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Traces the life of the black abolitionist, from his early years in slavery to his later success as a persuasive editor, orator, and writer. ... Read more

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For Frederick Douglass, the iconic nineteenth-century slave and abolitionist, the foundations for his arguments in support of racial equality rested on natural rights and natural law--and the bold proclamation of the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal. But because many Americans never observed this principle--and in Douglass's day even renounced it--he made it his life's work to move the nation toward this vision of a more noble liberalism. Peter Myers now considers that effort and the natural rights arguments by which Douglass confronted race in America.

Myers examines the philosophic core of Douglass's political thought, offering a greater understanding of its depth and coherence. He depicts Douglass as the leading thinker to apply the Founders' doctrine of natural rights to the plight of African Americans--an activist who grounded his arguments on the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the inherent injustice not only of slavery but of any form of racial superiority.

Myers first reconsiders Douglass's descriptive analysis of slavery, developing his arguments for its natural wrongness and for its natural weakness in conjunction with the right of resistance. He then examines Douglass's understandings of civil government in general and of the U.S. constitutional order in particular, exploring his argument on the Constitution's relation to slavery and his thoughts on the powers and duties of the federal and state governments in the matter of postslavery race relations--including new insight into Douglass's controversial "do nothing" doctrine.

Myers argues that Douglass's political thought at its core is both more coherent and more defensible in substance than his critics acknowledge. He maintains that Douglass was right in finding the natural rights principles of the Declaration a sufficient theoretical basis for addressing the nation's racial problems and contends that his hopefulness for the demise of slavery and white supremacy was marked by moderation and realism.

Myers finds in Douglass's political thought the foundations of a revitalized argument for the mainstream civil rights, integrationist tradition of African American political thought. His analysis offers a new way of looking at an important thinker, as well as a compelling case for hoping that race relations in America will improve over time.

This book is part of the American Political Thought series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

a possession for all time
A Possession for All Time

In this well-conceived and beautifully executed study, Myers has given Frederick Douglass a chance to explain his thought through his own books and speeches, and has thereby rescued his long career of political action from now-common misunderstandings. As a scholar, Myers cut his teeth with a fine book on Locke's political philosophy; he recognizes in Douglass a profound student of "the judicious Locke," who successfully avoided the pitfalls to which Locke's thought is prone when petrified into dogma. He understands the difficulties we face in making reason "our only star and compass" in political life. For Myers, Douglass rivals Lincoln as a model of thoughtful statesmanship, in a life devoted primarily to public speaking and writing. He displays Douglass as a master of political rhetoric who is able to bend to his audience, and rise to public emergencies, without losing his way. His Douglass is in a line with the first American Founders; and the principal obstacle to understanding him today is the same: Myers might have subtitled his book "Vindicating a Founder." After more than a century of Douglass-scholarship and criticism dominated by the historicist assumption that the human mind is never strong enough to rise above its time, Myers has restored to view Douglass's towering accomplishment, challenging readers today to meet the standard of excellence that Douglass set for all time.
Robert Eden, Professor of Political Science, Hillsdale College.

Frederick Douglass:A truly American Political Thinker
Professor Myers' book is an equal to Professor Jaffa's book on the Lincoln-Stephen Douglas debates which helped catapault Lincoln to the White House.It seems as though Professor Myers read everything that Frederick Douglass wrote.With a keen eye and an engaging style, Professor Myers shows the core of Frederick Douglass' political philosophy which is as relevant today as it was more than 160 years ago when Frederick Douglass escaped to freedom and began to demand equal rights for both African Americans and women in a liberal democracy.One sees how thoughtful and comprehensive Frederick Douglass' thought is. ... Read more

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A Scholastic biography of Frederick Douglass, a slave who managed to escape to the North. After reaching freedom, Douglass became an abolitionist, orator, journalist, and one of the most famous freedom fighters of all time. Photos. ... Read more

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My kids loved it!
My 7 year old daughter couldn't put this book down, as well as my twin 9 year old boys.I've never had so much interest in a book from my kids.They were fascinated and learned so much about such an amazing man by reading this well worded and meaningful book!

