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Thesis
In the words of Frederick Douglass: "Though slavery was abolished, the wrongs of my people were not ended. Though they were not slaves they were not yet quite free. No man can be truly free whose liberty is dependent upon the thought, feeling, and action of others; and who has himself no means in his own hands for guarding, protecting, defending, and maintaining that liberty. Yet the Negro after his emancipation was precisely in this state of destitution." During the 1830s and 1860s, the fight for the abolishment of slavery was an important reform movement that pervaded the American
society. Before the Civil War, slaves either gained freedom through the Underground Railroad system or by purchasing it. Despite being free, those Blacks were still subjected to segregation and oppression. As a slave who daringly escaped the brutality of his master, Frederick Douglass’ reaction to the injustice of slavery inflamed people at home and abroad to join the abolition cause. In the spirit of a true American hero, he risked his freedom and life by exposing the corruptions of slavery through his writings and lectures. Delivered with eloquence and charisma, Douglass’ heartfelt speeches paved the path for social reforms such as the Emancipation Proclamation. His direct involvement in the revolutionary war between the North and the South, his active support of women’s rights, his continuous agitation for justice and equality among all groups and his various roles as a statesman in the post emancipation era, has certainly earned him a rightful place in history. |