Frederick Douglass And Transcendentalism

In the 1800’s, there were many movements sweeping across America. One of them was abolitionism, a serious and dangerous topic to broach. Another was transcendentalism, a philosophical and social mash of many influences. Two men were figureheads of these movements. Frederick Douglass was a slave from Maryland and Ralph Waldo Emerson a writer from Massachusetts. Despite the vast differences between their backgrounds, both men embodied many of the same ideals. Both agreed that all men should be independent and think for themselves instead of accepting other people’s ideals. Equally important was their shared belief that in many cases, power dictates what is right and what is wrong. Furthermore, both agreed that society feared the truth and feared …show more content…
Some decided that the amount of power one held determined the morality of everyone else’s actions. As Emerson grudgingly admitted, “Power is in nature the essential measure of right” (31). Not only in nature was this prevalent, but it was ingrained in the mind of many white masters. One of Douglass’s former masters, Colonel Lloyd, was a classic example of living off of power. Colonel Lloyd had a stable of horses which he demanded his slaves, old and young Barney, pay perfect attention to. Douglass describes it as any “slightest inattention to [the horses] was unpardonable” (Douglass 29). He procedes with his description of the difficulties of the two Barneys by stating that “They were frequently whipped when least deserving, and escaped whipping when most deserving it” (29). Colonel Lloyd used his power and own preferences to dole out punishments when he thought is was suitable, even if it was a ridiculous error. In fact, Douglass explains that “Every thing depended upon the looks of the horses, and the state of Colonel Lloyd’s own mind” (29). It was not the level of proficiency that the slaves carried out while doing their job, but the whim of Colonel Lloyd. For all he cared, it could be the angle of the sun on the horse’s coat that determined the punishment. Douglass also stated that it was hard to understand, when he was younger, “the white man’s power to enslave the black man” (41). However, it all boiled down to single focus: Colonel Lloyd’s white supremacy gave him, in his mind, the right to beat the slaves he owned for any mistake he found. He never strayed from his belief that he was the one in the right and the slaves were in the