WEBVTT
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- Welcome to University Place
Presents.
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I'm Norman Gilliland.
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His life story reads like
a novel by Alexander Dumas:
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born into slavery,
disguised, escaped,
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looking over his shoulder
all the while,
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fearing that he
might be recaptured
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and sold back into bondage.
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Becoming an orator
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and one of the great voices
for freedom in this country
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during one of its
pivotal moments.
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Rose to the highest levels
of recognition,
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met with the President of the
United States, Abraham Lincoln,
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and went on to live a long
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and fruitful life
as a voice of freedom.
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His name, Frederick Douglass,
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and he's the subject of a book
by my guest, Greg Lampe,
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who is a former provost
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of the University of Wisconsin
Colleges,
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and author of Frederick
Douglass: Freedom's Voice.
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Welcome to University Place
Presents.
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- Greg: Yeah, thank you,
nice to be here.
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- We know a lot
about Frederick Douglass
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because Frederick Douglass
wrote a lot about himself.
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Three autobiographies?
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- Correct, yeah.
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- And what does he tell us
in these?
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Do they compare, the facts
line up from one to the next?
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- Yeah, overall, yes,
the facts line up.
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What's interesting about
looking at the autobiographies
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is that they take place
in different periods of time.
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So the first autobiography
was written in 1845,
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just years after Douglass
had escaped from slavery
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and was a fugitive
for seven years or so.
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And he was writing
about primarily
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that period, obviously.
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So he talked a lot about
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where he was born on the
Eastern Shore of Maryland,
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who had enslaved him,
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and actually disclosed the names
of the plantation owners
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and the overseers.
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And that was pretty risky
considering his fugitive status,
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which we can talk about.
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His second autobiography
was written in 1855,
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and in that autobiography,
he details more.
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He still recaptures all the
details of his enslavement,
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but then he also
details his life
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as a abolitionist orator
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and his frustrations
with the lack of progress
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for emancipating the slaves
and moving the country forward.
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And then his last autobiography,
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which took on two
different versions,
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about five to six years apart,
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really detail his entire life
from 1818 to 1893 or so.
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And then he died,
of course, in 1895.
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In there, he discloses how
he escaped from slavery
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and his stances
about women's suffrage,
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and particularly his work
against lynchings at the time
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because that had
become a real issue
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following the
Reconstruction period.
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So he did evolve his...
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How I wanna put this?
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His story in his autobiographies
evolved as he evolved,
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and became more nuanced,
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and at times,
a little more impatient.
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And also always an eye,
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as it was the tradition
in 19th century,
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an eye toward his legacy, which
he was very sensitive about,
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and wanted to create
sort of the image
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of this heroic figure, which
obviously he still is today.
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So it worked, and he was heroic
in many, many ways.
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- How much did he know
about his own origins?
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- He didn't know a lot.
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He was born on the
Eastern Shore of Maryland.
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He never knew his birth date.
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He estimated it
to be around 1817,
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and he guessed it was February
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because the last time
he saw his mother,
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'cause he had been separated
from his mother,
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which was a practice
during slavery.
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He was born to an enslaved
mother and so he was a slave,
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but the last visit he had
with his mother was in February
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when he was about
seven years old.
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And she had brought him cake,
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and it was the last time
he saw her.
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And so he determined,
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"I must have been born
in February of 1817."
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Later on, scholars would say
he was close.
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He was actually born
in February 1818.
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And so he knew his mother.
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He didn't know
who his father was.
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In his autobiographies,
this is an interesting shift,
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or early on, he said,
well, he had heard rumors
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that his father was his master,
Aaron Anthony.
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Over time, he distanced himself
from that
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to it could be
a white man in 1855.
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And then, well,
he didn't hardly mention it
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in the last autobiography.
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So yeah, so his origins
were on the Eastern Shore.
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And the Eastern Shore,
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what's important to note
about that is
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it was an area rich in slavery.
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And Douglass's family, his clan,
had been on the Eastern Shore
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for over 100 years
before he was born.
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So the Bailey clan
had very deep roots,
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literally and figuratively
in the Eastern Shore.
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- And the name Bailey,
he took from--
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- From the clan.
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- The clan.
- Yeah, from his clan.
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- And what were his
earliest memories then
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of being a slave
and what he did as a slave
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on this plantation on the
Eastern Shore of Maryland?
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- His earliest memories
are living in a cabin
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with about 20 other siblings
and cousins at a cabin
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where his grandmother
was the one in charge,
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his Grandma Bailey,
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who he writes about very
lovingly in his autobiography.
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She was a fisherperson by trade,
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and she was charged with
taking care of the younger...
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The newly-born children
into slavery.
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He was there
for about seven years.
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And then in that time,
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he didn't even know
he was a slave.
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He had a happy childhood there.
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And he recalls that
with great fondness.
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Then at seven years old,
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he's moved to the
Lloyd plantation,
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which is a large enterprise.
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Hundreds of slaves--
- Still in Maryland.
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- Still in Maryland,
still on the Eastern Shore.
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And so he is exposed
for the first time
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to the whole notion of slavery,
a traumatic, of course,
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departure from his grandmother,
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who leaves him
at the plantation.
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And there, he witnesses
the brutality of slavery,
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which he recalls, of course,
later on in his speeches,
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his anti-slavery speeches.
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He also experiences hunger
for the first time
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'cause he wasn't always
the obedient person.
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He was from the beginning
had his very independent
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and strong-willed,
which doesn't surprise anyone
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who's read about Douglass.
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And he experiences
mostly hunger and cold
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during that period.
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But he's also brought
into the home of the Lloyds
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and allowed to be what is
sometimes called a house slave.
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And I think in that environment,
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he hears a lot of white people
talking about different issues.
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And so he doesn't develop this
plantation, Southern,
07:38.766 --> 07:42.733 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
strong Southern drawl
or accent, dialect
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because one of the things
that follows him
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onto the stage when he gets up
to speak is that, wow,
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he doesn't sound like a slave.
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He's way too articulate.
07:52.233 --> 07:54.866 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
He's way too polished.
07:54.866 --> 07:56.133 align:left position:15% line:89% size:75%
- He doesn't have the accent.
07:56.133 --> 07:58.366 align:left position:17.5% line:89% size:72.5%
- Doesn't have the accent.
07:58.366 --> 08:02.166 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
But anyway, that's his first
seven years is spent there.
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And then as he grows
a little bit older,
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he's sent by his slave overseer,
Aaron Anthony,
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to Baltimore to live
with a brother-in-law.
08:14.633 --> 08:18.133 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
That was a huge move
for Douglass.
08:18.133 --> 08:20.866 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
- For the better?
- For the better, absolutely.
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Away from the plantation
with all its ugliness
08:25.800 --> 08:27.766 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
in terms of how people were...
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How enslaved people were
treated to Baltimore, Maryland,
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where in Baltimore,
there's a large free Black...
08:34.000 --> 08:36.866 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Well, not free, there's
a large free Black population.
08:36.866 --> 08:41.266 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
There's also a pretty large
enslaved population.
08:41.266 --> 08:44.333 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
And his primary role
in Baltimore,
08:44.333 --> 08:46.833 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
at least initially,
was to be a friend
08:46.833 --> 08:54.333 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and brother to the son
of Sophia and the Aulds.
08:54.333 --> 08:59.600 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
And so Tommy was the boy's name,
and he befriended Tommy,
08:59.600 --> 09:02.400 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
and he basically
hung out with him
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and was a companion.
09:04.400 --> 09:09.233 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
And so Hugh and Sophia
treated him not like a son,
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but he had all the comforts
of a home and enjoyed that.
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- So at the age of seven
or so, he was just a companion
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to his master's son
in Baltimore.
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- Right.
09:22.700 --> 09:23.966 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
- Sounds great.
- Yeah.
09:23.966 --> 09:26.200 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
And then at the age of 12,
as again,
09:26.200 --> 09:30.666 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
he continues to evolve
and get increasingly restless,
09:30.666 --> 09:32.766 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
as you can imagine,
a 12-year-old would.
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And Tommy's in school
and being educated,
09:36.700 --> 09:40.233 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
and his question was, "Well,
why am I not being educated?
09:40.233 --> 09:43.666 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
Everybody around me
is being educated."
09:43.666 --> 09:49.166 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
And so in the evening
when Sophia would be reading
09:49.166 --> 09:52.366 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
from the Bible
or a book to her son,
09:52.366 --> 09:55.366 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
he would sit
and listen to her read.
09:55.366 --> 09:58.833 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
And finally he asked her, "Could
you please teach me to read?"
09:58.833 --> 10:02.300 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
And she did, which at the time
was a risk
10:02.300 --> 10:06.066 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
because enslaved people were
not supposed to learn to read.
10:06.066 --> 10:07.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- There were, I believe,
10:07.433 --> 10:09.766 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
some laws against it
in some states.
10:09.766 --> 10:12.000 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- Yeah, and Baltimore
was among those,
10:12.000 --> 10:13.233 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
Maryland was among those,
10:13.233 --> 10:16.066 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and so at great risk,
she taught him to...
10:16.066 --> 10:17.233 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
Started teaching him to read
10:17.233 --> 10:20.600 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
until Hugh Auld,
her husband, found out
10:20.600 --> 10:23.966 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and then it ended abruptly.
10:23.966 --> 10:26.233 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
But the foundation
had been laid.
10:27.233 --> 10:29.066 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- And of course,
her husband was concerned,
10:29.066 --> 10:34.233 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
as everyone was with these laws,
that teaching a slave to read
10:34.233 --> 10:38.766 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
would then encourage that slave
to freedom, seek freedom.
10:38.766 --> 10:41.766 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- Exactly, and that's true
for Douglass especially.
10:41.766 --> 10:47.166 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
Early on, he realized that
this was pretty freeing.
10:47.166 --> 10:49.466 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
The other thing
that he found really important
10:49.466 --> 10:56.566 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
during this period was
his master's wife, Sophia,
10:56.566 --> 10:58.633 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
would also read from the Bible,
10:58.633 --> 11:00.766 align:left position:37.5% line:71% size:52.5%
and mostly
from the Old Testament.
11:00.766 --> 11:03.633 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
So he started getting grounded,
like in the story of Job,
11:03.633 --> 11:05.233 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
which he talks a lot about.
11:05.233 --> 11:07.200 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
- Norman: Patience.
- That there are other people
11:07.200 --> 11:09.400 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
who have to carry heavy burdens.
11:09.400 --> 11:10.666 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
- Perseverance.
