The Athenaeum. (Atlanta, GA) 1898-1925, February 01, 1925, Image 11
THE ATHENAEUM
153
prist upon the fair pages of history? Upon looking to antiquity I
found nothing save occasional mention of Ethiopia the land of the
njibians, the black men. The Egyptian Pharraohs are said to have
been of Negroid stock but it is not proven. Medieval history records
no name for a black man and modern history has but few. Who are
those few? You ask—First among them are Toussaint L'Overture,
accorded by Wendell Phillips a greater place than Washington. Cris-
pus Attucks and Black Sampson of Brandywine, both of whom
might be taken as models of sublime heroism and then we have
Frederick Douglas.
Born in Md. about 1817 of a white father, a colored mother,
Douglas was the property of a Captain Auld. Removed in early in
fancy from his mother’s care to that of his grandmother he lived the
first 7 or 8 year^ of his life in his masters home. Even at this age
Douglas began to break Southern law by learning his letters. He
was sent to Baltimore in his 7th year to be companion to the nephew
of his master. This lad’s mother continued to teach Douglas how
ever until forbidden by her husband who believed that to educate a
slave was to ruin him. This means of learning being cut off Doug
las began to accompany white youths to and from school carring
their books in order that he might learn a little more. At the age of
eleven he went into the shipyards where he learned his trade, ship
caulking. Here it was that Douglas learned much of navigation and
by coying the laters on various parts of the ship learend new words
and meanings-
In 1833 the boy was sent to Edward Covey’s farm- Here Doug
las’s proud spirit was well-nigh broken by severe maltreatment and
punishment which culminated in open resistance. Being successful
he vowed never to be punished again. He finally made a daring at
tempt to escape but only succeeded in being jailed. Upon his master’s
refusal to sell Douglas he returned to the Baltimore shipyards from
which in 1838 he made his escape to New Bedford, Mass. Here it
was that he found his first taste of northern prejudice because of his
color he could not obtain work at his trade and was forced to finally
become a common laborer and stevedore. Yet, it was in this same
place that Dougless first came into prominence as a public man. Be
cause of his speeches on questions pertaining to his race the aboli
tionists took him as a speaker and sent him to all parts of the country.
When it became known thru a story that he was a fugitive slave
Douglas had to leave America. England was his objective and an Eng
lishwoman it was who freed him by paying 150 lbs. sterling for his
ransom. He at once returned and established in Rochester, N. Y., the
first Negro paper which he called the North Star and edited weekly
for 16 years thereafter.
Douglas held places that few men of color have had the privilege
of calling theirs. He was largely responsible for the 54th and 55th
regiments which came from Massachusetts. He was Grant’s official
investigator of Santo Domingan conditions in 1871; marshall of the
D- of C. 1877; and, resident minister and consul-general to Hayti in