Ex Libris: Frederick Douglass

An 1877 drawing depicts Frederick Douglass meeting some of his African American constituents, after accepting his new position: U.S. Marshal of the District of Columbia. Public Domain

Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) was born into slavery in Eastern Maryland. His 1845 autobiography “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself,” recounts his years of bondage and daring escape north in 1838, though he omitted many details to protect those who had given him help. The book quickly found a large audience, making Douglass a popular public speaker in abolitionist circles. It remains an American classic.

Frederick Douglass, circa 1879. National Archives and Records Administration. Public Domain

Douglass remained a lifelong advocate for racial equality. He pushed for the inclusion of African Americans in the Union Army during the Civil War, met with many important political figures, including Abraham Lincoln, and held several government posts, including that of U.S. Marshal for Washington and U.S. minister and consul to Haiti.

As a public figure—Douglass was the most photographed American of the 19th century—his greatest talent lay in his oratory. Some of the books he read helped hone this command of the English language while inspiring him in his battles against slavery and racism.

Bible and Bard

It was the Bible which first sparked Douglass’s passion for the written word. As an 8-year-old house slave, he frequently heard his mistress, Sophia Auld, reading aloud from her Bible and asked if she might teach him to read. Though anti-literacy laws made such instruction for the enslaved illegal, Auld readily agreed, and soon Douglass knew the alphabet and could spell short words. But when Hugh Auld discovered what his wife was doing, he declared that learning to read would “spoil” a slave and ordered an end to these lessons.

By then, however, Douglass had grasped the fundamentals of reading. From that point on, he was largely self-taught, cajoling the neighborhood boys with whom he played into teaching him letters and phonics, and tracing out letters from books whenever the chance arose.

The mid-19th century was the age when the Bible and the plays and poetry of William Shakespeare were were a staple in many American homes, even in homes of modest means. Consequently, the rhythms of speech in scripture and in Shakespeare’s works deeply influenced orators at the time. Douglass was no exception. The pattern and style of the addresses and lectures at which he excelled reflected his familiarity with these two bedrocks of civilization.

The Noble Acquisition

First published in 1797, Caleb Bingham’s “The Columbian Orator” contained 84 selections of speeches, essays, poetry, and plays, all concerned with such topics as nationalism, faith, liberty, and slavery while at the same time teaching the art of oratory. In his bicentennial edition of this textbook, editor David Blight notes that it “helped build the American character.”

Title page from the 1816 publication of "The English Reader" by Lindley Murray. Reading was far less standardized in the 19th century than it is today. Reading books like this one were the first steps in teaching new readers to sound out letters and construct words. Internet Archive. Public Domain

It’s clear that it contributed to the formation of Douglass’s character, thought, and style of speaking. The 12-year-old had heard boys reciting lines from Bingham’s best-seller. Intrigued, he purchased the book for 50 cents, money he’d accumulated by polishing the boots of passersby in the streets. He immersed himself in its pages, memorizing passages and often reading it aloud in the privacy of a barn or some other hideaway, letting the music of the words roll off his tongue.  For the rest of his life, he called “The Columbian Orator” his “noble acquisition” and “rich treasure.”

In the “Introduction” to a later edition of “The Columbian Orator,” Blight noted that Douglass declared that this book’s speeches and dialogues had provided him with “the principles of liberty, and poured floods of light on the nature and character of slavery.”

The Beloved Scot

With time, Douglass became more affluent and invested some of his money in a personal library. On his shelves stood the works of Charles Dickens, a particular favorite; books about Abraham Lincoln, whom he held in great esteem; slave narratives; and an assortment of works by writers like Thackery, Tennyson, and Harriet Beecher Stowe of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” fame.

Robert Burns's work had a wide appeal, including to American abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass. This statue of Burns is located Dunedin, New Zealand. Gary Mulder/CC BY-SA 4.0

Among his manifold literary interests, there was one surprise: Douglass was an ardent fan of the poetry of Robert Burns. In his article “From Ayrshire to Abolition: How Robert Burns Influenced Frederick Douglass,” Jonathan Palmer tells readers that “the first book Douglass purchased after his escape from slavery was an edition of James Currie’s “Works of Robert Burns.” In Burns, Douglass found a kindred soul who spoke for the common man and who treasured liberty.

When Douglass visited Scotland in 1846—he’d gone to Europe partly for his safety, threatened by rumors that he was in danger of arrest as an escaped slave—the 28-year-old wrote to fellow abolitionist Abigail Mott:

“I am now in the town of Ayr. It is famous for being the birth-place of Robert Burns, the poet, by whose brilliant genius every stream, hill, glen, and valley in the neighborhood have been made classic … as you are aware, (painfully perhaps), I am an enthusiastic admirer of Robt. Burns.”

On Jan. 25, 1849, to a roomful of Scots who had gathered to honor the dead poet on his birthday, Douglass displayed that admiration by raising his glass and offering this toast: “If any think me out of place on this occasion,” he said, pointing to a picture of Burns, “I beg that the blame be laid at the door of him who taught me that ‘a man’s a man for a’ that.’”

Burns’s message of equality in that poetic phrase sums up the code Frederick Douglass lived by.

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