11:10.666 --> 11:14.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- Perseverance, and then
there's redemption and hope.
11:14.800 --> 11:18.466 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
So this was a very
formative period for him.
11:18.466 --> 11:20.933 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
And among the most
formative events,
11:20.933 --> 11:25.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
and if I failed to mention this,
this would be really not good.
11:26.333 --> 11:29.533 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
He discovered
The Columbian Orator,
11:29.533 --> 11:33.433 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
a textbook at the time
about oratory,
11:33.433 --> 11:35.100 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
which also was designed
11:35.100 --> 11:38.400 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
to give young schoolchildren
a chance
11:38.400 --> 11:39.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
to read about the morals
11:39.900 --> 11:43.533 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and virtues of a free society,
of a republic.
11:43.533 --> 11:45.566 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- So he saw maybe
some irony in that?
11:45.566 --> 11:47.166 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
- I'm sure he did.
11:47.166 --> 11:50.366 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
And because he had
been learning to read
11:50.366 --> 11:54.000 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
and developing
his reading skills,
11:54.000 --> 11:57.766 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
he could read out of that book,
a very popular textbook
11:57.766 --> 12:02.300 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
of actually 18th and 19th
century by Caleb Bingham.
12:02.300 --> 12:03.800 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
And Bingham was a
former schoolteacher.
12:03.800 --> 12:06.200 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
He had a bookstore in Baltimore.
12:06.200 --> 12:08.400 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
He was really dedicated
12:08.400 --> 12:12.266 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
to instructing the young people
of the nation,
12:12.266 --> 12:16.166 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
both boys and girls, by the way.
- Oh, that's unusual.
12:16.166 --> 12:17.766 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
- About the virtues
of the republic.
12:17.766 --> 12:21.233 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
And so the first 20 pages or so
of that book
12:21.233 --> 12:23.666 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
are dedicated
to the art of oratory,
12:23.666 --> 12:25.766 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
or what he called
the art of eloquence.
12:25.766 --> 12:30.300 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
Subsequently, he has
randomly put in place
12:30.300 --> 12:34.033 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
orations, dialogues,
great writings.
12:34.033 --> 12:36.666 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
George Washington's in there,
12:36.666 --> 12:41.833 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
the great leaders in Europe
and in Great Britain,
12:41.833 --> 12:47.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
all around the notion of liberty
and justice and freedom.
12:47.333 --> 12:49.766 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
- And it's easy
to overlook today
12:49.766 --> 12:52.266 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
with so many media options,
12:52.266 --> 12:55.933 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
the importance of oratory
in the 19th century
12:55.933 --> 12:58.166 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
of not just in getting
a message across,
12:58.166 --> 13:00.800 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
but as a way
of bringing people together
13:00.800 --> 13:02.533 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and even entertainment.
13:02.533 --> 13:07.533 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- That's right, and it was
called the Golden Age of Oratory
13:07.533 --> 13:11.766 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
because oratory was the means
of communication
13:11.766 --> 13:16.200 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
in terms of debating
the merits of proposals,
13:16.200 --> 13:19.966 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
in terms of entertainment,
as you mentioned.
13:19.966 --> 13:23.900 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
The Lyceum was a very big deal
in the 19th century,
13:23.900 --> 13:28.433 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
where you would get speakers
of all cuts
13:28.433 --> 13:32.500 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and from all over the
United States speaking
13:32.500 --> 13:35.733 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
for the purpose of entertaining
or educating.
13:35.733 --> 13:37.466 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
It was just part of the culture.
13:38.633 --> 13:43.900 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- And as he learns oratory,
what is the situation for,
13:43.900 --> 13:46.766 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
we'll still call him
Frederick Bailey at this point?
13:46.766 --> 13:57.766 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- He is still in Baltimore
and he is now able to recite...
13:57.766 --> 13:59.733 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
The whole notion
of The Columbian Orator
13:59.733 --> 14:03.033 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
was you memorize these pieces
and you recite them,
14:03.033 --> 14:07.633 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and you learn the language
of liberation, basically.
14:07.633 --> 14:09.633 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
And so he's learning
that language,
14:09.633 --> 14:11.700 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and he's also learning
about what it means
14:11.700 --> 14:14.533 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
to be an effective orator.
14:14.533 --> 14:17.100 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
So write down the hand gestures
14:17.100 --> 14:20.766 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
and how to organize a speech,
and it was really important
14:20.766 --> 14:23.200 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
to be conversational
and natural.
14:23.200 --> 14:27.233 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
All these words fit Douglass
as he emerges from slavery.
14:27.233 --> 14:30.666 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- His life from a slave,
though, his life as a slave,
14:30.666 --> 14:32.000 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
clearly there's
a turning point...
14:32.000 --> 14:33.900 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
There would be a turning point
in the life
14:33.900 --> 14:37.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
of any slave who escapes,
says, "Now, it's time to go."
14:37.366 --> 14:39.566 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- Yep, so at the age of 12,
14:41.600 --> 14:45.166 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
his overseer dies
on the Eastern Shore,
14:45.166 --> 14:48.133 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and he's brought back
to the Eastern Shore
14:48.133 --> 14:49.933 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
because they're
going divide up now
14:49.933 --> 14:51.666 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
the slaves that he owned.
14:52.966 --> 14:54.300 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
That was Aaron Anthony who died.
14:54.300 --> 14:56.766 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
So they divide the slaves,
14:56.766 --> 14:59.233 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and as circumstances
would have it,
14:59.233 --> 15:02.533 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
they send Douglass
back to Baltimore,
15:03.533 --> 15:05.566 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
where he lives
a little bit longer
15:05.566 --> 15:11.300 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
until the Aulds
in Baltimore decide,
15:11.300 --> 15:12.466 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
well, they don't decide,
15:12.466 --> 15:15.900 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
but Douglass is now
needed on the plantation.
15:15.900 --> 15:18.600 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
He's old enough,
he's strong enough,
15:18.600 --> 15:20.166 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
they needed him to come back.
15:20.166 --> 15:22.166 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
- So he's getting a worse job.
15:22.166 --> 15:25.100 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- Yeah, he's no longer
a house slave.
15:25.100 --> 15:26.733 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
He is actually in the field.
15:26.733 --> 15:29.900 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
Turns out that he doesn't take
to the field life of a slave,
15:29.900 --> 15:34.533 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
being a field hand, very well,
and his overseer then sends him
15:34.533 --> 15:38.200 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
to what they called
at the time a slave breaker
15:38.200 --> 15:43.366 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
or someone to break the spirit
of someone who's--
15:43.366 --> 15:45.233 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
- Like you would break a horse.
15:45.233 --> 15:48.000 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- Exactly, and this man
named Edward Covey
15:48.000 --> 15:50.833 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
had the reputation as being
very successful at this.
15:50.833 --> 15:54.500 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
And under him,
Douglass is worked really hard.
15:54.500 --> 15:58.333 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
He's beaten regularly, whipped,
15:58.333 --> 16:02.000 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and just to the point
where Douglass can hardly...
16:02.000 --> 16:03.433 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
Well, he can't stand it anymore.
16:03.433 --> 16:08.500 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
And he actually takes on Covey,
and it's a famous fight,
16:08.500 --> 16:10.600 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and Douglass describes it
as two hours.
16:10.600 --> 16:13.400 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
It may have been more or less,
but in the end,
16:14.466 --> 16:17.600 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
he's victorious
over this slave breaker.
16:18.700 --> 16:21.766 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
And normally, what would happen
in that case
16:21.766 --> 16:23.700 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
is they'd send him deeper south.
16:23.700 --> 16:25.533 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
- Yes, sure,
where it could be harder--
16:25.533 --> 16:26.766 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- For him to escape.
16:26.766 --> 16:28.566 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
- Harder lifestyle
and harder to escape.
16:28.566 --> 16:30.900 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
- But Covey,
as I've read about him,
16:30.900 --> 16:33.933 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
was so proud of his reputation.
16:33.933 --> 16:35.700 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
He didn't want to do that.
16:35.700 --> 16:37.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
And he didn't want people
to know
16:37.833 --> 16:40.933 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
that Douglass had whipped him,
basically.
16:40.933 --> 16:42.800 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
I mean, not whipped him
with a whip,
16:42.800 --> 16:45.333 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
but physically handled him.
16:45.333 --> 16:48.900 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
And so he sends him
to the Freeland farm
16:48.900 --> 16:51.233 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
to be a farmhand.
16:51.233 --> 16:54.333 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
The Freelands had a reputation
of being,
16:54.333 --> 16:57.433 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
if you can say this
about enslaved people,
16:57.433 --> 16:59.766 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
a kind slave owner.
16:59.766 --> 17:01.833 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
So Douglass was well-treated.
17:01.833 --> 17:04.733 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
He was clothed.
17:04.733 --> 17:07.933 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
He wasn't beaten,
but he had to work.
17:07.933 --> 17:12.800 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
And of course,
now Douglass is 16, 17,
17:12.800 --> 17:16.400 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
he starts to meet
with people in the area,
17:16.400 --> 17:20.033 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
his Black comrades, and they
begin to plot an escape.
17:20.033 --> 17:22.966 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
And they determine they're
going to escape on Easter
17:22.966 --> 17:26.133 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
because Easter is a time
when there's free movement.
17:27.133 --> 17:29.666 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- Slaves get to visit their
families and that kind of thing.
17:29.666 --> 17:32.800 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- So they would put a boat
in Chesapeake Bay,
17:32.800 --> 17:35.533 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and they would float their way
north to freedom.
17:35.533 --> 17:39.500 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Well, one of the people
in the plan got nervous
17:39.500 --> 17:42.500 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
and told on them,
and they were caught.
17:42.500 --> 17:45.900 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
Douglass and about two other
of his comrades were caught.
17:45.900 --> 17:49.933 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
They were marched
to St. Michael's,
17:49.933 --> 17:55.000 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
which was about a good
10 to 12 miles away and jailed.
17:55.000 --> 17:58.800 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
And when Douglass was released,
17:58.800 --> 18:01.633 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and instead of being
sent again south,
18:01.633 --> 18:03.533 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
they sent him back to Baltimore.
18:04.700 --> 18:07.766 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
Which there's a lot
of conjecture about,
18:07.766 --> 18:12.600 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
but many of the scholars
on Douglass,
18:12.600 --> 18:16.500 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
Douglass scholars do speculate
that Douglass had...
18:18.933 --> 18:21.733 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
People realized he was really--
18:21.733 --> 18:23.500 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- Had something extra.
- Right.
