“The white man's happiness cannot be purchased by the black man's misery,” a quote by Frederick Douglass still resonates in today’s society. Frederick Douglass, originally born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey sometime around 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland was an African American slave whose experiences led him to transform into a powerful social reformer, abolitionist, orator, and writer. His father was rumored a white man, however he was still forced to take his black mother’s slave title, and also suffer the inhumanity and malice that accompanied this role. His strong opposition towards slavery began to deepen once he began to learn how to read, something that was forbidden to slaves. In Frederick Douglass’ years black men, women,
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In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass the emancipated slave recalls his knowledge of the wife of Mr. Giles Hick who lived close to him and murdered his wife’s cousin. He talks about the slave girl’s failure to hear the crying of the mistress’ baby, and also explains the barbarities done to her with an oak stick by the fireplace, “...A young girl between fifteen and sixteen years of age, mangling her person in the most horrible manner, breaking her nose and breastbone with a stick, so that the poor girl expired in a few hours afterward...There was a warrant issued for her arrest, but never served”(Douglass 15). The black girl’s death was of no concern to any figures of authority in the 1800s. In the year of 2016 injustices still exist like the murders of many black men by police officers that have gone unpunished, and these injustices are the one’s Colin Kaepernick is shedding light onto with his privilege of being a famous football player and refusing to stand for the national anthem. After the night of his defiant act he declared, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” to the NFL Network(Carpenter). His criticism of the United States justice is alike to the criticism that Frederick Douglass throws when he talks about when slaves were …show more content…
His advantage of being able to read and write, and also give powerful speeches granted him the ability to use his experiences to make others listen. In the last paragraph of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass he shares his hopes for the future of his autobiography. The paragraph states, “Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system, and hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of my brethren in bonds--faithfully relying upon the power of truth, love, and justice, for success in my humble efforts... I subscribe myself, Frederick Douglass”(Douglass 76). He hopes that the book can call attention to the flawed American justice he and so many other African-Americans had to pass through. Like Douglass Kaepernick’s peaceful protest has brought attention, good and bad, to the recent oppression and inequity in the nation. In the article Kaepernick is quoted saying, “This is something that has to be said, it has to be brought to the forefront of everybody’s attention, and when that’s done I think people can realize what the situation [is] and then really effect change”(Carpenter). His purpose is strikingly similar to the purpose of Frederick Douglass, both of them wanted to shed light on the wrongdoings to black
In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass the emancipated slave recalls his knowledge of the wife of Mr. Giles Hick who lived close to him and murdered his wife’s cousin. He talks about the slave girl’s failure to hear the crying of the mistress’ baby, and also explains the barbarities done to her with an oak stick by the fireplace, “...A young girl between fifteen and sixteen years of age, mangling her person in the most horrible manner, breaking her nose and breastbone with a stick, so that the poor girl expired in a few hours afterward...There was a warrant issued for her arrest, but never served”(Douglass 15). The black girl’s death was of no concern to any figures of authority in the 1800s. In the year of 2016 injustices still exist like the murders of many black men by police officers that have gone unpunished, and these injustices are the one’s Colin Kaepernick is shedding light onto with his privilege of being a famous football player and refusing to stand for the national anthem. After the night of his defiant act he declared, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” to the NFL Network(Carpenter). His criticism of the United States justice is alike to the criticism that Frederick Douglass throws when he talks about when slaves were …show more content…
His advantage of being able to read and write, and also give powerful speeches granted him the ability to use his experiences to make others listen. In the last paragraph of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass he shares his hopes for the future of his autobiography. The paragraph states, “Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system, and hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of my brethren in bonds--faithfully relying upon the power of truth, love, and justice, for success in my humble efforts... I subscribe myself, Frederick Douglass”(Douglass 76). He hopes that the book can call attention to the flawed American justice he and so many other African-Americans had to pass through. Like Douglass Kaepernick’s peaceful protest has brought attention, good and bad, to the recent oppression and inequity in the nation. In the article Kaepernick is quoted saying, “This is something that has to be said, it has to be brought to the forefront of everybody’s attention, and when that’s done I think people can realize what the situation [is] and then really effect change”(Carpenter). His purpose is strikingly similar to the purpose of Frederick Douglass, both of them wanted to shed light on the wrongdoings to black