... Read more

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Drawing on previously untapped sources, Young Frederick Douglass recreates with fidelity and in convincing detail the background and early life of the man who was to become "the gadfly of America's conscience" and the undisputed spokesman for nineteenth-century black Americans.

This highly regarded biography traces the life and times of Frederick Douglass from his birth on Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1818 until 1838, when he escaped from slavery to emerge upon the national scene. At the time of Douglass's death in 1895, one eulogist wrote that he was probably the best-known American throughout the world since Abraham Lincoln. ... Read more

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Great biography with strong focus on Eastern Shore and Balto.
A very fine biographical work, focusing on Frederick Douglass's childhood and young adulthood on Maryland's Eastern Shore and in the Fell's Point area of Baltimore.The author, a veteran Eastern Shore journalist, provides a well-written account of Mr. Douglass's birth, his upbringing in slaveholding antebellum Maryland, his successful escape north from Baltimore, and his triumphant post-Civil War return to Baltimore and to the Eastern Shore.Additionally, this book provides an incisive examination of the conservative and class-ridden qualities of Eastern Shore society, both in Mr. Douglass's time and now.In a fascinating afterword, Preston notes how, while Mr. Douglass is far and away the most famous person ever to come out of Talbot County, Maryland, Talbot County has been slow to embrace his legacy.Plans are now in place to put a memorial to Mr. Douglass in front of the Talbot County courthouse in Easton, Maryland, but in contrast to Baltimore (where the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park is a prominent feature of the Fell's Point waterfront), Talbot County has not yet done anything official to honor the county's most illustrious resident.It would be a fine postscript to Preston's excellent biography for Talbot County to do the right thing and officially honor Frederick Douglass.

Douglass - the full story
Frederick Douglass wrote three biographies, or rather, he wrote his biography three times in different periods of life, each time recounting the story of his youth and escape from slavery, and then bringing the account forward to the date of writing. They are Narrative of the Life of Frederick DouglassAn American Slave (1845), My Bondage and My Freedom(1855) and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881). Of the three 'Bondage and Freedom' is the most detailed and reliable account of his early slave years. 'Life and Times' smoothed out some passages. While 'Bondage and Freedom' is the most reliable of his accounts it remains the least read, the tendency is to read 'Narrative' first and then for those wanting more detail to skip to 'Life and Times'.

Douglass' 1845 'Narrative' was probably the single most influential American slave narrative ever written, it was widely read and well known in the decades leading up to the Civil War. However from its first publication many contested its veracity, in particular Douglass' former white owners on the Eastern Short of Maryland. For the most part historians have taken Douglass at his word, or excused certain things in light of the context that he was trying to raise sympathy for the cause of abolition. It was not until 1980 that historian Dickson Preston, who lived in Talbot County, Maryland, did a more scientific study of Douglass' early years in slavery, going back through the records and seeing what could be verified, what made sense. Because Dickson is not black he had trouble finding a publisher since it was thought at the time any new biography of Douglass should be written by a black scholar, but with the help of James A. Michener (who was also living in Talbot County at the time working on his book Chesapeake) they found someone to publish this excellent objective historical investigation.

Dickson says in the Preface "this book began as an adventure in what might be called historical detective work. I had read his vividly written first autobiography.. and had been deeply moved by its stark recital of the grimmer side of Eastern Shore slavery. I had also read - and heard, for they are still spoken on the Eastern Shore - the denials, the insistence that Douglass was a charlatan who had made up most of his life story or had it written for him by his norther white benefactors. But what were the facts?" The book then is a re-telling of Douglass' narrative using supporting facts and logical conclusions to determine the accuracy and probable truths. Through this process we are afforded a much richer and deeper glimpse into Douglass' life.