18:23.500 --> 18:25.366 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And when he got to Baltimore,
18:25.366 --> 18:29.500 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
Hugh and Sophia Auld
promised him that at age 25,
18:29.500 --> 18:33.066 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
they would free him
from slavery.
18:33.066 --> 18:36.400 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
Of course, he's 18,
so that's a long time.
18:36.400 --> 18:37.866 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
- Still a seven-year sentence.
18:37.866 --> 18:41.000 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
- And so while he's
in Baltimore this time,
18:41.000 --> 18:42.233 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
he becomes a member
18:42.233 --> 18:44.833 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
of the Baltimore Mental
Improvement Society,
18:44.833 --> 18:47.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
which is a society of all
Black men, pretty much,
18:47.900 --> 18:51.200 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
who debate on a regular basis,
give speeches to one another,
18:52.200 --> 18:55.233 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and educate each other
about the world.
18:55.233 --> 18:59.666 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
He also discovers religion,
organized religion,
18:59.666 --> 19:03.166 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and joins an AME Zion
Baptist church.
19:03.166 --> 19:05.466 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
He is befriended
by a man named Lawson,
19:05.466 --> 19:07.533 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
who becomes his mentor
19:07.533 --> 19:11.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and his first real loving
friendship that they develop.
19:11.433 --> 19:14.866 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
And Lawson teaches him
further about the Bible,
19:14.866 --> 19:19.233 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and tells Douglass that
he's a special person
19:19.233 --> 19:22.233 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
and was born
for special purpose.
19:22.233 --> 19:23.833 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
- Oh, that's a turning point,
isn't it?
19:23.833 --> 19:26.533 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
- Yes, it was,
so all this movement
19:26.533 --> 19:29.333 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
and Douglass teaching Sabbath
schools, for example,
19:29.333 --> 19:32.100 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and teaching fellow slaves
how to read
19:32.100 --> 19:37.166 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and going to church and
experiencing Black preachers
19:37.166 --> 19:41.166 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
both on the plantation
and as in Baltimore,
19:41.166 --> 19:43.700 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
all this is the
foundation for him
19:43.700 --> 19:47.200 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
in terms of his life mission
or goal.
19:47.200 --> 19:51.033 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- Which requires, in order
to fulfill it, escape.
19:51.033 --> 19:52.833 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
- Freedom, exactly.
19:52.833 --> 19:55.900 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
So at age 20,
and in all this time,
19:55.900 --> 19:58.166 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
in that two-year period,
18 to 20 years old,
19:58.166 --> 20:03.233 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
he falls in love with a free
Black woman named Anna Murray.
20:03.233 --> 20:09.800 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And she is a domestic servant,
but a free woman.
20:09.800 --> 20:11.333 align:left position:22.5% line:89% size:67.5%
And that also fuels him
20:11.333 --> 20:16.733 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
because an enslaved man
can't marry a woman who is free.
20:16.733 --> 20:20.300 align:left position:35% line:83% size:55%
So together,
they plot an escape.
20:20.300 --> 20:22.500 align:left position:12.5% line:89% size:77.5%
He has friends who are sailors.
20:22.500 --> 20:26.900 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
He puts on a sailor uniform,
gets his friend's papers.
20:28.000 --> 20:31.633 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
I think it was Navy papers.
20:31.633 --> 20:34.266 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
Gets on a train
dressed as a sailor,
20:34.266 --> 20:37.800 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
and literally rides
the railroad to freedom
20:37.800 --> 20:40.766 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
to Philadelphia and then
a steamship to New York.
20:40.766 --> 20:42.166 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And when he gets to New York,
20:42.166 --> 20:44.166 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
he sends for Anna,
and they marry in New York,
20:44.166 --> 20:46.733 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
and then he moves
to New Bedford, Massachusetts
20:46.733 --> 20:49.100 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
at the direction
of the abolitionists,
20:49.100 --> 20:51.800 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
who in New York were kind of
guiding him at that point.
20:51.800 --> 20:53.600 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
He connected with them.
20:53.600 --> 20:55.133 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
And they sent him
to New Bedford.
20:55.133 --> 20:56.933 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- Norman: New Bedford,
a very busy place
20:56.933 --> 20:59.700 align:left position:22.5% line:89% size:67.5%
in the 1840s and '50s.
20:59.700 --> 21:02.000 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
- Greg: It's a major
whaling port.
21:02.000 --> 21:03.366 align:left position:32.5% line:89% size:57.5%
Lots of ships.
21:03.366 --> 21:05.733 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
One of the things I failed
to mention in Baltimore,
21:05.733 --> 21:09.666 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
when he was 18, he had
been trained as a caulker
21:09.666 --> 21:14.000 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
on the wharfs of Baltimore.
21:14.000 --> 21:16.500 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
And so he had a trade,
he learned a trade.
21:16.500 --> 21:21.533 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And so the idea was maybe he
could carry that trade forward
21:21.533 --> 21:24.366 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
from Baltimore to New Bedford
and be a caulker.
21:24.366 --> 21:27.266 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
He'd have a livelihood
while he got established
21:27.266 --> 21:28.533 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
in New Bedford.
21:28.533 --> 21:30.733 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- What kind of life did
he experience as a caulker,
21:30.733 --> 21:32.900 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
as a professional
in New Bedford?
21:32.900 --> 21:36.133 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
Was it anything
approaching equality?
21:36.133 --> 21:39.000 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
Who was he working with?
- No, it didn't go well at all.
21:39.000 --> 21:42.466 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
In fact, the first time
he went to work down
21:42.466 --> 21:46.366 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
at the wharfs in New Bedford,
he was beaten.
21:46.366 --> 21:49.766 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
And so he had
to find other work.
21:49.766 --> 21:52.433 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
It just didn't work for him.
21:52.433 --> 21:54.900 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
And so what he did
was he went on
21:54.900 --> 21:58.200 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
then to work in a candle factory
21:58.200 --> 22:02.533 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and eventually joined
the Black abolitionist,
22:02.533 --> 22:07.000 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
the local Black abolitionist
folks in New Bedford,
22:07.000 --> 22:08.333 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
where they met regularly
22:08.333 --> 22:11.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
as anti-slavery meetings,
organized meetings.
22:11.400 --> 22:15.333 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
He joined the AME Zion Church
in New Bedford,
22:15.333 --> 22:18.733 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
where he established himself
very quickly as a leader
22:18.733 --> 22:24.300 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and went into pastoral training
and became a licensed pastor,
22:24.300 --> 22:27.000 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
or at least on his way
to being a licensed pastor.
22:27.000 --> 22:31.233 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
And they happily married.
22:31.233 --> 22:34.700 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
And there were a lot of Quakers
in New Bedford
22:34.700 --> 22:37.433 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
who supported the
Black community.
22:37.433 --> 22:40.633 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
But still, even though
things were looking up,
22:40.633 --> 22:41.933 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
he was still a fugitive.
22:41.933 --> 22:43.733 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- And he must've
changed his name by now.
22:43.733 --> 22:44.933 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- And he changed his name
22:44.933 --> 22:46.633 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
when he got to New Bedford
to Douglass.
22:46.633 --> 22:48.466 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
The person he was staying with
22:48.466 --> 22:51.366 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
actually was reading
"Lady of the Lake,"
22:51.366 --> 22:54.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
an epic poem where the heroine--
22:54.033 --> 22:55.733 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
- Sir Walter Scott.
- Sir Walter Scott,
22:55.733 --> 22:57.100 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
and the heroine was Douglass,
22:57.100 --> 22:59.300 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and said, "This would be
a very good name for you."
22:59.300 --> 23:01.166 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
Which fit, again,
into Douglass's
23:01.166 --> 23:06.100 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
kind of intellectual vision
for himself as a heroic figure.
23:06.100 --> 23:08.500 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- He must still have been
looking over his shoulder though
23:08.500 --> 23:09.866 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
for slave catchers.
23:09.866 --> 23:12.833 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
- Yes, the fugitive slave law
was well underway,
23:12.833 --> 23:17.100 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
except in New Bedford because
there were so many Quakers
23:17.100 --> 23:20.766 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
and it was a very
healthy-sized Black population.
23:22.000 --> 23:25.833 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
If slave catchers were
to come into New Bedford,
23:25.833 --> 23:28.733 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
Douglass would've
been protected,
23:28.733 --> 23:31.633 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
would've been guarded,
would've had ample warning.
23:31.633 --> 23:36.566 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And so that was the good part
about New Bedford.
23:36.566 --> 23:38.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- So he's an abolitionist
at this point,
23:38.533 --> 23:41.566 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
I mean, in practice
as well as in spirit.
23:41.566 --> 23:45.766 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
And is he, like, taking
to the road, making the rounds?
23:45.766 --> 23:48.700 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- Yeah, in 1841,
August of 1841,
23:48.700 --> 23:51.966 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Garrison and the white
abolitionists from Boston
23:51.966 --> 23:53.133 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
came to town.
23:54.333 --> 23:58.400 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
They had heard about Douglass
in New Bedford.
23:58.400 --> 24:01.000 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
They had known
he had become a leader,
24:01.000 --> 24:02.366 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
an established leader
24:02.366 --> 24:05.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
in the Black abolitionist
movement in New Bedford.
24:05.733 --> 24:08.333 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
And they went
and heard him speak.
24:08.333 --> 24:10.333 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
And Garrison writes
a great deal.
24:10.333 --> 24:11.733 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
William Lloyd Garrison,
who's the leader
24:11.733 --> 24:13.900 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
of the anti-slavery movement,
24:13.900 --> 24:16.633 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
the moral suasion wing
of the anti-slavery movement,
24:16.633 --> 24:17.966 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
heard him speak.
24:17.966 --> 24:21.800 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
And so invited him to Nantucket
to a larger convention
24:21.800 --> 24:25.133 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and to speak in front of
white people for the first time.
24:25.133 --> 24:26.966 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
And Douglass writes
a lot about this
24:26.966 --> 24:28.233 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
in his autobiographies
24:28.233 --> 24:32.100 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
of how white people had
always been the enemy,
24:32.100 --> 24:34.933 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
basically, and so
he was very, very nervous.
24:34.933 --> 24:38.100 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
But he did very well,
to the point where
24:39.233 --> 24:42.300 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
Garrison recognized
this is a person that could
24:42.300 --> 24:47.366 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
shed bright light on slavery,
the atrocities of it
24:47.366 --> 24:49.766 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
with firsthand experience,
24:49.766 --> 24:51.833 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and offered Douglass
an opportunity
24:51.833 --> 24:53.966 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
to become a full-time
abolitionist
24:53.966 --> 24:57.033 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
with the Garrisonian
abolitionists.
