We, the Disinherited of This Land
“We, the disinherited of this land, we who have been oppressed so long, are tired of going through the long night of captivity. And now...
Sojourner Truth: Fully Human
Sojourner Truth does not need to be a mythical woman, created whole the moment she left slavery, an ex-slave whom whites can accept. Her...
Douglass’ “The Lessons of the Hour”, Part II
“But my friends, I must stop. Time and strength are not equal to the task before me. But could I be heard by this great nation, I would...
"Ain't I a Woman" and Historical Revision
By the time Frances Dana Gage created “Ain’t I a Woman?” she was years removed from the original incident. Her writing competitor,...
Douglass' "Lessons of the Hour"
In the first three paragraphs of his last speech, “Lessons of the Hour (1894),” Frederick Douglass, already well known, introduces...
No Liminal Moment for Frederick Douglass: It's All a Process of Maturation
There is a process of maturation in Frederick Douglass’ Narrative, but there never appears to be a liminal moment unless one counts every...
Frederick Douglass
Like other slaves, Douglass had no knowledge of his birthday, and while this made him unhappy because he did not see that he should be so...