The main thing Dickson discovers is that Douglass for the most part was telling the truth, but that he tended to overplay his trials and tribulations through the sin of omission - he tells the bad things but not the good. Of course this is understandable given the context of the books dual purpose as a weapon in the war against slavery. Far from being a deprived child Douglass was, at major transition points in his life, given opportunities of advancement by his white owners, he was clearly an exceptional child and not the typical downtrodden field-hand. This is not to say he was not a self-made man because he really was gifted, but others saw in him early on his great potential and he was given privileged and room to grow very few other slaves had. In the end we get a more balanced and full view of not only Douglass but the whites in his life and ultimately slave culture in Maryland as a whole, the good and the bad.

I found 'Young Frederick Douglass' to be essential to understanding who Douglass was and how he came to be. Douglass' narrative is gripping but leaves a lot of open questions - Dickson's research helps shed substantial light on what was happening behind the scenes, for anyone wishing to learn more about Douglass after reading 'Narrative' it would be hard to go wrong with 'Young Frederick Douglass'. ... Read more

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This volume contains the first and most famous of Frederick Douglass`s three autobiographies, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. First published in Boston in 1845, only seven years after Douglass`s escape from bondage, the Narrative provided the foundation for its author`s antebellum reputation as a writer. Douglass went on to write two more autobiographies, becoming one of a very small number of nineteenth-century Americans to publish more than one account of their lives. His books provide an unparalleled record not only of the events of his life but also of his shifting perceptions of the complex worlds of slavery and freedom that he inhabited. The autobiographies reflect the differences in his age (the first was written when he was twenty-seven, the last when he was in his seventies), his memory, and his objectives at the various times of his writing. ... Read more

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Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave and Essays (Wadsworth Classics)

Collected Articles of Fredrick Douglass

Buy these books, keep a copy and buy more copies as gifts to family and friends.

Frederick Douglass' works should be a part of everybody's library. He is one of the most outstanding Americans who ever lived. His life resembles the lives of many of the Prophets of the Bible... basically untaught by men, but inspired by the Creator with insight, boldness, knowledge, courage, fortitude and, yes, some prophecy.

Frederick Douglass' works should be studied at all levels of education, beginning with elementary schools. If he were a European American, I believe this would indeed be done, like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and others. In my humble opinion, he ranks above them. ... Read more

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Triangle Histories introduce a new concept to American history series. Each title in this collection interweaves and overlaps with others in its own unique way. And each title provides a different perspective on the subject. For example, The Battle of Vicksburg, the biography Ulysses S. Grant, and the biography Abraham Lincoln, overlap and intersect at a number of points. Grant was the Union commander at Vicksburg at a time when Lincoln was under great pressure to replace the general.

Because the Triangle Historiesprovide a format in which major subjects and themes can be considered from various angles, each collection offers a truly unique way to learn and understand the topic more completely. Each book stands alone, but as a set, the Civil War collection forms a powerful and engaging way in which to learn about one of the most painful eras our nation has ever endured. ... Read more

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A biography of the man who, after escaping slavery, became an orator, writer, and leader in the abolitionist movement in the nineteenth century. ... Read more

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Great picture book for children
We received this book in a more then timely fashion.This was agreat picture book for my 7 year old's project.The facts were compressed & it was easy comprehension again for a young child.

Not just for Elementary School Students
This text is geared toward an elementary audience.It is a quite comprehensive look at Douglass' life.It could easily be used to illustrate that slaves did not only work on plantations in the south, but in cities hired out as laborers.It would be an excellent introduction for the abolitionist movement and other events leading to the U.S. Civil War.Students enjoy being read to from these types of texts, but remember to give them something to do while listening.Have students complete an undated timeline of his life.Then utilize these timelines to discuss the main ideas of the text with students.(Possibly using the timeline notes graphic organizer from Jim Burke's Tools for Thought

A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass
A great book with which to incorporate children's literature with social studies instruction.Political Science is just one discipline of the social studies and as such can be taught effectively in early childhood classrooms.Books like this one about Frederick Douglass demonstrate how individuals sought to secure rights for all people and were willing to violate unjust laws in the process. ... Read more

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When a man raises himself from the lowest condition in society to the highest, mankind pay him the tribute of their admiration; when he accomplishes this elevation by native energy, guided by prudence and wisdom, their admiration is increased.
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A Worthy Companion to A Narrative In the Life of Frederick Douglass
I have to be honest, I never knew that Frederick Douglass published another volume of his autobiography. I foolishly believed that A Narrative in the Life of Frederick Douglass was his only book regarding is life as a slave and his life as a free man. I was so wrong. Sometimes I wonder how many other people still believe as I once did...

