Abolitionism

" Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!" ( Huggins,180). These are the words of Fredrick Douglass that could represent the way he lived his life. Not willing to accept his life as a slave, he rose to become a great and honorable man that held a voice of influence over the reform movement's throughout the 19th century. He is one of the American leaders who provided a powerful voice for human rights and racial injustice during this period of American history. Throughout his life he was first and foremost an abolitionist, fighting against slavery until its elimination. He was a man dedicated to a cause, determined to try everything in his power to fight for what he believed fair, which was racial equality. As a young man Fredrick had fire; a burning incentive to change the world. Towards the end of his life he began to lose that sense of hope and idealism he had once shown. Despite not achieving what he wanted, he will always be credited for his hard effort as a great black man. He lived in a dominant white society but was able to speak out, participate in government affairs, and share his ideals and set of principals with the nation. Though he may have not accomplished the goals he had hoped for, he can be seen as a man who would mark the beginning of the long arduous struggle over the continuous fight for racial equality. Fredrick Douglass based his ideas of reform on two different and interconnected principles. These were the issues of religion and morality and also upon the Declaration of Independence, which represent the set of ideals upon which the nation had established itself. The importance of Christian morality was especially important throughout the 19th century due to the second great awakening, which caused many people to be influenced by what they perceived to be morally right. Fredrick based his argument that slavery was a sin before God. He wanted the American people to see it was their Christian duty to help the slaves. " Heaven help the poor slavesÐ'...." ( Huggins, 70). He was dedicated and saw his cause as "righteous in the eyes of god" (Huggins, 32). putting his life constantly at risk. He delivered many speeches throughout his lifetime and spoke of the horrible atrocities and evil that was perpetrated against black people under slavery. He wanted to "arouse the callous hearts of the American people" (Huggins, 70). He felt he could not stand by but instead felt he must provoke in people a sense that they must act against this "blasphemy of sin." ( Huggins, 43). Fredrick's sense that slavery was immoral was also influenced by the idea stated in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal." He felt all Americans must live up to these ideals that they so proudly based the new nation on. He seemed to view that if the American people created the constitution, then the nation must live up to and embody its lofty tenets and principles. He said that the "United States was the boldest in their pretensions to freedom, and loudest in their professions of love of liberty, yet no nation exhibited a code of laws as cruel, malicious and infernal as that of the Americans." (Huggins, 37). "Every page is red with the blood of the American Slave" ( Huggins, 37). The primary goal that Frederick wanted to accomplish as a reformer was to establish racial equality. Trying to work towards his ultimate goal he established more immediate goals. When the civil war first started such as fighting for the emancipation of the slaves and allowing for the rights of blacks to enlist in the union army. He hoped that the outcome of the war might be that "everyone in the country be entitled to the same rights protection and opportunities." (Huggins, 97). He also said that "the black man a solider in war, a laborer of peace ; a voter in the South as well in the North; America his permanent home, and Americans his permanent countrymen."( Huggins, 98). After the civil war, Fredrick fought for the adoption of constitutional amendments that guaranteed voting rights and civil liberties for blacks. He wanted a nation where blacks could really belong and could participate equally in all areas of life.