Student Question
What impact did Frederick Douglass have on today's world?
Quick answer:
Frederick Douglass significantly impacted today's world through his advocacy for abolition, civil rights, and women's suffrage. His work influenced the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, crucial for future civil rights legislation. He was instrumental at the Seneca Falls Convention, promoting women's suffrage. Douglass's global advocacy for social justice and civil rights set a foundation for modern movements. His legacy as an abolitionist and social justice leader remains vital in contemporary civil rights discourse.
I count myself among the list of historians who think that Frederick Douglass may be one of the most underrated civil rights leaders in American history. Though Douglass is primarily known for his abolitionist views, his influences in women’s rights, social justice, and civil rights are cornerstones in the modern way these fundamental rights have become a part of our nation’s consciousness. Douglass’s legacy is inseparable from the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, which may be one reason he has not been given the same historical prominence as DuBois, Tubman, Carver, Anthony, Garvey, or Stanton. If Douglass had lived during the 1960s, his voice would have joined with civil rights icons like King, Young, Abernathy, Jackson, and others in promoting civil rights and world social justice.
With the passage of what is sometimes called the Civil War Amendments and other times the Reconstruction Amendments to the Constitution, Douglass achieved what...
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many considered his life’s work. The significance of these three amendments extended beyond the turbulent times associated with the Civil War and Reconstruction period. These three amendments would impact future generations, as they formed the basis for future Supreme Court civil rights battles and for civil rights legislation. After the ratification of the Amendments, Douglass continued to speak to matters related to the rights of African Americans but also turned to speak on issues related to the rights of women.
The Seneca Falls Convention (1848) was the first large-scale convention on behalf of women’s suffrage. Douglass was one of many prominent participants at the meeting, and some historians credit his behind-the-scenes work for passing a resolution in support of women’s suffrage. His signature, along with those of many other prominent feminists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, appears on the Declaration of Sentiments, a call for women’s right to vote.
Douglass would use his newspaper to promote the rights of women throughout the remainder of his life. In a historical twist of fate, Douglass would pass away shortly after attending a Woman’s Council Meeting. His early support and impact on the women’s movement is overshadowed by his work on civil rights issues but is a prominent achievement that needs to be brought to light.
Douglass was a well-known advocate in Great Britain and parts of Europe for what in modern times is known as social justice. Douglass, to escape being returned to slavery, left the United States to travel abroad. While abroad, he promoted a wide array of civil rights and social issues throughout his time in Great Britain and Ireland before returning to the United States. The money he earned on his speaking tour was enough to purchase his freedom from bondage and start his newspaper, TheNorth Star.
Frederick Douglass lived a life of possibility. As an escaped slave, an abolitionist leader, an advocate for women’s suffrage, a journalist, a business owner, and a promoter of social justice issues, his influence continues to live in the modern civil rights movement worldwide.