Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches

After his escape from slavery at age 20, Frederick Douglass went on to become the most famous Black man in the 19th century, and he achieved that position based on the power of his words. Entirely self-taught, Douglass was a powerful writer and master orator, crafting speeches that called out American hypocrisy and challenged the nation to live up to its founding principles. "Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches" offers a new approach to understanding Douglass' story, guided entirely by his own words about this country's struggle for Black freedom and equality. Together with his autobiographies, the writings chart Douglass' rise from a passionate young agitator to a composed statesman, and ultimately to a disenchanted but still hopeful older man.