Analysis Of Fredrick Douglass: The Composite Nation

The American Civil War was earthshaking event for the United States, one that come to shape the country for decades and centuries. In the years following the bloody crucible, America would struggle to redefine itself as a nation, and seek to reconcile its values with its policies while simultaneously allowing itself to heal in the wake of so much fear and hatred. Both goals brought their own set of challenges, all of which were only strengthened by the sudden, tragic assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Without his uniting leadership, the country would limp into the latter half of the 19th century, drifting further and further apart as the polarization of the prospering north and impoverished south intensified. In the midst of this resentment, …show more content…
Douglass argued that the acceptance of this idea of equality was the only way to secure the future of a “country of all extremes” such as the United States. Douglass urged the country to embrace diversity instead of fearing it. He, like many other advocacy groups grown out of the Age of Reform, recognized that America was only becoming more diverse with time. In former half of the 19th century alone, hundreds of thousands of European and Asian immigrants flooded into the country, and number that would only grow exponentially. Douglass addressed the debate over what races and social groups deserved access to the American franchise succinctly and poignantly, stating “Do you ask, if I favor such immigration, I answer I would. Would you have them naturalized and have them invested with all the rights of American citizenship? I would. Would you allow them to vote? I would. Would you allow them to hold office? I would.” Douglass, unlike post-bellum southerners, recognized that, for America as a republic, change through diversification was not only profitable, but also inevitable, and that whites attempting to maintain ideas of strict nativism were curtailing the United States’ capability to achieve its full potential. Even in a time of harsh discrimination against …show more content…
While it would take the country over a century to even realize Douglass’ vision on even a fractional level, eventually equality would extend to include all races and cultures into the American experience with equal protection under the law. Though some might argue that economic and legal barriers still exist to the detriment of minorities, the triumph of the abolitionist and other movements for social reform are not to be discounted. For many, the work of Douglass and activists like him would provide the precedent later movements, all aimed at reaching the noble vision that Douglass himself would never see