An ongoing illustrative history study
This piece originally posted 6/8/2020
Lesson 2: the most-photographed individual of the 19th century. (Ain't that a doozy of a claim?)
Frederick Douglass was born a slave in 1817 Maryland and so while there was no actual record of his birth, later he would decide that his birthday would in fact be February 14th, thereby setting a lifetime pattern of quiet-yet-firm declarations. Douglass's personal definition of freedom went WAY beyond the norms of his time --not only was he an outspoken champion for equal rights/suffrage for black Americans, but also for women, immigrants, and Native Americans. He was quite conscious of his public status and made masterful use of it. In the years leading up to the Civil War, he was pretty much that one black man whose name everyone knew --and not just in the States, but across Europe.
(Oh, and he just happened to be the U.S. envoy to the Dominican Republic in the immediate aftermath of the Dominican Restoration War. Talk about your unique vantage points...)
Go dive in to this man's remarkable life --there is a lot to absorb. In particular Google "Freedman's Bank" and "North Star" in conjunction with his name and prepare to be amazed at the connections.
Next page - Lesson 3: Gladys Bentley