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Frederick Douglass\u2019s oratory, writing, and activism were instrumental in the anti-slavery movement. Douglass, who learned how to read and write while enslaved, escaped slavery and became a prominent voice of the abolition movement. His persuasive writing and powerful rhetoric in works such as Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass<\/em> (1845) put him at the forefront of a movement with a goal of changing the minds of the masses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Douglass moved to Rochester, New York and published \u201cThe North Star,\u201d a newspaper committed to \u201cpromoting the moral and intellectual improvement\u201d of African Americans.[1]<\/a><\/sup> By the 1840s, many anti-slavery societies formed at the local and national levels. The American Anti-Slavery Society\u2019s refrain was \u201cNo union with slaveholders.\u201d Douglass responded that \u201cAs a mere expression of abhorrence of slavery, the sentiment is a good one; but it expresses no intelligible principle of action, and throws no light on the pathway of duty.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/sup> In 1855, the Rochester Ladies\u2019 Anti-Slavery Society, a group of northern abolitionists, asked Douglass to present a lecture on the history of the anti-slavery movement. In <\/em>this lecture, he argues that abolition is in alignment with the American values cemented by the founding fathers.[3]<\/a><\/sup> As Douglass persuades and argues for the dissolution of an abhorrent institution, he becomes a beacon for our exploration of resistance \u2013 an exploration that extends far beyond rebellions and revolutions to encompass the gradual, persistent efforts and the power of storytelling as a form of survivance.[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n In this lecture, Douglass dives into the multifaceted nature of resistance and the anti-slavery movement by highlighting the moral and ethical foundations upon which America was built. He draws upon the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, two documents that are seen as the law of the land in the U.S., in order to emphasize the contradiction between the nation\u2019s values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and the presence of slavery. In his lecture, he states, \u201c… first, the Constitution is, according to its reading, an anti-slavery document.\u201d Douglass dissects the rhetoric of freedom that is embedded in these foundational documents to prove that the founding ideals of the United States support the abolition of the institution of slavery. He uses these founding documents to expose the hypocrisy in society, as the U.S. public was championing individual liberties yet subjecting a large portion of its population to brutal oppression. Douglass\u2019s ability to use the language of the Founding Fathers is an incredibly effective rhetorical technique, as he forces his audience to reflect on what America truly stands for. His argument requires audiences to critically examine the nation\u2019s moral conscience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this speech, Douglass doesn\u2019t just argue why slavery was immoral; instead, he discusses the history of the anti-slavery movement, highlighting different goals and ideals of different activist groups. He encourages everyone to participate in anti-slavery advocacy. He writes, \u201cWhile it is a subject of surpassing dignity, and one upon which the wisest and best minds may be employed, it is, nevertheless, a subject upon which the humblest may venture to think and speak. As often is the case with movements pushing for \u201cradical\u201d social change, outsiders feel that the goals and values of the movement are hard to follow, especially when the activism is actively developing and changing. In this passage, Douglass calls upon all Americans, no matter how educated they may be, to understand the abolition movement. In this way, his lecture becomes a catalyst for a deeper societal introspection as he fosters a sense of responsibility and urgency among those who care to listen to his impactful words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Douglass\u2019s use of powerful words and effective rhetoric throughout his speeches and publications tie in to the idea of reclaiming a measure of control over one\u2019s life. Resistance against oppressors allows the oppressed to take back the parts of their lives that were stripped from them \u2013 their words, their ability to act, and their time for leisure. Douglass\u2019s speech serves as a form of reclaiming agency and challenging the dominant narratives that justified the institution of slavery. Stephanie Camp\u2019s book explores the idea of \u201creclaiming a measure of control over goods, time, or parts of one\u2019s life\u201d as an act of resistance.[5]<\/a><\/sup> Douglass used rhetoric to take control of his own life. The transformative power of his rhetoric lies not only in its immediate impact on the anti-slavery movement but also as a testament to the enduring power of words in shaping the course of social and political change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/a> \u201cFrederick Douglass Newspapers, 1847 to 1874,\u201d Library of Congress, https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/collections\/frederick-douglass-newspapers\/about-this-collection\/.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> Kellie Carter Jackson, \u201cAbolition,\u201d in Micha\u00ebl Roy, ed., Frederick Douglass in Context<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021): 147-206.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/a>\u00a0<\/sup>Frederick Douglass,\u00a0The Anti-Slavery Movement, A Lecture by Frederick Douglass, before the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society\u00a0<\/em>(Rochester, NY: Press of Lee, Mann & Co., Daily American Office, 1855), William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/a> <\/sup>Gerald Robert Vizenor, Survivance: Narratives of Native Presence <\/em>(Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\nCitations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n