I expected to be impressed here, and indeed, the endnotes are meticulous and I would be amazed if there was a single error anywhere in this work. Thanks go to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for the DRC, which I received free in exchange for this honest review.ĭouglass is a key figure in American history, and Blight has made his career largely through his expertise on Douglass’s life.

Douglass's words still ring true in the 21st Century.Ģ.5 stars, rounded up. Finally, Blight does a great job of using Douglass's words from his speeches, letters, and other writings to share his thoughts on the issues of the 19th Century. What impressed me the most about his story is that how later on in life he motivated and encouraged a new generation of leaders to become active, leaders such as Ida B. He is critical of him when Douglass made racist and misogynistic statements against Native Americans and women, respectively (even though he was highly depended upon women throughout his life). But this is not a complete hagiography, Blight gives a balanced look on his subject. In it Blight effectively shows that Douglass was a prophet, who used rhetoric couched in the Old Testament, for the abolition of slavery, voting rights for blacks, women's suffrage, and other civil rights issues. 'There is no man in the country whose opinion I value more than yours.' -Abraham Lincoln to Douglassĭavid Blight's biography of Frederick Douglass was great. The problem is whether the American people have honesty enough, loyalty enough, honor enough, patriotism enough to live up to their Constitution' -Frederick Douglass In this biography, David Blight has drawn on new information held in a private collection that few other historian have consulted, as well as recently discovered issues of Douglass’s newspapers. After the war he sometimes argued politically with younger African Americans, but he never forsook either the Republican party or the cause of black civil and political rights. In his unique and eloquent voice, written and spoken, Douglass was a fierce critic of the United States as well as a radical patriot.

By the Civil War, Douglass had become the most famed and widely travelled orator in the nation. Initially mentored by William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass spoke widely, using his own story to condemn slavery. His very existence gave the lie to slave owners: with dignity and great intelligence he bore witness to the brutality of slavery. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. As a young man, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland.

Frederick douglass david blight