My Bondage and My Freedom is an exceptional example of auto-biographical writing. Douglass' mastery of the English language is superb! In reading his story and the way he's able to describe his past as a young boy, raised by his grandmother and then sent to begin working, with little knowledge beforehand that he was in fact a slave was so eye-opening.I had no idea that some children, raised during this time were actually allowed to be child for a few precious years before they were introduced to the vile world of slavery.

This book give such a detailed account of a man's struggle to unleash the genius kept constrained by the world into which he was born and raised, is just amazing. I'm still astounded by him even though it's been some time since I finished the book. While a majority of the book describes his life as a young boy and slave (told in the My Bondage section), the rest of the book (My Freedom) tells of his life after he escaped from slavery, his experiences given lectures against slavery, his time abroad in other countries where he was treated as a human being and not as a piece of property and then of his struggles to create and manage his own newspaper once he returns to the United States.

The appendix is also a treasure, as it reprints many of his speeches and lectures on the injustice against humanity that was the slavery system. A Narrative in the Life of Frederick Douglass is one of my all time favorite books and I find that My Bondage and My Freedom is definitely a worthy companion, especially if you are looking for a deeper understanding of the life of Frederick Douglass.

One thing that was missing and that I would love to come across one day, is his writing on his actual escape from slavery, as it is never fully explained in this book. As a reader you only know that he planned it and obviously executed his daring escape with help from others. That would really be a treat...

First Modern Totalitarian Police State
Historians often call the Civil War the first modern war, a precursor to the great battlefield slaughterhouses of the twentieth century. Frederick Douglass shows that America was also first to invent the totalitarian police state. It's hard to believe Stalin didn't have MY BONDAGE AND MY FREEDOM prominently positioned on his bookshelf for frequent consultation because the Soviet system of oppression had so much in common with the system of oppression in the American South. The only significant difference was that, in the Soviet system, absolute power was vested in Stalin; in the American system, absolute power was vested in each slavemaster. Each slavemaster was, in essence, a little Stalin, with life and death power over his slave property.

The slave system rigorously withheld news and information from slaves. A slave often would not know his father or even his own date of birth. He could not lawfully learn to read. He could not travel without written authorization. He could not associate freely with other slaves. He could not safely trust anyone or confide his private thoughts to anyone because planted informers were so numerous. Slaves had to avoid even certain thoughts for fear the slavemaster would see in their facial expressions what was in their minds.

Disguised slave catchers would sometimes help and encourage a slave to escape, only to capture him for the reward. The slavemaster demanded and enforced absolute, immediate, and unquestioned subservience through fear, a liberal use of the lash and the constant threat of transferring a recalcitrant slave to an even harsher labor camp in the deep South.

Yet MY BONDAGE AND MY FREEDOM is by no means a depressing book, thanks to Douglass' irrepressible courage, wit, spirit and good luck when he most needed it. There are even a few intentionally hilarious moments, which I won't give away in this review.

To avoid capture after his escape to the North, Douglass used the fees from his speeches in Great Britain and royalties from his book sales to legally buy his own freedom from his Maryland owner.

The book covers a period of American history I knew little about, the period between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. I didn't know, for example, that the abolition movement early in that period favored secession from the United States on the belief that the Constitution favored the South and backed to the hilt the slave system. An excellent recent book that supports that view is SLAVERY'S CONSTITUTION by David Waldstreicher.

Even though Douglass was a religious, believing Christian, he leveled his most scathing criticism at the way Southerners used Christianity to justify and advance the slave system. He often noted that the cruelest slave masters were also credited as the most religious members of their communities. Some of the worst even had "Rev." attached to their names. The only slavemaster Douglass credited with relative decency and kindness also happened to be an atheist.

