These communities financially sustained Douglass and his growing family, including financing his home and securing his manumission. Covey and successful escape with the assistance of Anna Murray, his future wife.įollowing his self-emancipation, Blight catapults readers into the African American and white abolitionist circles that cultivated his transformation into a prophet of freedom. This rebellion manifested itself in the defeat of Mr. By stealing an education as he had food, he developed an “insatiable desire for knowledge through a love of words” and became a “dangerous slave rebel” (54, 57). His childhood memories resulted in a patronizing tone toward the other enslaved Maryland Eastern Shore people he discussed in his first autobiography. It contributed to his mistrust of others, limited friendships, and generated intense feuds. Slavery influenced his perception of the world, including sights, sounds, smells, and the humanity of enslaved people encountered. While having a “hustler’s ability to learn,” Douglass could never overcome the trauma of slavery (22). This striking opening allows for a deeper exploration of how Douglass’s formative experiences of slavery facilitated his transformation into a prophet of freedom. Douglass’s lack of knowledge of his real father contributed not just to this analogy, but also to his childhood of extremes, public silences on intimate aspects of his life, and his crusade for belonging in a nation for all African Americans. In this address, Douglass reminded the audience of Abraham Lincoln’s emancipatory role in defining the larger post-Civil War American family and African Americans’ inclusion as “his step children children by adoption, children by forces of circumstances and necessity” (7). Opening with Douglass’ dedication speech for the Freedmen’s Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1876, Blight introduces readers to the complex ways that Douglass used memory, history, and oratory skills in pursuit of freedom. Over seven-hundred pages, Blight deftly weaves a gripping narrative. His personal struggles for belonging, desire for a home, and trust issues complicated his marriage, father-child relationships, and friendships. Blight also delves into Douglass’s private life.
For a historical figure who penned three autobiographies, Blight reveals fresh insights on the African American abolitionist whose public writings, orations, and activism was deeply rooted in his unique Civil War era experience and the Hebrew prophetic tradition. $37.50.Įsteemed historian David Blight has produced a masterfully researched, nuanced, and beautifully written biography of Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W.
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