24:57.033 --> 24:59.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- Douglass scarred by the
whippings he had received?
24:59.633 --> 25:04.533 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- He was scarred,
but not mentally.
25:04.533 --> 25:08.066 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
He had a very strong will,
as I've tried to establish,
25:08.066 --> 25:12.233 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
and he was beaten,
and savagely at times.
25:12.233 --> 25:15.466 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
But when you look at the time
he spent in that setting,
25:16.466 --> 25:18.066 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
and I don't want
in any way diminish
25:18.066 --> 25:21.966 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
that he was beaten, but it
was a short period of time,
25:21.966 --> 25:24.433 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
not enough to really break him.
25:24.433 --> 25:27.033 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And when he was on the verge
of being broken,
25:27.033 --> 25:30.633 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
he fought back, and it turned
out pretty well for him,
25:30.633 --> 25:33.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
where it could have gone
literally deeper south.
25:33.733 --> 25:38.800 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
- His voice and his presence,
25:38.800 --> 25:42.800 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
also powerful
when he was an orator?
25:42.800 --> 25:45.933 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
- Yes, his physical presence,
people write about this.
25:45.933 --> 25:48.833 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
has the best, I think,
25:48.833 --> 25:52.166 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
description of him on the stage,
on the platform.
25:52.166 --> 25:53.566 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60%
She called him...
25:53.566 --> 25:56.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
She said he was majestic
in his wrath.
25:56.566 --> 25:59.700 align:left position:35% line:83% size:55%
He was angry,
he spoke pointedly.
25:59.700 --> 26:02.066 align:left position:12.5% line:89% size:77.5%
He was courageous in the sense
26:02.066 --> 26:05.266 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
that he would hold up
America's sin of slavery
26:05.266 --> 26:06.933 align:left position:25% line:89% size:65%
in front of everyone.
26:06.933 --> 26:10.366 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
He continuously asked,
"Why was I a slave?
26:10.366 --> 26:12.400 align:left position:25% line:89% size:65%
"Why am I a fugitive?
26:12.400 --> 26:14.166 align:left position:25% line:89% size:65%
I am a human being."
26:14.166 --> 26:17.433 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
And his very presence
on the stage was a testament
26:17.433 --> 26:20.600 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
to the fact that
he was a human being.
26:20.600 --> 26:26.433 align:left position:27.5% line:83% size:62.5%
And he was fearless
when it came to
26:26.433 --> 26:29.766 align:left position:15% line:89% size:75%
evoking the sins of America,
26:29.766 --> 26:32.866 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
not just of the North,
but just the sin
26:32.866 --> 26:35.866 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
and going against everything
that was decent
26:35.866 --> 26:38.400 align:left position:27.5% line:83% size:62.5%
in the Declaration
of Independence.
26:38.400 --> 26:40.000 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
That was his touchstone.
26:41.466 --> 26:43.700 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
America is not living up
to its promise.
26:43.700 --> 26:44.866 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
We hear these words today,
26:44.866 --> 26:48.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
but in the 19th century,
for a Black man,
26:48.633 --> 26:52.266 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
considered a brute, less
than human, to be getting up
26:52.266 --> 26:56.200 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and questioning Americans,
white Americans,
26:56.200 --> 26:58.300 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
particularly white Northerners,
26:58.300 --> 27:01.566 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
oftentimes affluent
white Northerners
27:01.566 --> 27:05.066 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
about not living up
to the promise, right,
27:05.066 --> 27:08.800 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
of the Declaration
of Independence.
27:08.800 --> 27:10.566 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
That was something
very different.
27:11.600 --> 27:13.300 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- So he takes to the road.
27:13.300 --> 27:17.766 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
How widely does he travel
as a proponent of abolition?
27:17.766 --> 27:20.633 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- So he does, he takes
to the road immediately.
27:20.633 --> 27:24.933 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
In the years that follow,
in the four years that follow,
27:24.933 --> 27:30.666 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
he actually participates
in two 100 convention tours.
27:30.666 --> 27:33.633 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
There's a 100 convention tour
of New York,
27:33.633 --> 27:37.500 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
and there's a 100 convention
tour of Rhode Island
27:37.500 --> 27:40.166 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
where he is literally,
it's 100 conventions.
27:40.166 --> 27:44.033 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
So he is on the road
with the white abolitionists
27:45.366 --> 27:48.166 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
traveling from town to town,
usually following the path
27:48.166 --> 27:50.766 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
of the railroad
or the stage coach.
27:50.766 --> 27:52.600 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
And remember,
he is a Black person,
27:52.600 --> 27:55.366 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
so he is relegated to,
when he is on a train,
27:55.366 --> 27:57.233 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
he's forced to--
27:57.233 --> 27:59.100 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- Ride with the baggage,
in some cases.
27:59.100 --> 28:01.900 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- Ride with the baggage
and in any kind of steamship,
28:01.900 --> 28:03.133 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
in steerage.
28:03.133 --> 28:06.633 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
Of course, Douglass
would not tolerate that.
28:06.633 --> 28:10.266 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And so there's a great story
about him being picked up
28:10.266 --> 28:11.833 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
in New Bedford by the railroad,
28:11.833 --> 28:14.366 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and him sitting in the cars
with the whites.
28:14.366 --> 28:15.966 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
And he did this
a number of times,
28:15.966 --> 28:17.566 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and they would throw him
off the train.
28:17.566 --> 28:20.233 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
And after a while,
the railroad decided
28:20.233 --> 28:22.066 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
they weren't gonna stop
at New Bedford
28:22.066 --> 28:24.633 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
because Douglass was
continuously doing
28:24.633 --> 28:26.666 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
civil disobedience, basically.
28:26.666 --> 28:28.100 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
But yeah, he traveled widely.
28:28.100 --> 28:31.133 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
He had trouble finding
places to sleep
28:31.133 --> 28:33.100 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
and places to stay.
28:33.100 --> 28:34.533 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
If there were
white abolitionists
28:34.533 --> 28:37.166 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
friendly towards the movement
28:37.166 --> 28:39.966 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
and friendly towards a Black
person staying in their home,
28:39.966 --> 28:41.600 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
of course he could do that,
28:41.600 --> 28:43.766 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
but that was not
always the case.
28:43.766 --> 28:46.066 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
He struggled with that.
28:46.066 --> 28:50.666 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
- On these trips, these
road trips, speaking tours,
28:50.666 --> 28:52.633 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
did he run into violence?
28:52.633 --> 28:58.133 align:left position:27.5% line:83% size:62.5%
- He did, and these
were not calm meetings.
28:58.133 --> 29:00.700 align:left position:32.5% line:83% size:57.5%
A lot of times,
the smaller local meetings
29:00.700 --> 29:02.933 align:left position:25% line:89% size:65%
were relatively calm,
29:02.933 --> 29:04.833 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
although Douglass
had the reputation
29:04.833 --> 29:08.633 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5%
of calling and even disagreeing
with the abolitionists publicly.
29:08.633 --> 29:10.400 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
- Well, there was a spectrum
of abolitionists.
29:10.400 --> 29:12.600 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
Wasn't there a spectrum
of opinion?
29:12.600 --> 29:14.666 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
- Yeah, so he was not afraid
to do that,
29:14.666 --> 29:17.433 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
but occasionally
they would get into the...
29:17.433 --> 29:19.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
They would be speaking in a town
that wasn't friendly.
29:19.566 --> 29:23.100 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
And a good example of that
is Pendleton, Indiana.
29:23.100 --> 29:26.166 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
Now, Indiana was pretty close
to the slave,
29:26.166 --> 29:30.033 align:left position:35% line:83% size:55%
to the South
and organized slavery.
29:30.033 --> 29:34.900 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
And a mob had formed
to basically kill Douglass,
29:34.900 --> 29:36.766 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
or at least injure him
severely enough
29:36.766 --> 29:38.166 align:left position:22.5% line:89% size:67.5%
that he couldn't speak.
29:38.166 --> 29:40.866 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
And so in the middle
of a meeting,
29:40.866 --> 29:44.866 align:left position:12.5% line:89% size:77.5%
they came and beat him with...
29:44.866 --> 29:46.233 align:left position:17.5% line:89% size:72.5%
They broke up the platform,
29:46.233 --> 29:49.633 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
the wooden platform,
and beat him with the platform,
29:49.633 --> 29:52.300 align:left position:22.5% line:89% size:67.5%
and nearly killed him.
29:52.300 --> 29:53.800 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
The white abolitionists
rescued him
29:53.800 --> 29:57.366 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5%
and brought him back to a home
where he was administered,
29:57.366 --> 29:59.266 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
but then Douglass being Douglass
29:59.266 --> 30:02.300 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
decided he was gonna go back
to the same place the next day,
30:02.300 --> 30:05.466 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
and he was not going
to allow anyone
30:05.466 --> 30:08.700 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
to deter him from his mission
to end slavery.
30:08.700 --> 30:12.633 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
And that happened repeatedly
in this whole period
30:12.633 --> 30:15.666 align:left position:27.5% line:89% size:62.5%
from 1841 to 1845.
30:15.666 --> 30:18.400 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
There were outbreaks
at various conventions,
30:18.400 --> 30:23.300 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
even in Boston,
in Faneuil Hall in the 1840s
30:23.300 --> 30:25.200 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and later in the 1860s.
30:26.933 --> 30:28.533 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
They would try to shout...
30:28.533 --> 30:31.800 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
They called it shouting him
off the platform.
30:31.800 --> 30:36.533 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
And Douglass believed
that he was a citizen
30:36.533 --> 30:40.100 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and he was entitled to all
the rights of a citizen,
30:40.100 --> 30:42.000 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
including the right
of free speech.
30:42.000 --> 30:44.966 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
So he never was shouted
off the platform.
30:44.966 --> 30:48.400 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
People shouted over him, but he
never would leave a platform.
30:48.400 --> 30:51.233 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
He would always stay
and finish his remarks,
30:51.233 --> 30:52.766 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
despite all the noise.
30:53.800 --> 30:54.966 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- And along the way,
30:54.966 --> 30:56.366 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
getting considerable press,
I would think.
30:56.366 --> 31:02.266 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- He was, locally, and then
more of a northern newspaper,
31:02.266 --> 31:06.300 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
The Liberator of course
carried lots of stories.
31:06.300 --> 31:07.533 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
When I was doing my research,
31:07.533 --> 31:09.866 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
I found stories
in the New National Era,
31:09.866 --> 31:11.633 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
which was an
abolitionist newspaper.
