moral persuasion, which he thought could be effective in changing how the people viewed slavery while preventing the death and further suffering of black slaves (Goldstein 66). He intended to reach many readers and shape public opinion, a fact that is demonstrated by the decorum and restraint illustrated in Narrative of Frederick Douglass. Douglass believed that slaveholders would be persuaded by the changing public opinion to surrender their slaves. He believed that the process would take a few years, and the slaves only needed to be a little patience. This approach later changed towards encouraging slave revolts after observing that the institution of slavery still persisted as his endurance of pelting and harassment for his abolition reform efforts (Goldstein 66). He used his magazine the North Star to argue that slaveholders did not have any rights to own slaves and associated slave revolts with a fight for human rights. This way, he achieved his objective of activism by changing public perception towards abolition and slave revolts.

Evidently, Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick on slavery and abolition demonstrated his social activism purpose for writing. This commitment to activism was also extended to fight for the enfranchisement of women. At the time, women were discriminated against based on their sex and denied basic suffrage rights that applied to men. This situation contributed to the uprising of women and equal rights reform movements, of which Douglass was part. He used his newspapers, the Frederick Douglass Paper and The North Star, to report favorably about the women's rights state conventions, including the first convention held in 1848 (Quarles 36). Douglass often combined the abolition cause of slavery and the pursuit of equal rights for women. In a North Star Newspaper issue of Aug 11, 1848, he affirmed that individual capacity should be the primary basis for the enjoyment of human rights (Quarles 36). This way, he used his newspaper to affirm that concepts such as race and sex cannot justify discrimination.

Frederick Douglass's work had disruptive social, cultural, and political implications. Regarding the social impacts of his literature, Frederick Douglass opposed the widespread acceptance and support of slavery. For instance, in his narrative, he argued that slaveholders reduced themselves to the level of wild beasts that preyed on one another, and they are not different from thieves and assassins (Douglas 107). He added that enslaving fellow human beings was a declaration of war against the victim, and it could only be countered with war. Through these arguments, Douglass changed the social landscape by depicting slavery as indefensible and an act that needed to be opposed by all means. Further, he advocated for a revolt against slavery and disapproved of the quiet submission among slaves by noting that it would only promote contempt for black men and women. In the Sept 25, 1851 issue of the North Star, he presented his belief that black slaves who fought slavery demonstrated self-respect and an effort to affirm public dignity (Goldstein 70). These arguments from the writer influenced a change in social perception of slavery among the white public. They also presented revolts as acceptable and necessary, which encouraged black slaves to fight for their freedom.

The social hold of Douglass's writing was also witnessed in the equal rights reform movement that advocated for women's rights. His publication of various women and equal rights conventions led to increasing momentum support of society's support of women's right to vote (Quarles 37). His writings and participation in the reform efforts benefited not only the abolition movement but also the feminist movements. The success of these movements also changed the culture of American society in subsequent years to embody respect for human rights and freedoms. Black enslaved people and women were also empowered socially and culturally by Douglass's work which increased slave revolts. It also increased the participation of more women in the fight for suffrage rights. For instance, women started to yearn for success in their suffrage activism as more time and energy was expended on the cause by Douglass and other feminists (Quarles 39). Douglass's efforts thus produced increased urgency for denied rights among the marginalized.

Several political impacts can also be attributed to Douglass’s works. For instance, the success of the reform movements that Douglass had immensely supported led to the formation of a national political party, the National Radical Reformers Party that fielded a woman presidential candidate in 1872 with Douglass as the Vice President (Quarles 42). This achievement was notable for women who had endured immense discrimination. Further, the changing social perception and the increased slave revolts also culminated in the emancipation proclamation in the 1860s after the civil war, which outlawed slavery through the 13th Amendment. Other political changes that were promoted in part by Douglass's efforts included the ratification of the 14th Amendment, which provided birthright citizenship and suffrage rights provided through the passing of the 15th Amendment to the United States in 1870 (Quarles 41). These political milestones depict the success of Douglass, whose work promoted social activism and reform. They signify the achievement of important rights for previously marginalized groups, which Douglass had pursued for many years.

Despite their great insights into what was happening at the time, Douglass’s works gained different reactions from the audience. To some people who were against slavery, the pieces required public attention because they were significant in two accounts. They fitted as slave narratives and were the best of their kind as they represented the unique American literary. One of his works, Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglas; an American slave gained popularity, especially in Europe. By 1850, 30000 copies had been printed in the United States (Davis 270). Notably, there are certain reasons why the work gained popularity. Firstly, the work was written by Douglass, which made it unique as many slavery works did not mention authors at the time. Therefore, the work gave a sense of immediacy, which is only possessed by a firsthand narration. The work was also considered readable as it used simple vocabulary, making it easy to understand the author’s point of view (Davis 270). It also provided a series of sharply etched portraits which gave an account of slavery life. Also, the works gave strong arguments against slavery and why people should take action against the institution. Many people appreciated the works as they created awareness of what was happening and what needed to be done to end slavery. On the contrary, enslavers and other people who supported slavery had a different reaction toward Douglass’s works. They considered his work more revealing, which did not work in their favor. Therefore, they opposed the work and became more determined to return him to the conditions of enslavement.

Unlike in the past, today, people are more aware of slavery, racism, and gender discrimination in terms of how they occur and their impacts on the victims. As a result, people appreciate Douglass’s works as they created awareness, which later led to movements and policies that led to their abolition. It is justifiable to say that Douglass was among the few people who paved the way for abolishing slavery and gender discrimination. Through literature and campaigns that advocate for gender equality, people understand the impacts of discrimination and gender inequality. The social concerns increase the risks of trafficking, exploitation, lack of decent work, lack of access to education, and exposure to violence (Ponthieux and Dominique 986). These risks are major obstacles preventing women from reaching their full potential and making a difference in the world. Consequently, there is increased advocacy against discrimination and gender inequality today. Key points of concern in these efforts include; promoting women’s leadership, raising awareness, building protections against discrimination, and supporting women in various fields. Research has also been conducted on the effects of racism and gender inequality providing more reasons why these acts should not be promoted (Perry et al. 3). With the existing knowledge, people take it as their responsibility to discourage any form of modern slavery and gender discrimination to create a better society for the current and future generations.

Works Cited

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009.

Davis, Arthur. "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Written by Himself. Edited by Benjamin Quarles" Journal of the Negro History, vol. 45, no.4, 1960, 270-271.

Goldstein, Leslie Friedman. "Violence as an Instrument for Social Change: The Views of Frederick Douglass (1817-1895)." The Journal of Negro History, vol. 61., no. 1, 1976, 61-72.

Perry, Brea L., Kathi LH Harp, and Carrie B. Oser. "Racial and gender discrimination in the stress process: Implications for African American women's health and well-being." Sociological Perspectives, vol. 56., no.1, 2013, 25-48.

Ponthieux, Sophie, and Dominique Meurs. "Gender inequality." Handbook of income distribution. Vol. 2. Elsevier, 2015. 981-1146.

Quarles, Benjamin. "Frederick Douglass and the woman's rights movement." The Journal of Negro History, vol. 25., no. 1, 1940, 35-44.