Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

By 1875, southern states are finding new ways to subvert the policies of Reconstruction. Intimidation of Black voters at the polls is common, as are the terror tactics of the Ku Klux Klan to suppress the newly freed population. Blight writes, “Just what kind of peace might unfold in America became for Douglass a central theme during the remainder of Reconstruction and beyond” (552).

The orator is particularly concerned when the Republican Party loses its commitment to enforcing Reconstruction. As Democrats make gains in the legislature, old-guard Republicans no longer oppose their attempts to reassert White political supremacy in the South. Douglass greatly fears that reconciliation between the North and South will spell the end of real emancipation. According to Blight, “A ‘peace among the whites’ is a striking way of thinking about the waning of Radicalism and the end of Reconstruction” (557).

In his speeches during this time, Douglass is torn between a desire to urge Black self-reliance and the need to insist on government intervention to get the emancipated population back on its feet. Douglass’s internal conflict regarding the best approach to help the freed class is compounded by other woes as his children continue to demand financial support, Ottilie pressures him to go to Europe with her, and he feels exhausted by the killing pace he maintains making political speeches around the country.