31:11.633 --> 31:14.133 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
The local newspapers
covered him too.
31:14.133 --> 31:16.266 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
A lot of times, local newspapers
at that period
31:16.266 --> 31:19.133 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
would just replicate what
was in the national news,
31:19.133 --> 31:20.800 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
but they always
had a local column.
31:20.800 --> 31:24.033 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
And they would describe
Douglass on the platform,
31:24.033 --> 31:29.366 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and people were just aghast
at how strong he was,
31:29.366 --> 31:33.200 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
how voracious he was
as a speaker, yeah.
31:34.900 --> 31:38.366 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
- Newspapers were, of course,
as you imply Greg,
31:38.366 --> 31:41.666 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
key for communication
at this point.
31:41.666 --> 31:44.666 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Did he eventually have
a newspaper of his own?
31:44.666 --> 31:52.133 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
- Yes, in fact, one of his goals
early on in the 1840s
31:52.133 --> 31:54.100 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
was to have his own newspaper
31:54.100 --> 31:56.066 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
so he could have
his voice heard.
31:58.500 --> 32:03.000 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
When he fled to England
and when he was in England,
32:03.000 --> 32:06.366 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
the white abolitionists there,
the women particularly,
32:06.366 --> 32:09.266 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
the Female Anti-Slavery Society
in England,
32:09.266 --> 32:13.100 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
actually bought his freedom.
32:13.100 --> 32:15.500 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
And so that was
very controversial
32:15.500 --> 32:17.166 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
because by buying his freedom--
32:17.166 --> 32:19.766 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
- It implied that he had been
a slave in the first place.
32:19.766 --> 32:21.766 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- He had been a slave
in the first place,
32:21.766 --> 32:23.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and that didn't sit well
with the abolitionists.
32:23.366 --> 32:25.066 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
But for Douglass,
that was the liberation
32:25.066 --> 32:26.933 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
he was so, so desiring.
32:26.933 --> 32:29.200 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
So they paid for his freedom
32:29.200 --> 32:32.500 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and they raised money
for a press
32:32.500 --> 32:36.733 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
so he could come return to the
America again, to the U.S.,
32:36.733 --> 32:40.866 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
a free man rejoined
with his wife Anna
32:40.866 --> 32:45.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and his family, and they
moved to Rochester, New York.
32:45.833 --> 32:48.666 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
The Garrisonians
were not supportive
32:48.666 --> 32:50.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
of him having his own newspaper.
32:50.333 --> 32:52.066 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
They believed that was overkill.
32:52.066 --> 32:54.666 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
They were really, actually
threatened by the fact
32:54.666 --> 32:56.733 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
that he would publish
his own newspaper.
32:58.133 --> 32:59.733 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
It was called The North Star.
32:59.733 --> 33:01.766 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
And he did publish it
in Rochester,
33:01.766 --> 33:03.933 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and he had a lot of benefactors
in Rochester,
33:03.933 --> 33:06.166 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
which is why he moved
to Rochester.
33:06.166 --> 33:08.966 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
He had a lot of support
from the local community,
33:08.966 --> 33:13.066 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and he thrived there
as an independent editor.
33:13.066 --> 33:18.333 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And again, continued to speak
as an abolitionist speaker.
33:18.333 --> 33:22.266 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
- We're, I think by this point,
getting into the 1850s
33:22.266 --> 33:29.333 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and the most contentious
of the pre-Civil War years.
33:29.333 --> 33:30.733 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
- Greg: Yes.
33:30.733 --> 33:32.100 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
- Norman: In addition
to abolitionists,
33:32.100 --> 33:35.133 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
is he having other allies
in the northern states,
33:35.133 --> 33:37.333 align:left position:15% line:89% size:75%
obviously for the most part,
33:37.333 --> 33:39.666 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
who are not necessarily
abolitionists,
33:39.666 --> 33:42.666 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
but they're saying it's time
for slavery to go?
33:42.666 --> 33:44.266 align:left position:17.5% line:89% size:72.5%
- Greg: Yeah, in the 1850s,
33:44.266 --> 33:46.266 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
it was such a crucial period
for Douglass.
33:46.266 --> 33:50.333 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
Douglass was a Garrisonian
abolitionist up until the 1850s,
33:50.333 --> 33:55.333 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
and Garrisonians believed
that moral suasion
33:55.333 --> 33:58.933 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
was the way forward,
that you could convince people,
33:58.933 --> 34:01.333 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
if you could bring slavery
into the hearts
34:01.333 --> 34:05.133 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
and minds of the audience,
the people of the North,
34:05.133 --> 34:09.066 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
they would see the immorality
of it and work to end it.
34:10.433 --> 34:15.200 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
And they wanted to dissolve the
Constitution and start anew.
34:15.200 --> 34:16.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
They wanted a peaceful--
34:17.833 --> 34:19.200 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
- Transition.
34:19.200 --> 34:21.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- Transition, and that's
what they were working toward.
34:21.400 --> 34:24.766 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
By the 1850s, Douglass
was evolving to the point,
34:24.766 --> 34:26.466 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
particularly with other
Black abolitionists,
34:26.466 --> 34:28.533 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
but also white abolitionists,
34:28.533 --> 34:31.900 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and with the political climate
as it was,
34:31.900 --> 34:33.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
becoming very discouraged
34:33.633 --> 34:39.200 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and started to believe
that the Constitution,
34:39.200 --> 34:41.933 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
contrary to what the
Garrisonians believed,
34:41.933 --> 34:46.100 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
that the Constitution
was not a pro-slavery document,
34:46.100 --> 34:49.933 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
but contained the workings
of actually a way forward
34:50.933 --> 34:53.200 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
to end slavery and start anew.
34:53.200 --> 34:55.333 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- It did, from the get-go,
34:55.333 --> 34:58.100 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
specify that there
would be an end in 1808
34:58.100 --> 35:00.166 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
to the importation of slaves.
35:00.166 --> 35:01.900 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- And then beyond that,
35:01.900 --> 35:05.800 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
he realized that the
Constitution could be amended,
35:05.800 --> 35:09.566 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
which would set in motion,
from his view,
35:09.566 --> 35:15.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
a new republic, a reborn
republic with no slavery.
35:15.633 --> 35:17.600 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
That was his vision.
35:17.600 --> 35:20.633 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
And he began advocating
for that in the mid-1850s
35:21.800 --> 35:24.233 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
and started getting
some attention,
35:24.233 --> 35:26.900 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
particularly
from the Republican party.
35:26.900 --> 35:31.633 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- And meanwhile,
back in New Bedford,
35:31.633 --> 35:33.466 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
or in Boston, let's say,
35:33.466 --> 35:38.866 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
there was still some contention
between abolitionists
35:38.866 --> 35:43.333 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and pro-slavery exponents,
even in Massachusetts.
35:43.333 --> 35:44.533 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- Yeah, it was...
35:44.533 --> 35:48.266 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
Douglass wrote a lot
about the two prongs
35:48.266 --> 35:52.433 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
of being a Black person
in the U.S.
35:52.433 --> 35:54.700 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
One of them, of course,
was slavery.
35:54.700 --> 35:59.366 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
That was the most insidious part
of the nation.
35:59.366 --> 36:02.333 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
But right up there
with that was racism.
36:02.333 --> 36:05.700 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
And he called it racism.
36:05.700 --> 36:10.466 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
He called it that
this was a nation
36:10.466 --> 36:12.933 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
where even when
a Black man was free
36:12.933 --> 36:15.566 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
or a fugitive in the North,
36:15.566 --> 36:18.500 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
it was sometimes harder
to deal with racism
36:18.500 --> 36:21.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
than it was with slavery
because slavery was explicit.
36:21.366 --> 36:24.400 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
Racism was a lot
of times implicit.
36:24.400 --> 36:27.866 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And he was always considered
3/5 a citizen,
36:27.866 --> 36:31.366 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
and he thought,
"I'm a whole person."
36:31.366 --> 36:33.033 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
- But from a
Constitutional standpoint,
36:33.033 --> 36:37.366 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
in terms of population
and representation,
36:37.366 --> 36:39.566 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
slaves were 3/5.
- Greg: Yeah.
36:39.566 --> 36:42.900 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- Various curious times
in retrospect,
36:42.900 --> 36:45.833 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and even in Boston, as we see,
36:45.833 --> 36:50.366 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
there are some strong events
going on
36:50.366 --> 36:52.900 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
as we approached the 1860s.
36:52.900 --> 36:56.266 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
- Greg: Yeah, the tension
in that decade,
36:56.266 --> 37:01.266 align:left position:27.5% line:83% size:62.5%
1850 to 1861 or so,
a little more than a decade,
37:01.266 --> 37:05.033 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
really, the pressure
continued to rise.
37:05.033 --> 37:07.166 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
And among the abolitionists,
they arose
37:07.166 --> 37:09.300 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
because there was
the American...
37:10.366 --> 37:12.833 align:left position:37.5% line:83% size:52.5%
It was the
National Abolitionist Society
37:12.833 --> 37:15.266 align:left position:42.5% line:83% size:47.5%
and the
American Abolitionist Society,
37:15.266 --> 37:19.100 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
and Garrison was
kind of in both camps,
37:19.100 --> 37:21.700 align:left position:42.5% line:83% size:47.5%
but the
American Abolitionist Society
37:21.700 --> 37:23.233 align:left position:15% line:89% size:75%
was the more political wing.
37:23.233 --> 37:27.666 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
And Douglass began to see,
why couldn't you do both?
37:27.666 --> 37:30.966 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
Why couldn't you rely
on moral suasion
37:30.966 --> 37:34.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and arguing for equality
for all people,
37:34.533 --> 37:38.666 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
not just Black people, but for
women and immigrants as well,
37:38.666 --> 37:42.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and take political action
to end slavery?
37:42.533 --> 37:45.800 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
So he began to evolve
in that way, much to the dismay
37:45.800 --> 37:47.000 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
of the Garrisonians
37:47.000 --> 37:49.566 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
because they were
staunchly opposed
37:49.566 --> 37:51.266 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
to seeing the Constitution
as anything
37:51.266 --> 37:53.300 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
but a pro-slavery document.
37:53.300 --> 37:57.166 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
So he was pretty fierce
at that point in his beliefs.
37:57.166 --> 38:01.000 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
- And how does his world change
with Fort Sumpter
38:01.000 --> 38:02.933 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and the onset of the Civil War?
