22 Frederick Douglass Quotes to Make You Fight to Stop Ignorance

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | The Abolitionists, Part 2, Chapter 1 | PBS

Click here to watch VIDEO

Narrator: Frederick Douglass had heard the stories -- every slave had. Whispered accounts of fugitives running from the slave catchers for nights on end, coming within sight of freedom, only to hear the hounds closing in. Fugitives starving, freezing to death, being torn apart by wild animals. Everyone knew what would happen if you were caught: flogging, branding, elaborate tortures to strike terror into any other would-be runaways. Some lost hope and returned to their masters. Others killed themselves rather than go back to slavery.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But, some made it. In the fall of 1838, Frederick Douglass leapt aboard a train in Baltimore, slipped through the gauntlet of slave catchers prowling the border between slave and free states, and finally boarded a ferry bound for New York City. Only 24 hours removed from slavery, Douglass found himself wandering among the dazzling wonders of Broadway.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “A free state around me, and the free earth under my feet! What a moment this was to me! A whole year was pressed into a single day. A new world burst upon my agitated vision.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Narrator: Douglass had planned his escape with the help of Anna Murray, a free black woman he had met in Baltimore. Anna had sewn his sailor disguise, and sold her featherbed to give him the money he needed. As soon as she joined him in New York, they were married in a safe house by a fellow runaway. There was no time to rest -- New York was crawling with bounty hunters. With five dollars to their names, Frederick and Anna headed further north.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Their destination was New Bedford, Massachusetts, a whaling town known as an abolitionist stronghold, with a large population of free blacks and runaway slaves. Frederick and Anna clawed their way out of desperate poverty, and built a life for their growing family. For three years Douglass shoveled coal, cut wood, and loaded ships, often working two shifts a day. He did make time to attend anti-slavery gatherings, and was an avid reader of the most prominent abolitionist newspaper of the day, William Lloyd Garrison's The Liberator.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “I not only liked, I loved this paper, and its editor. He seemed a match for all the opponents of emancipation (freedom). Its words were few, and full of holy fire.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Narrator: When Douglass heard that Garrison was going to address an anti-slavery convention in Nantucket, he took a rare few days off and boarded a ferry for the island. As Douglass listened to the proceedings, a friend from New Bedford unexpectedly called on him to speak. "As I made my way to the stage," Douglass recalled, "I was shaking in every limb."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “My mother was named Harriet Bailey. I can’t recollect of ever seeing her by the light of day. We were separated when I was but an infant. My father was a white man -- it was whispered that my master was my father, but of this I know nothing. What I do know is that my master was a very cruel man. I was just a boy -- hushed, terrified, stunned. That is slavery.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “Mr. Douglass! I have never seen an audience so captivated. I myself was carried away, as you saw.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “I was so nervous I could barely stand.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “You were wonderful. If you don't mind my asking -- how did you first realize that you were a slave?”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “Slowly. I was raised by my grandmother. We lived far from the slave quarters, and so I didn't know what went on there. And one day, when I was six years old, my grandmother was told to walk me to the workhouse near the master's place. She sent me over to play with the other children, and abandoned me there.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “Dear Lord.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “She loved me, but -- she had no choice.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “What a horrible, horrible crime. An innocent child. Why were you raised by your grandmother -- what about your mother?”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “My mother? I only saw her a few times, at night. She was taken away after I was born, to work as a field hand 12 miles away. She walked all the way back a handful of times, but even so, they never let me know her enough to really love her. That left a hole -- I can't express it.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “My mother left me too. I was five. She worked in another town for a few years. I missed her terribly. But that was nothing compared with ...”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “It is never nothing.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “My dear Mr. Douglass -- join me. I urge you. You have a gift, sir, you really do.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “You flatter me.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “No, no I don't.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “Mr. Garrison, you must understand how unexpected this is. I never imagined ...”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “You have an opportunity to strike a blow for the slaves who continue to suffer as we speak. Did the Lord give you these gifts so that you could spend your life working in the shipyards?”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “I see now why you are such an effective advocate.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “You'll do it then?”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “I think I will.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “Put on the whole armor of God ...”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Narrator: Douglass's new life was fraught with danger. He was a fugitive. By speaking out in public, he risked capture by bounty hunter. But he understood that his personal testimony could help transform the struggle. Garrison and his followers had failed to convert the slaveholders. Now, they hoped to deprive them of their financial and political support in the North. Douglass and his fellow agents were sent out to recruit the foot soldiers for this campaign: the men and women who would organize boycotts, raise money, and petition Congress.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “... You must not give or take any quarter. You must cleave slavery to the ground!
Thank you. Now, I would like to introduce to you a graduate from the "peculiar institution." He can bear witness to the true nature of that institution. His diploma is written on his back. Mr. Frederick Douglass….”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James Brewer Stewart, Historian: Douglass is something really, really special.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Lloyd Garrison: “Tell your story, Frederick.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James Brewer Stewart, Historian: And Garrison can sense that this is a way to really make the abolitionist cause incarnate.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erica Armstrong Dunbar, Historian: Many of the audience members had never, ever seen a slave, let alone been to the slave South. So to have a person like Douglass gave the anti-slavery cause teeth; it gave it authenticity; it gave it a new voice.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Narrator: Over the course of a few months, Douglass traveled three and a half thousand miles. The campaign was bearing fruit. Northerners were flooding Congress with anti-slavery petitions. When the House passed a gag rule forbidding their consideration, it added to Northern suspicions that the government was operating for the benefit of slaveholders. Abolitionists had driven another wedge into the fractures of the Union. But for Douglass, that wasn’t enough. He wanted to effect change directly. When he heard that a fellow runaway had been captured, he saw a chance to enlist Garrison and his followers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “Dear Friend Garrison: Slavery, our enemy, has landed in our very midst. George Latimer has been hunted down like a wild beast and imprisoned in Leverett Street jail.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Narrator: George Latimer had arrived in Boston in the fall of 1842, only to be thrown in jail at the request of a Virginia planter.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick Douglass: “Boston has become the hunting ground of merciless man-stealers. We need not point to the sugar fields of Louisiana or to the rice swamps of Alabama for the bloody deeds of this soul-crushing system, but to the city of pilgrims.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Narrator: Garrison and the other abolitionists took up the call. Soon, Boston was in an uproar. Fearing an assault on the jail, the sheriff released Latimer, and his master had no choice but to set him free. For abolitionists, it was a stunning victory, but they weren't done. In a show of strength, they collected 65,000 signatures, bound the documents together, and rolled them like barrels into the state house.

In March of 1843, Massachusetts complied with their demands by passing the Personal Liberty Act. State officials could never again take part in the recapture of a fugitive slave. Within a few years, almost every other Northern state had followed suit. The personal liberty laws set alarm bells ringing throughout the South.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blakeslee Gilpin, Historian: Southerners have a right to be outraged. Here we have proof positive that there is an utter disregard for the compromises that have been made to found this American republic, to try to keep this thing running.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lois Brown, Historian: You see the South rising to say, "This is yet another assault on our way of life. This cannot be."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Narrator: With every headline, every petition, every controversy, the abolitionists were dragging the fight over slavery to the center of national life. And that fight was starting to tear the country apart.

ENGAGEMENT: Be prepared to discuss these questions from the video

- How did Frederick Douglass become a free man?

- Why was the Liberator a good name for William Lloyd Garrison's newspaper?

- What made Frederick such a captivating speaker?

- What made Mr. Garrison such an effective advocate?

-What peculiar institution was Frederick a graduate?