Frederick Douglass: The Father Of The Civil Rights Movement

William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist and the author of a weekly journal, the liberator. Ironically, Garrison really became a notorious and famous abolitionist only after the South published his work in news papers in an attempt to condemn him. Garrison’s weekly journal became the main journal of abolitionist. Garrison called for the immediate abolishment of slavery in America and for blacks to be viewed as Americans. With the help of other abolitionists, Garrison’s conceptions spread across the North.

Next is Frederick Douglass. Douglass was born into slavery in the early 1800s, only two years before Susan B. Anthony. After escaping slavery in Maryland, he took a brave step in publicly speaking to people about the abolition of slavery, women’s rights, and equality. It was risky, as he could be caught and forced back into slavery. He continued to speak though, and eventually became the Massachusetts and New York abolition leader.

Abraham Lincoln died for civil rights when slavery was abolished when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865, but still African-Americans were being discriminated and segregated form the whites. True equality was not shown until The Civil Rights Act of 1965 that desegregated schools, restaurants, and other locations in America was signed gave African-Americans a chance at true freedom and equality which is what America is supposed to mean. For 100 years the battle for civil rights was fought and came true, it took a nation to be divide to go to war with each other. It also started a huge movement in America in the 1960s that revolutionized a country and changed it forever. King believed in this change and was able to lead a movement and succeed with it.

Irony in Huck Finn Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain takes place in the mid 1830’s to the mid 1840’s when slavery was still prevalent in the south. Although the book was set in the 1830’s to the 1840’s, it was not published until 1884, after slavery had been abolished in 1865. Slavery is an important topic of the book to focus on because it shaped the way people thought. A way that Twain shows the truths of slavery in the book is through irony. A specific scene that he used irony in was when Huck was helping Jim escape from slavery, yet Huck judged Jim for wanting to free the rest of his family which is ironic.

This feature was reflected in movements like abolition, prison reform, and the women’s rights movement. In 1829, David Walker, a free black man, wrote to all other freed black men that they needed to help their brothers who were enslaved. He wrote this to persuade them to do everything in their power to help them gain the freedom that they experience. He even goes as far as to mention the wretchedness of white christians thus suggesting a more radical approach to abolitionism. (Document 3).

When the South attacked Fort Sumter, Lincoln was given an opportunity to reexamine his public stance on slavery. He had previously taken a neutral position in an attempt to silence the South, but now he had an opportunity to recant and do something about slavery, and more importantly, he had an opportunity to win the war by taking the Confederate’s forces right out from under them. By the time one year of war rolled around, Lincoln had started considering partial emancipation. In July of 1862, the South, supported by unwilling soldiers, was scoring many victories. Lincoln noticed that slaves were being forced to fight for their masters, and came to the conclusion that emancipation would weaken the Confederate forces significantly.

Since the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in 1863 there was a perpetual battle for African American equality in the United States that was a key part of our history throughout the twentieth century. Anne Moody’s Coming of in Mississippi is a book that greatly outlines the hardships faced by a black individual during the fight for equality. One main theme covered in the book is whether violent or nonviolent action is more productive in the fight for equality. This argument is one that defined various African American leaders in the mid nineteenth century. Leaders such as Martin Luther King prided themselves on nonviolent protests while others such as Malcolm X argued that violence was needed to truly reach equality.

In August of 1963, King led the March on Washington. Black people and even some whites gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to take a stand against segregation. There was a total of around 200,000 people. (New York Times) Many people gave speeches, but the most famous speech was Martin’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

The Underground Railroad was a secret network of safe houses that organized by people who helped runaway men, women and children slaves. From the years 1780 until the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 enslaved individuals would run away in hopes to receive help from the free and reach their way up into the northern part of the United States. Many historians have approached this topic in several perspectives. Daniel O. Sayers “The Underground Railroad Reconsidered” provides an overview of the Underground Railroad as a long-term of African-American defiance and marronage. It analyses the political economic impacts across the slave owning sectors, the slave’s culture and the influence of religion on the Underground Railroad.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain showcases a story where society upholds racial discriminations that clearly set a line between slaves and those who own them. In the novel whites are superior while black people are below them and are practically just objects that can be sold and replaced. The way that society functioned and the abuse that Huck received is what made him decide to leave and find his freedom. Jim, a slave who was gonna be sold also decides to leave in order to obtain his freedom. Both Huck and Jim leave their homes and families to go on a journey to find their freedom.

After the Emancipation Proclamation stating that slaves were allowed to join the Union forces, the African American population decreased. A man enlisted in the war spoke to his wife stating, ¨When i shall have the opportunity of seeing you in the full enjoyment of freedom¨ (Doc 6). In other words, Samuel Cabble means that he is happy to fight for the freedom of his people. Based on the illustrations in ¨Journey of a Slave From the Plantation to the Battlefield¨, a slave died for standing up for what is right (Doc 5). Fredrick Douglas states, ¨ and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned right to citizenship in the United States¨(Doc 7).

The blacks in the north were allowed to organized and protest. Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton founded the Pennsylvania society for abolition and slavery in 1831. Also another fact is William Lloyd garrison publishes the first edition of the liberation England. Civil Rights and the Civil War Amendments wanted us to know about Dred Scott v. Sanford in regards to the “white slave owners did what they wanted with the black slaves , because they had no rights”(443). Illinois was a free state for blacks.

In 1860 Lincoln was elected president. He promised to end slavery in the country . People in the southern states needed slaves to work on their plantation and they thought Abraham Lincoln was a danger to them. Within a few months southern states broke away from the and formed the Confederate States of America. This led to a long and bloody war between the northern and the southern states, which ended in 1865.(English Online.at)Some people need to be appreciated about what they have done for us.

Fatimah alhabib King’s main point King have many point he would to give people. In paragraph 2-3, king wants to remind us of the decree from one years ago. That decree made by a great America and even in that time has decree for freedom to slave, there was a slave still not free, they were still poor between wealthy societies. In paragraph 6, king said he and all people there, they come to remind America of the urgency. In addition, king wants to urge his audience to not be quiet and take that steep of demonstration for freedom like gradualism, he encouraged audience to take a fast steep from the dark into sunlit path.

Douglass and Helen marriage provoked a storm of controversy, since Helen was both white and nearly 20 years younger than Douglass. Her family stopped speaking to her; his children considered the marriage a repudiation of their mother. Douglass says that his first marriage had been to someone the color of his mother, and his second to someone the color of his father. Frederick Douglass was an incredibly talented writer and orator who escaped slavery and brought the issue of slavery to the attention of people in the 1840s, 50s, and 60s.