38:02.933 --> 38:05.466 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- The minute the Civil War
breaks out,
38:05.466 --> 38:10.233 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
Douglass identifies that
as a time of jubilation,
38:10.233 --> 38:12.800 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
that finally we're
going to settle
38:12.800 --> 38:14.833 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
this issue of slavery.
38:15.833 --> 38:18.333 align:left position:15% line:89% size:75%
He was also very disappointed
38:18.333 --> 38:20.633 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
in the president,
Abraham Lincoln,
38:20.633 --> 38:24.266 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
who wanted to define the war
as a war to save the Union.
38:24.266 --> 38:28.266 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
And so Douglass immediately
went to work on the platform,
38:28.266 --> 38:30.700 align:left position:27.5% line:83% size:62.5%
calling out Lincoln
basically, and saying,
38:30.700 --> 38:33.566 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
"This war is not
about the Union.
38:33.566 --> 38:37.533 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
A new Union could be formed
with the ending of slavery."
38:37.533 --> 38:42.466 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
And he got a lot of attention
taking on a white president
38:42.466 --> 38:46.200 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
and very prominently
and rigorously
38:46.200 --> 38:49.433 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and relentlessly advocating for
38:50.500 --> 38:52.400 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
"Let's define this
for what it is,
38:52.400 --> 38:56.900 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
"and let's allow Black men
to enlist in the Army
38:56.900 --> 39:00.933 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
"and showing the South
that to save the Union,
39:00.933 --> 39:02.266 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
"we're going to end slavery,
39:02.266 --> 39:05.766 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and we're going to arm all men
to do that."
39:05.766 --> 39:07.400 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
- And two of the
first enlistees,
39:07.400 --> 39:09.033 align:left position:32.5% line:83% size:57.5%
Black enlistees
were his own sons.
39:09.033 --> 39:11.966 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
- Exactly, Douglass had gone
to the White House
39:11.966 --> 39:14.466 align:left position:12.5% line:89% size:77.5%
to meet with President Lincoln.
39:15.666 --> 39:18.900 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
He went after the
Emancipation Proclamation
39:18.900 --> 39:21.466 align:left position:27.5% line:89% size:62.5%
in January 1, 1863,
39:21.466 --> 39:24.133 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
which allowed Black soldiers
to enlist.
39:24.133 --> 39:25.833 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
And Douglass went right out
and recruit...
39:25.833 --> 39:28.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
He was a major recruiter
for Black men
39:28.666 --> 39:31.800 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
to enlist in the
Massachusetts 64th regiment.
39:31.800 --> 39:34.766 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
His two sons, two of his
three sons enlisted immediately
39:34.766 --> 39:38.566 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
and became members of that,
captured in the movie Glory.
39:38.566 --> 39:40.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
It's an older movie now,
but it was captured--
39:40.833 --> 39:42.366 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
- Norman: The attack
on Fort Wagner.
39:42.366 --> 39:46.766 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- Yeah, and then seeing how
Black troops were treated
39:46.766 --> 39:49.666 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and didn't get the uniforms
39:49.666 --> 39:52.600 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
or didn't have
the same treatment
39:52.600 --> 39:55.666 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
or weren't armed
in the same way,
39:55.666 --> 39:57.900 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
Douglass went to the
White House, obviously,
39:57.900 --> 39:59.866 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
to argue for better treatment
of Black soldiers,
39:59.866 --> 40:02.733 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
including pay,
which was very important.
40:02.733 --> 40:04.533 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- But also very heavy lift.
40:04.533 --> 40:08.700 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
- A heavy lift,
and again, asked Lincoln
40:08.700 --> 40:13.900 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
to reframe, basically, the war,
which Lincoln did.
40:13.900 --> 40:17.200 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
And again, this is
a complicated matter,
40:17.200 --> 40:19.600 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
much more complicated
and nuanced
40:19.600 --> 40:20.900 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
than we can talk about here,
40:20.900 --> 40:24.233 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
but that relationship
was important.
40:24.233 --> 40:28.233 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
In fact, after Lincoln was
assassinated, in his will,
40:28.233 --> 40:31.766 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
he had willed Douglass
one of his walking sticks
40:31.766 --> 40:33.833 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
as a token of his appreciation
40:33.833 --> 40:36.800 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and fondness for Douglass,
even though they clashed.
40:37.800 --> 40:40.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
- A gentleman's disagreement
from what we know,
40:40.033 --> 40:41.666 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
although there's no
transcript at all
40:41.666 --> 40:43.233 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
of their one-on-one meeting.
40:43.233 --> 40:44.500 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- Greg: No, not at all.
40:44.500 --> 40:46.600 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
- We can only
hypothesize, I guess,
40:46.600 --> 40:49.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
what they would've said,
but as you said, Greg,
40:50.800 --> 40:54.700 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
Douglass would say,
"Emancipation now!"
40:54.700 --> 40:57.433 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and Lincoln would say,
"We have to preserve the Union
40:57.433 --> 40:59.133 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
before we can emancipate."
40:59.133 --> 41:01.566 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- Right, and that
was the tension.
41:01.566 --> 41:04.833 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
And it turned out,
on a practical matter,
41:04.833 --> 41:07.300 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
because the war
was not going well,
41:07.300 --> 41:08.700 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
and there were lots
of other factors,
41:08.700 --> 41:10.533 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
but mostly the war
was not going well
41:10.533 --> 41:13.800 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and there were a lot of
Northern soldiers being killed,
41:14.933 --> 41:19.666 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
the exigence of that period was,
we need to increase our numbers.
41:19.666 --> 41:23.733 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
Douglass loved this
because then he could argue,
41:23.733 --> 41:26.133 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
"Well, you've armed us.
41:26.133 --> 41:30.466 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
"We're dying for our country,
for the Union,
41:30.466 --> 41:33.366 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
"then we absolutely
deserve equal rights
41:33.366 --> 41:36.533 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and full rights as citizens
of the United States."
41:36.533 --> 41:38.733 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- Yes, and it was so
blatantly clear that
41:38.733 --> 41:42.033 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
they were still not
getting anything near that
41:42.033 --> 41:45.033 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
from the South when they would
be massacred when captured,
41:45.033 --> 41:47.433 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
in some instances,
by the Southern troops.
41:47.433 --> 41:49.266 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
- And remember,
in emancipation,
41:49.266 --> 41:53.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
freed slaves as the North
freed territories.
41:53.800 --> 41:56.366 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
So it wasn't a
blanket emancipation,
41:56.366 --> 42:00.266 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
but it was enough
to get Black soldiers.
42:00.266 --> 42:03.766 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
And the fear, of course,
from the white person's side
42:03.766 --> 42:05.533 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
was that when
you arm Black soldiers,
42:05.533 --> 42:08.933 align:left position:37.5% line:71% size:52.5%
that well,
they won't follow orders.
42:08.933 --> 42:10.100 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
They're not trainable.
42:10.100 --> 42:11.266 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
Well, it turned out
42:11.266 --> 42:13.066 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
that they were obviously
highly trainable
42:13.066 --> 42:14.600 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and excellent soldiers
42:14.600 --> 42:19.333 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
and willing to die
for the Union.
42:19.333 --> 42:21.666 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
So I think both men,
42:21.666 --> 42:24.933 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
both Lincoln and Douglass,
got their wishes
42:24.933 --> 42:27.333 align:left position:37.5% line:71% size:52.5%
in some way
at a very high price.
42:27.333 --> 42:30.366 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
But nevertheless, the war ended
42:31.833 --> 42:36.733 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
and the Union was preserved,
and Black men had established
42:36.733 --> 42:40.133 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
that they deserved
to be full citizens.
42:40.133 --> 42:41.733 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
- So at the end of the war,
42:41.733 --> 42:44.233 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
there of course has already
been emancipation by then,
42:44.233 --> 42:47.433 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
14th Amendment a couple
of years after that,
42:47.433 --> 42:54.433 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
which frees things up some more
in African-American equality.
42:55.433 --> 42:59.333 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
But then what is
Douglass's thrust?
42:59.333 --> 43:01.433 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
Does it have to do with racism
43:01.433 --> 43:05.933 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and just more of what you
might call a civil equality?
43:05.933 --> 43:08.266 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
- Yeah, he did dedicate himself
43:08.266 --> 43:11.166 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
to defining how
Reconstruction would go
43:11.166 --> 43:14.233 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
and should go
for the South in terms
43:14.233 --> 43:19.300 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
of how those formerly enslaved
people would be treated.
43:20.300 --> 43:24.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
And initially, things in
Reconstruction went pretty well
43:24.366 --> 43:27.866 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
in terms of establishing land
for Black people
43:27.866 --> 43:29.500 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and property and so on.
43:30.866 --> 43:33.200 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
But the minute the war was over,
43:33.200 --> 43:34.900 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Douglass was concerned
about that,
43:34.900 --> 43:39.066 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and in addition, getting
the vote for Black men,
43:39.066 --> 43:41.800 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
which infuriated
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
43:41.800 --> 43:43.466 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and the women's rights movement
43:43.466 --> 43:46.600 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
because Douglass was one
of the only men at Seneca,
43:46.600 --> 43:49.733 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
well, was the only man
at Seneca Falls in 1848
43:49.733 --> 43:51.866 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
at the Women's Convention
that produced
43:51.866 --> 43:53.100 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
the Declaration of Sentiments,
43:53.100 --> 43:56.600 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
which declared women's right
to the vote.
43:56.600 --> 44:01.733 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
He signed that declaration
and was supporting suffrage
44:01.733 --> 44:03.066 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
from that point forward.
44:03.066 --> 44:06.066 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
But when the war ended,
he said, "Time out."
44:06.066 --> 44:08.466 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
Not quite that way,
much more eloquently,
44:08.466 --> 44:10.800 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
but he talked
to Elizabeth Cady Stanton--
44:10.800 --> 44:13.500 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Actually, they debated
about this publicly
44:13.500 --> 44:16.566 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and why he would privilege,
so to speak,
44:16.566 --> 44:19.233 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
the Black vote,
the Black men's vote.
44:19.233 --> 44:20.900 align:left position:37.5% line:71% size:52.5%
He promised
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
44:20.900 --> 44:23.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and other leaders of the
women's suffrage movement
44:23.366 --> 44:25.933 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
that once the vote was secured,
44:25.933 --> 44:29.000 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
he would return to the
women's suffrage movement,
44:29.000 --> 44:30.633 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
which is what he did.
44:30.633 --> 44:34.933 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
They got the amendment in place,
Black men could vote,
44:36.166 --> 44:39.566 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
and that was a key
to citizenship for Douglass,
44:39.566 --> 44:41.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and it was a key element
for that.