Loyal customer
The item arrived on time and this web site was the ONLY place I could find this book as my daughter needed it for her English class at school!
Amazon really came through for me when we couldn't find the book anywhere else.Thank you, thank you, thank you.

A REAL AMERICAN HERO
THIS BOOK IS POWERFUL, ITS SHOCKING, AND IT IS ASPIRING. THERE IS NOTHING ON CHANNEL 11 THAT BRINGS THE HONEST, INSIGHTFUL, VERY REAL ACCOUNT THAT MR.DOUGLASS DOES IN HIS BOOK. FROM SLAVE TO FREE-MAN, THIS IS TRUELY AN AMERICAN SUCCESS. SKIP THE INTRO, AND JUMP INTO IT.

Frederick Douglass's "My Bondage and My Freedom"
Douglass's second, and lengthier, narrative fills in many of the gaps left in his first autobiography: we learn about his mother, his siblings, and more details about his psychological transformation from brute to man. It's quite insightful, as Douglass is careful to relate each of his personal experiences to the innate evil of the peculiar instituition, for both the slave and the slave holder. ... Read more

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Newbery-finalist James Lincoln Collier creates insightful character studies of our most well-known American figures. By blasting through the myths surrounding our heroes, we see them as they really were, with their conflicts, their fears, their shortcomings, and their ambitions. We come to know them and so to admire their achievements all the more. ... Read more

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Essential for those teaching Douglass's work
I teach Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass on a college level and found this "Approaches" text to be beneficial. ... Read more

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Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Designed especially for beginning readers, First-Start Biographies trace the childhood years of famous men and women who overcame obstacles and achieved greatness. Illustrated in full color. ... Read more

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Life of Frederick Douglass
The book is in excellent condition.Prompt delivery.Content - absorbing.

Very pleased with service and content of book.

think tac toe from cameron jones
This book was about mr douglas whole life,and how he made it out of slavery.He has traveled to the freeland,and left the pass behind him.Now he wrote books about his freedom from slavery.

I wish I was impressed:
It's simply amazing that a man such as Frederick Douglass could rise up from the bowels of slavery and make such an impact on American history. And the fact that he allegedly educated himself and became an outspoken leader/advocate in the abolitionist movement, while becoming one of the leading intellectuals in the 19th century would indeed be miraculous if it didn't seem so fallacious.

But what I'm about to state will disturb many people, and for that I'm deeply sorry. However, I feel Douglass' autobiography and how he managed to educate himself with little or no help then escaping to freedom is unmitigated hyperbole.
Also, the fact that Douglass downplays Harriet Tubman's Underground Rail Road as something unfeasible and the fact that Douglass doesn't reveal any information on how he escaped made this book seem extremely far-fetched if not fanciful.
Unfortunately, this narrative seems like a work of fiction that was written by a 19th century white person trying to capture the essence of the black experience. (In other words this narrative would make a pretty good TV movie of the week.)

And Of course, many people will make the accusation that what I'm conveying are racist sentiments, but that simply isn't the case. There were an abundance of capable Blacks in the 19th century that could and did accomplish what Douglass achieved ten-fold.
So, with that said, I emphatically feel that he should've been professional and intellectually forthright with his tale. It would have been intriguing to envisage his perilous journey to freedom.
By leaving the readers in utter limbo on how he made his trek to freedom when he simply could have given realistic details of what transpired during his escape without revealing accomplices would have made his story more palatable.

But overall, what I think everyone should ascertain from this autobiography is the iniquitous brutality of slavery and the impact it had on America as a society then and now, and we must all muster enough strength to love and respect one-another so someday we'll overcome adversities in our sacred land.
So to sum up; even though I found this book far-fetched at times I still consider Frederick Douglass to be one of the greatest Americans of all time.
A must read for the learning experience insofar as reaching understanding even though this autobiography reads like a work of fiction.

