Black History Month

Douglass’ story speaks to the heart of the resilience in the African-American spirit. Born into slavery in Maryland in 1818, Douglass fought daily to survive on the hot and brutal plantation. Education was a luxury for slaves. Thus, he could not read or write until he reached the age of 12. In secret and at great risk, Douglass learned the alphabet from an overseer of the plantation work. By his teenage years, he was writing essays and teaching other slaves to read and write.

Douglass escaped the hands of slavery at the age of 20 by boarding a Philadelphia-bound railroad train. Upon arrival in the northern states as a free man, he wrote the following sentiments in a letter describing his emotion: “I lived more in one day than in a year of my slave life. It was a time of joyous excitement, which words can but tamely describe. I felt as one might feel upon escape from a den of hungry lions … gladness and joy, like the rainbow, defy the skill of a pencil.”

Following his freedom, Douglass dedicated the remainder of his life to achieving fundamental human rights, such as the right to be free from involuntary servitude and the universal right to vote. As a reformer, abolitionist, orator and writer, Douglass led the movement for freedom during the Civil War era. Many historians today suggest that Douglass’ efforts contributed to the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, guaranteed the right to equal protection under the law the right to vote.

I emphasize that Douglass was a leader of the human rights movement because his contributions were not limited to the civil rights movement of African-Americans. In fact, one of Douglass’ most renowned efforts in the human rights movement was his leadership in the fight for universal suffrage, particularly for women’s voting rights. Although women did not achieve the right to vote until the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1919, Douglass fought for their right to do so at a time when the issue was quite unpopular.

One of Douglass’ most notable achievements in advocating for women’s voting rights came in 1848 when he attended the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention. Douglass passionately called for the passage of a resolution calling for women’s universal suffrage rights, which was subsequently passed following his speech.

Douglass also published the first African-American newspaper, “The North Star,” in which he called for a permanent end to slavery and all forms of human oppression.

Douglass was just one of many of the African-American leaders in the abolitionist movement, but his life story reflects the resilience of the human spirit in its unending fight for freedom. This month, let us take a moment to commend the African-American people who have made invaluable contributions to our nation and world throughout history. Without those contributions, we would not have many of the fundamental and human rights that many of us take for granted each day.

A native of Pacifica, Jonathan Madison worked as professional policy staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, from 2011-2013. Jonathan works as an attorney and can be reached via email at jonathanemadison@gmail.com.