44:41.366 --> 44:43.066 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Of course, we all know
what happened
44:43.066 --> 44:45.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
in terms of, specifically
in the South,
44:45.433 --> 44:47.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
making it very difficult
for Black people to vote.
44:47.833 --> 44:50.833 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- In practical terms,
poll taxes and violence.
44:50.833 --> 44:52.366 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
- But the amendment
was in place,
44:52.366 --> 44:54.566 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and so post-Civil War,
44:54.566 --> 44:56.766 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
and this is a period that,
again,
44:56.766 --> 44:59.300 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
has been very carefully studied.
44:59.300 --> 45:03.700 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
Douglass sets his sights
on basically how to...
45:03.700 --> 45:08.766 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
How do African Americans
advance themselves
45:08.766 --> 45:10.666 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
in this society?
45:10.666 --> 45:14.333 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
And he identified education
as a critical component of that.
45:14.333 --> 45:16.966 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
In fact, he actually
was an advocate
45:16.966 --> 45:20.966 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
for technical education,
which was more with the trades.
45:20.966 --> 45:23.366 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
That infuriated some
of the Black leaders,
45:23.366 --> 45:24.800 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
as you can imagine,
45:24.800 --> 45:30.066 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
who wanted more liberal arts,
in today's language, education.
45:30.066 --> 45:31.533 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
But Douglass was practical.
45:31.533 --> 45:33.866 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
He said, "If we could get jobs,
45:33.866 --> 45:40.366 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
as, like, apprenticeships and
so on, we can advance the race."
45:40.366 --> 45:42.100 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
- And that's still
the thinking today,
45:42.100 --> 45:43.333 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
whether Black or white.
45:43.333 --> 45:45.800 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
Who knows the apprenticeship,
the trade.
45:45.800 --> 45:47.800 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
- So that was one thing he did.
45:47.800 --> 45:50.633 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
He was an advocate
for education.
45:50.633 --> 45:53.166 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
He was also an advocate
for one of his key terms,
45:53.166 --> 45:54.966 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
which was self-reliance.
45:54.966 --> 45:57.366 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
He saw himself as self-reliant,
45:57.366 --> 46:01.100 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
and he wanted other
Black Americans
46:01.100 --> 46:03.166 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
to be self-reliant.
46:03.166 --> 46:08.233 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
We cannot depend
on the white population.
46:08.233 --> 46:10.366 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
We need to advance ourselves.
46:10.366 --> 46:13.000 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- Well, that's in keeping
with the philosophy
46:13.000 --> 46:16.133 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
of the American frontier,
self-reliance.
46:16.133 --> 46:19.000 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
- Self-reliance
and the self-made man.
46:19.000 --> 46:20.666 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
He saw himself as self-made.
46:20.666 --> 46:23.533 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
Although he had lots of help
along the way,
46:23.533 --> 46:26.000 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
he, in essence,
was a self-made man.
46:26.000 --> 46:29.900 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
Studied vigorously, spoke a
number of different languages,
46:29.900 --> 46:32.133 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
never stopped learning.
46:32.133 --> 46:34.733 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And that's why it's so hard,
to this day,
46:34.733 --> 46:36.400 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
that's why he invites
so much study
46:36.400 --> 46:40.966 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
because he was so complex,
so interesting and intriguing.
46:40.966 --> 46:46.033 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
But no one ever doubted his
courage and his persistence.
46:48.133 --> 46:52.166 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
He was relentless when it came
to anything he took hold of.
46:52.166 --> 46:54.700 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- In your book though,
speaking of self-made
46:54.700 --> 47:00.166 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
versus with some assistance,
you do have a charming vignette
47:00.166 --> 47:02.766 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
where he's doing all these
speaking tours
47:02.766 --> 47:05.633 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
and his wife
is sending his clothes
47:05.633 --> 47:07.600 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
after she's getting the clothes
taken care of
47:07.600 --> 47:09.100 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
and mailing them to him.
47:09.100 --> 47:14.066 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
- Yeah, that account,
in his world as an abolitionist,
47:14.066 --> 47:17.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
came from his daughter, Rosetta,
his oldest daughter.
47:17.666 --> 47:19.266 align:left position:25% line:89% size:65%
He had two daughters.
47:19.266 --> 47:24.666 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
Annie died at the age of 10,
but Rosetta grew into adulthood,
47:24.666 --> 47:27.300 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
and Rosetta wrote
this beautiful piece
47:28.866 --> 47:32.533 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
in the 20th century,
reflecting on her mother.
47:32.533 --> 47:35.033 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
And in that is a
beautiful description
47:35.033 --> 47:38.900 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
of how she would know
where he was gonna be
47:38.900 --> 47:41.366 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
because they published
all of the itineraries.
47:41.366 --> 47:42.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- Norman: Train schedules
and itineraries.
47:42.900 --> 47:46.066 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- And she would literally
send him clean shirts
47:46.066 --> 47:49.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and a fresh suit so that
he would be at his best.
47:50.533 --> 47:51.866 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
He had so much support,
47:51.866 --> 47:58.666 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
and he credited his wife for her
management of his family.
47:58.666 --> 47:59.866 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
He was always gone.
48:01.400 --> 48:04.233 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
Well, gone, probably 10 months
out of the year
48:04.233 --> 48:05.500 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
he was traveling.
48:06.533 --> 48:09.866 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
And he had children, of course,
48:09.866 --> 48:12.766 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and she was the person
who raised those children.
48:12.766 --> 48:14.733 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
She also was not literate.
48:14.733 --> 48:16.733 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
So that's the
other part of this,
48:16.733 --> 48:21.366 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
that she had help
in sending things to Douglass
48:21.366 --> 48:23.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
while he was on his way.
48:23.366 --> 48:25.100 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
When he went to England
for two years,
48:25.100 --> 48:27.333 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
she was home
with those children,
48:27.333 --> 48:29.700 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
pretty young children
at the time.
48:29.700 --> 48:34.400 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
And so yeah, she was
quite the partner
48:34.400 --> 48:36.433 align:left position:37.5% line:71% size:52.5%
and played
a very important role.
48:36.433 --> 48:39.166 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
- Can you give us some
profiles then of the children
48:39.166 --> 48:41.566 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
that went into public service
in particular?
48:41.566 --> 48:45.333 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- Yeah, Rosetta,
I don't know all the story
48:45.333 --> 48:47.966 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
of each of the children.
48:47.966 --> 48:51.266 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
I know that they all
lived into adulthood,
48:51.266 --> 48:56.333 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
that two of them served
in the Union Army.
48:57.333 --> 49:00.700 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
One, Frederick Douglass, Jr.,
was a writer
49:01.833 --> 49:05.966 align:left position:12.5% line:89% size:77.5%
and worked in Washington, D.C.
49:05.966 --> 49:07.333 align:left position:25% line:89% size:65%
It's kind of sketchy.
49:07.333 --> 49:11.733 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
I had the good fortune
of meeting the descendant
49:11.733 --> 49:15.266 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
of Frederick Douglass, Jr.,
Frederick Douglass's son,
49:16.533 --> 49:20.333 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
at a conference I was
attending in Washington, D.C.
49:20.333 --> 49:22.933 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
for new authors at the time,
in the late 1990s
49:22.933 --> 49:24.800 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
as part of the Park Service.
49:24.800 --> 49:28.100 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
Invited me and others to meet
49:28.100 --> 49:31.500 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and then I had the good fortune
of meeting the family,
49:31.500 --> 49:33.900 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
which took my breath away,
honestly.
49:33.900 --> 49:35.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
But then we got on a bus
in Washington, D.C.
49:35.900 --> 49:39.333 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and rode to the Eastern Shore,
49:39.333 --> 49:41.600 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
and we got to see
the plantation.
49:41.600 --> 49:43.600 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And what was nice about that
is the descendants
49:43.600 --> 49:47.466 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
of the Lloyds and Frederick
Douglass's descendants
49:47.466 --> 49:50.266 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
met for the first time.
49:50.266 --> 49:52.266 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
- Oh, really?
- And I got to see that.
49:52.266 --> 49:54.666 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
It was really
a wonderful moment.
49:54.666 --> 49:57.900 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And again, just to see where,
49:57.900 --> 50:00.666 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
"the big house" is what
Douglass called it
50:00.666 --> 50:02.900 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
is still standing, as is...
50:02.900 --> 50:04.333 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
The slave quarters are gone,
50:04.333 --> 50:07.666 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
but the foundations are there,
so you can see it all.
50:07.666 --> 50:10.866 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- And one of his
other sons then,
50:10.866 --> 50:13.533 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
I guess both of them were both
in the military,
50:13.533 --> 50:15.200 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
but also later involved
50:15.200 --> 50:20.133 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
in what would be called
African-American improvement.
50:20.133 --> 50:21.300 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- Yes, that's right.
50:21.300 --> 50:23.700 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
They were very much engaged
in that effort,
50:24.700 --> 50:26.566 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
led in part by their father,
50:26.566 --> 50:29.300 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
who kept insisting on,
"Let's keep improving.
50:29.300 --> 50:32.466 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
Let's overcome
these stereotypes."
50:32.466 --> 50:36.366 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
- He did have some controversy
later on in the family,
50:36.366 --> 50:41.166 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
didn't he, in his own
particular sphere.
50:41.166 --> 50:46.233 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
- Right, Anna Murray Douglass
died in the late 1880s.
50:47.433 --> 50:48.866 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
Two or three years later,
50:48.866 --> 50:52.900 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Douglass married Helen
Pitts Douglass, Helen Pitts,
50:52.900 --> 50:56.200 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
and that was very controversial.
50:56.200 --> 50:57.800 align:left position:12.5% line:89% size:77.5%
Obviously she is a white woman,
50:58.900 --> 51:03.033 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
and Douglass was very clear
about this.
51:03.033 --> 51:06.833 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
He said, if he had to justify
it publicly, he always said,
51:06.833 --> 51:12.166 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
"My first wife, I followed
the lineage of my mother.
51:12.166 --> 51:15.300 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
My second wife, I followed
the lineage of my father."
51:15.300 --> 51:17.766 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
- It's a very rational way
of looking at it.
51:17.766 --> 51:19.600 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
- That's how he would frame it,
51:19.600 --> 51:23.700 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
but Helen was
absolutely important
51:23.700 --> 51:28.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
because after Frederick Douglass
died in 1895,
51:28.033 --> 51:33.000 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
she was responsible
for preserving his legacy.