This is a quick read, but packs several great lessons
Frederick Douglass wrote this while still a relatively young man, recently escaped from slavery.He is extremely articulate; especially for someone self-educated.This is the story of his life as a slave up until the time he escaped and became an abolitionist.He later wrote a couple of other autobiographies, but this is the one that packs the most wallop.

His observations of the degrading effects on slavery, both on the slaves and the owners were very fascinating.His description of the change he saw in one of his mistresses from a kindly new slaveholder to a typical cruel slave owner highlighted what evil an institution slavery is.It made me grateful not only that I'm not a slave, but more so not a slaveholder.

It was also interesting to see how his religious masters were much crueler than the non-religious owners were.It shows how if a "moral" institution justifies an immoral practice, its practitioners lose all sense of guilt and act accordingly.

The methods the owners used to keep the slaves ignorant and debased was another disgusting practice.It seemed to work at keeping them from revolt, but at what cost?

I highly recommend this book for everyone.The lessons it teaches about human nature are things we all need to be reminded of. ... Read more

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Classic autobiography. According to Wikipedia: "Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818– February 20, 1895) was an American abolitionist, women's suffragist, editor, orator, author, statesman and reformer. Called "The Sage of Anacostia" and "The Lion of Anacostia", Douglass is one of the most prominent figures in African-American history and United States history. In 1872, Douglass became the very first African-American nominated as a Vice Presidential candidate in the U.S., running on the Equal Rights Party ticket with Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President of the United States. He was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was fond of saying, 'I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.'" ... Read more

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The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass was Douglass' third autobiography. In it he was able to go into greater detail about his life as a slave and his escape from slavery, as he and his family were no longer in any danger from the reception of his work. It is also the only of Douglass' autobiographies to discuss his life during and after the Civil War, including his encounters with American Presidents such as Lincoln, Grant, and Garfield ... Read more

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Frederick Douglass was unquestionably the foremost black American of the nineteenth century.The extraordinary life of this former slave turned abolitionist orator, newspaper editor, social reformer, race leader, and Republican party advocate has inspired many biographies over the years.This, however, is the first full-scale study of the origins, contours, development, and significance of Douglass's thought.

Brilliant and to a large degree self-taught, Douglass personified intellectual activism; he possessed a sincere concern for the uses and consequences of ideas.Both his people's struggle for liberation and his individual experiences, which he envisioned as symbolizing that struggle, provided the basis and structure for his intellectual maturation.As a representative American, he internalized and, thus, reflected major currents in the contemporary American mind.As a representative Afro-American, he revealed in his thinking the deep-seated influence of race on Euro-American, Afro-American, or, broadly conceived, American consciousness.He sought to resolve in his thinking the dynamic tension between his identities as a black and as an American.

Martin assesses not only how Douglass dealt with this enduring conflict, but also the extent of his success.An inveterate belief in a universal and egalitarian humanism unified Douglass's thought.This grand organizing principle reflected his intellectual roots in the three major traditions of mid-nineteenth-century American thought: Protestant Christianity, the Enlightenment, and romanticism.Together, these influences buttressed his characteristic optimism.

Although nineteenth-century Afro-American intellectual history derived its central premises and outlook from concurrent American intellectual history, it offered a searching critique of the latter and its ramifications.How to square America's rhetoric of freedom, equality, and justice with the reality of slavery and racial prejudice was the difficulty that confronted such Afro-American thinkers as Douglass. ... Read more

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Here in one omnibus edition are all three of Frederick Douglass' landmark autobiographies. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is one of the most influential autobiographies ever written. This classic did as much as or more than any other book to motivate the abolitionist to continue to fight for freedom in American. Frederick Douglass was born a slave, he escaped a brutal system and through sheer force of will educated himself and became an abolitionist, editor, orator, author, statesman, and reformer. This is one of the most unlikely and powerful success stories ever written. In Frederick Douglass' autobiography My Bondage and My Freedom we can see the power of literacy and belief. Douglass transforms himself from slave to an abolitionist, journalist, orator, and one of the most powerful voices to emerge from the American civil rights movement with little more than force of will. His breadth of his accomplishments gave hope to generations of people who came after him in their fight for civil rights. ... Read more