Frederick Douglass: Selected Writings and Speeches

by Frederick Douglass

Overview

Universally recognized today as one of the most important and influential Americans of the nineteenth century, Frederick Douglass rose to prominence in the national abolitionist movement before and during the Civil War by virtue of the vividness and power with which, drawing on his personal experiences of enslavement and freedom, he spoke and wrote against American slavery—and he continued to propound his vision of an America that would afford freedom, equality, and opportunity to all long after slavery was formally abolished. This edition offers a selection of Douglass’s most significant writing and oratory from throughout his long career, including the complete texts of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, which has become a classic example of the slave narrative genre, and The Heroic Slave, Douglass’s only published work of fiction, together with excerpts from Douglass’s other autobiographical writings and key speeches he gave both before and after the Civil War. The edition also provides clear and thorough annotations for the assistance of the student reader and a range of contextual materials, including responses to Douglass’s Narrative and photographs of Douglass. As an introduction to Douglass’s life and work that balances breadth and concision, this edition is well suited for a variety of undergraduate courses in American history and literary studies.

This volume is one of a number of editions that have been drawn from the pages of the acclaimed Broadview Anthology of American Literature. The series is designed to make selections from the anthology available in a format convenient for use in a wide variety of contexts; each edition features an introduction and exaplanatory footnotes, and is designed to meet the needs of today’s students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554816316
Publisher:	Broadview Press
Publication date:	07/21/2023
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

Frederick Douglass was a prominent American author, abolitionist, and public speaker. Born into slavery in 1818, he escaped on a train and headed north to Maryland, Philadelphia, and eventually New York City, where he took refuge and became a famous orator and abolitionist. Douglass recounted the struggles he faced as a slave through multiple narratives, most notably his autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The book became an instant bestseller, despite its initial opposition and skeptical reception. His other famous books include My Bondage and My Freedom and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.

Hometown:

Tuckahoe, Maryland

Date of Birth:

1818

Date of Death:

February 20, 1895

Place of Death:

Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Written by Himself

In Context: Responses to Frederick Douglass’s Narrative

• Margaret Fuller, Review of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, from The New York Tribune (10 June 1845)
• A.C.C. Thompson, “To the Public. Falsehood Refuted,” The Liberator (12 December 1845)
• Frederick Douglass, “Reply to Mr. A.C.C. Thompson,” The Liberator (27 February 1846)

from “To My Old Master”

“What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”

The Heroic Slave

In Context: Photographs of Frederick Douglass

from My Bondage and My Freedom

from “The Dred Scott Decision”

from “Self-Made Men”

“Men of Color, to Arms!”

from “Composite Nation”

from “Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln, Delivered at the Unveiling of the Freedmen’s Monument”

In Context: The Emancipation Memorial (“Freedmen’s Monument”)

• Frederick Douglass, Letter to the Editor of the National Republican (19 April 1876)

from Life and Times of Frederick Douglass

In Context: The Black Man at the White House

• from “The Black Man at the White House: Frederick Douglass at Bryan Hall; Lecture in Aid of the ‘Ladies’ Freedmen’s Aid Society,’” Chicago Tribune (28 February 1864)

Editorial Reviews

Those who are not teaching a survey of American literature can add to their courses a book or two that focuses on a particular author’s career in some depth. Those who regularly teach Frederick Douglass’s 1845 Narrative but who, like me, also want to teach Douglass’s Fourth of July speech, will have a great and affordable option that includes the annotations that will help students find their way into the layered significance of Douglass’s work.” — John Earnest, University of Delaware, in American Periodicals

COMMENTS ON The Broadview Anthology of American Literature

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From the Publisher