51:34.000 --> 51:39.900 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
She was the one that made sure
that the house was preserved,
51:39.900 --> 51:43.533 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
that the Library of Congress
received his papers,
51:44.966 --> 51:51.966 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
that his world would
be absolutely honored
51:51.966 --> 51:53.600 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
in the future.
51:53.600 --> 51:56.933 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
And she was, like Douglass,
relentless in that pursuit.
51:56.933 --> 51:59.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- And I think her father,
if I remember correctly,
51:59.800 --> 52:02.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
never spoke to her again
and disinherited her
52:02.800 --> 52:04.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
as soon as she married Douglass.
52:04.333 --> 52:10.466 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- And Douglass's sons
and daughter, the same thing,
52:10.466 --> 52:14.133 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
except over time,
they did reconcile.
52:15.133 --> 52:17.000 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
But Douglass was, again,
52:18.366 --> 52:23.266 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
he had a very strong sense
of the personal,
52:23.266 --> 52:26.966 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
so it's always hard to know
what he was thinking.
52:26.966 --> 52:28.966 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
But he certainly,
when he got on the platform,
52:28.966 --> 52:32.200 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
let you know
in no uncertain terms that
52:32.200 --> 52:34.833 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
this was a very
loving relationship.
52:34.833 --> 52:38.500 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
And to him, it kind of
lived out his vision
52:38.500 --> 52:42.233 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
of equality and integration.
52:42.233 --> 52:43.833 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- Blur those lines--
- Blur those lines,
52:43.833 --> 52:47.966 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
and we're all equal,
we're all whole human beings.
52:47.966 --> 52:51.866 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
He was a humanist at heart,
and he lived that
52:51.866 --> 52:55.000 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
and demonstrated it very
clearly throughout his life
52:55.000 --> 52:58.566 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
and even in his personal life
believed in that.
52:58.566 --> 53:01.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- In terms of his legacy,
how would you describe it?
53:01.633 --> 53:04.233 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
And of course, we've
mentioned his family members
53:04.233 --> 53:06.300 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
who followed in that path
to a great extent,
53:06.300 --> 53:09.766 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
but in a larger sense, how
would you describe the legacy
53:09.766 --> 53:12.300 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
of Frederick Douglass?
53:12.300 --> 53:14.133 align:left position:15% line:89% size:75%
- I think Frederick Douglass,
53:15.566 --> 53:19.700 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5%
that's a tough question for me
because there's so much legacy.
53:19.700 --> 53:25.100 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
I think just in terms
of leadership and vision,
53:25.100 --> 53:29.333 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
he provides a case study
in how to lead
53:29.333 --> 53:34.600 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5%
even when you're not respected,
that you can earn respect,
53:35.600 --> 53:37.833 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
and that there's
a pathway to that.
53:37.833 --> 53:41.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
And that is to stay true
to yourself
53:41.100 --> 53:45.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
and to hold up the values
that you believe in
53:45.800 --> 53:50.166 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
and root them, as he did,
in touchstone documents
53:50.166 --> 53:52.433 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
like the Declaration
of Independence,
53:52.433 --> 53:54.666 align:left position:15% line:89% size:75%
and to root them in the Bible
53:54.666 --> 53:58.300 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
because there are lots
of biblical references
53:58.300 --> 54:00.100 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
in his speeches.
54:00.100 --> 54:04.300 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
And I think the key point
is never lose hope.
54:04.300 --> 54:09.033 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
He was an eternal optimist
against tremendous odds.
54:09.033 --> 54:11.466 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Not only odds in terms
of his color,
54:11.466 --> 54:15.933 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
but just odds in terms of being
successful and staying alive
54:17.000 --> 54:21.833 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
and continuing
to fight for equality.
54:21.833 --> 54:23.866 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- There's this great
kind of farewell image
54:23.866 --> 54:26.100 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
of Douglass in his library.
54:27.100 --> 54:28.500 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- Greg: One of my
favorite pictures.
54:28.500 --> 54:32.266 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
- Norman: Says so much about him
in his last years.
54:32.266 --> 54:37.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
- Greg: The final day of his
life, which was, let's see,
54:37.333 --> 54:40.566 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
it was February 20, 1895.
54:40.566 --> 54:45.433 align:left position:22.5% line:83% size:67.5%
He had returned from a
women's suffrage conference
54:45.433 --> 54:50.500 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5%
in Washington, D.C. for dinner,
and he was going to go back,
54:50.500 --> 54:54.866 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5%
and as he was leaving his home,
walked down his hallway,
54:54.866 --> 54:56.466 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
he collapsed and died.
54:57.900 --> 55:02.233 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5%
But what's important about that
is up to his final day,
55:03.233 --> 55:05.400 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
he was still working.
- Still working.
55:05.400 --> 55:06.900 align:left position:27.5% line:89% size:62.5%
- And in this case,
55:06.900 --> 55:11.000 align:left position:32.5% line:83% size:57.5%
he was working
for women's right to vote.
55:11.000 --> 55:13.200 align:left position:27.5% line:71% size:62.5%
But prior to that,
even the month prior to that,
55:13.200 --> 55:16.066 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
he was also traveling
with Ida B. Wells,
55:16.066 --> 55:20.166 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
a prominent African-American
woman who was fighting against,
55:20.166 --> 55:22.400 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
documenting lynchings
in the South
55:22.400 --> 55:23.733 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
and fighting lynchings,
55:23.733 --> 55:28.100 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
and she had inspired Douglass
to join her in that fight.
55:28.100 --> 55:29.800 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
So he had really two areas
55:29.800 --> 55:33.466 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
that he was heavily engaged in
right up until his death.
55:33.466 --> 55:36.566 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
And that was his fight
against lynchings,
55:36.566 --> 55:39.100 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
which was like a terrorist act.
55:39.100 --> 55:40.366 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
- An ongoing struggle
55:40.366 --> 55:42.266 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
that would continue well
into the 20th century.
55:42.266 --> 55:44.266 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
- And really tied
specifically to the South.
55:44.266 --> 55:49.166 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
And then women's suffrage,
which was a national issue.
55:49.166 --> 55:53.066 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
And so, yeah, I think his legacy
is one of commitment,
55:53.066 --> 55:56.233 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
perseverance,
and living out your vision.
55:56.233 --> 55:59.366 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
I think it's a tremendous life
that he had.
55:59.366 --> 56:02.233 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
And that picture of him
at his desk.
56:02.233 --> 56:06.033 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
Again, studying Douglass,
I was able to get access
56:06.033 --> 56:10.100 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
to his library beyond where
it's kind of cordoned off,
56:10.100 --> 56:12.866 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
and got a complete listing
of the books in his library.
56:12.866 --> 56:16.066 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
And his books are as varied
as his background,
56:16.066 --> 56:20.766 align:left position:25% line:83% size:65%
history and language
and culture and philosophy.
56:20.766 --> 56:24.133 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5%
I mean, if you were a proponent
of the liberal arts,
56:24.133 --> 56:27.833 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
he was a liberally educated man.
56:27.833 --> 56:29.433 align:left position:12.5% line:89% size:77.5%
- And is his house still there?
56:29.433 --> 56:31.333 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
- Yes, his house
is still there.
56:32.633 --> 56:36.966 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5%
It's part of the national parks
now in Anacostia,
56:36.966 --> 56:39.000 align:left position:27.5% line:83% size:62.5%
and you can visit,
it's just right outside,
56:39.000 --> 56:42.966 align:left position:12.5% line:83% size:77.5%
like 15 miles from Washington,
D.C., and it's intact.
56:42.966 --> 56:47.066 align:left position:17.5% line:83% size:72.5%
It's a wonderful experience
to go there.
56:47.066 --> 56:50.866 align:left position:15% line:83% size:75%
The other thing that they did
build in the back of his house
56:50.866 --> 56:54.466 align:left position:32.5% line:83% size:57.5%
was the grotto,
where he used to write...
56:54.466 --> 56:56.966 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
It wasn't there,
but they recreated it.
56:56.966 --> 56:59.133 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
And it's a little area
where he would go
56:59.133 --> 57:00.866 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
to escape his family to write.
57:00.866 --> 57:04.700 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
And in one corner of that grotto
is a standup desk,
57:04.700 --> 57:07.566 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
where he would write
his speeches standing up
57:07.566 --> 57:09.733 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
because he would deliver them
standing up.
57:09.733 --> 57:12.400 align:left position:35% line:71% size:55%
- Good idea.
- And then he had a little,
57:12.400 --> 57:15.900 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
like what would be like a couch
and a fireplace.
57:15.900 --> 57:17.800 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
So on one end was
a fireplace, a couch,
57:17.800 --> 57:21.166 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
and then a standing desk where
he would write his speeches.
57:21.166 --> 57:22.766 align:left position:15% line:71% size:75%
And I asked if I could see it
57:22.766 --> 57:25.100 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
'cause I had read about it,
it was in Rochester.
57:25.100 --> 57:27.633 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
He had that same setup.
57:27.633 --> 57:29.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
And they said, "Oh, yeah,
we can take you back.
57:29.633 --> 57:31.100 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
We don't take many people
back there."
57:31.100 --> 57:32.333 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
And when I went in there,
57:32.333 --> 57:34.666 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
everything kind of fell
right into place.
57:34.666 --> 57:37.633 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
I just felt so blessed
to be able to see that,
57:37.633 --> 57:39.733 align:left position:12.5% line:71% size:77.5%
but it gave me another picture
of Douglass
57:39.733 --> 57:41.866 align:left position:17.5% line:71% size:72.5%
besides the picture of him
at his desk writing,
57:41.866 --> 57:45.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
which he did extensively
all the time,
57:45.533 --> 57:46.766 align:left position:22.5% line:71% size:67.5%
never stopped writing.
57:46.766 --> 57:48.033 align:left position:32.5% line:71% size:57.5%
But then to see
57:48.033 --> 57:50.333 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
where he would write his
speeches, a facsimile,
57:50.333 --> 57:53.466 align:left position:30% line:71% size:60%
but nevertheless,
a accurate reproduction
57:53.466 --> 57:54.866 align:left position:25% line:71% size:65%
was really inspiring.
57:54.866 --> 57:58.600 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70%
- Greg Lampe, a pleasure
to share the life
57:58.600 --> 58:00.100 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80%
and story of Frederick Douglass.
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- Yeah, thank you so much
for having me, it's a pleasure.
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- Greg Lampe is the author
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of Frederick Douglass:
Freedom's Voice.
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I'm Norman Gilliland.
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I hope you can join me
next time around
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for University Place Presents.