Frederick Douglass, born into slavery in 1818, never knew the precise date he was born, but later chose Feb. 14 as his birthdate. We urge all Americans to consider the ideas, life and legacy of the great abolitionist, author and statesman. Douglass’ life is a testament to the horrors of America’s past, the importance of liberty and the value of freedom of thought.
While enslaved, Douglass secretly learned to read. “Knowledge is the pathway from slavery to freedom,” he later said. At the age of 20, Douglass successfully escaped to New York. From that point on, Douglass became a sharp and invaluable critic of the institution of slavery.
Early on, he agreed with abolitionist contemporaries, such as William Lloyd Garrison, that the United States Constitution was at its core a pro-slavery document and that the United States, by extension, was predicated on an evil foundation.
But Douglass ultimately came to the conclusion that the United States was in fact predicated on powerful, liberatory values that extended to all people.
“The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common,” he said in a speech delivered on July 5, 1852, reflecting on the July 4 holiday. But, Douglass argued, the blessings enjoyed by Americans ought to be.
“Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? That he is the rightful owner of his own body?” he asked. “There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong for him.”
With the principles in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence in mind, Douglass defended the Constitution from criticism that it was forever tainted as an anti-liberty document, arguing that “interpreted as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a glorious liberty document.”
In making this case, Douglass forced Americans to confront the grotesque discrepancy between the nation’s stated principles and the realities at hand, and thereby contributed greatly to helping America come closer to fulfilling its ideals. “The trouble never was in the Constitution, but in the administration of the Constitution,” he said in 1872.
Douglass would devote his later years to women’s rights and to extending the rights and protections of the Constitution to broader segments of the population.
From the abolition of slavery to fighting racial discrimination to advocating for the right of women to vote, Douglass demonstrated a commitment to individual liberty and a commitment to engaging with the ideas of those he disagreed with.
Frederick Douglass’ fight for liberty and justice must never be forgotten.