Frederick Douglass and the Power of Education
by Cody Heimbach
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass
Many black children around the world struggle with receiving a proper education and the United States is no exception. Though there has been some progress to ensure that black students have equal opportunity for education, steps still need to be taken before this goal is achieved. That said, much of the progress that has taken place over the course of the twentieth century can be traced back to one man, Frederick Douglass.
Frederick Douglass was born into bondage in 1818 and raised as an orphaned slave, forbidden to read or attend school with the white children. After being sent to Baltimore at a young age, Frederick began his education when the wife of his then-master began to teach him the alphabet. This schooling wouldn’t last long, however, as his master convinced his wife to stop teaching Frederick and forbid them from furthering his education. It was believed that knowledge and slavery were incompatible and that freeing a slave’s mind with education would lead a slave to desire freedom of body as well – a sentiment that Frederick agreed with, saying, “knowledge is the pathway from slavery to freedom.” With this mindset, there was no stopping Frederick Douglass from learning as much as he possibly could. If no one would teach him, he would have to teach himself.
Frederick learned to read from white students and by observing literate adults, watching carefully how they wrote and used words to give himself a better understanding of how to use them. The more he read, the more he learned – and the more he learned, the more he wanted to read. Frederick would read newspapers, pamphlets, any books he could get his hands on. Some of these books were political in nature, which inspired him to become an abolitionist and activist later in life. He loved to learn but wasn’t content with keeping the knowledge for himself. Frederick taught fellow slaves how to read, using the Bible to educate and inspire them, freeing their minds as he did with his own. It was believed by him that education frees the mind and free minds desire free bodies.
His desire to be a free man led him to multiple escape attempts from his captors and chains, with all but one being unsuccessful. After being betrayed by a fellow slave during an escape attempt, Frederick found himself jailed and forced to work in Baltimore’s shipyard by his master. This only fueled his desire for freedom and pushed him to make one last attempt to attain it. Thankfully for Frederick, he fell in love with a free black woman named Anna Murray while staying in Baltimore. Their love couldn’t be contained by shackles and together they plotted Frederick’s final escape attempt to liberate him from bondage, allowing them to enjoy their lives together as free individuals. On September 3, 1838, Frederick used the knowledge of the sea that he gained while working at the city’s shipyard to pose as a free black sailor. He boarded a train with a borrowed sailor’s protection pass which he acquired from a black sailor for his escape. This pass could be presented to railroads in lieu of the “free papers” that were required for black passengers. After numerous close calls, including a brush with the conductor of the train, Frederick eventually met Anna in New York. The two were quickly wed and moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts which was a much safer area for runaway slaves. By the age of 20, Frederick Douglass had taught himself how to read, escaped his bondage to become a free man, and married the woman he loved.
With most of his life still ahead of him, Frederick wasted little time using his newfound freedom to his advantage. He began his long career of activism by protesting against segregation in the 1840s, over 100 years before black activists like Martin Luther King Jr. took on the mantle during the Civil Rights Movement. Frederick also turned his attention to the institution of slavery that was still firmly rooted in the US that had plagued his childhood and adolescence. As a leader in the abolitionist movement, he wrote numerous books, including his bestselling autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, which were highly influential. After returning to the United States from a trip to Ireland and the United Kingdom, Frederick started his first abolitionist newspaper, rallying anti-slavery minded people to the cause. He and his wife also participated in the Underground Railroad, providing shelter and aid to over four hundred escaped slaves. He was a man of conviction and practiced what he preached – and preach he did.
Frederick Douglass became an ordained minister and used his lectures in the church to perfect his public speaking skills until he became a fierce orator. He crafted eloquent sermons in which he described the poor treatment of black people as well as other issues, including women’s rights. Frederick was an advocate of equality of all, no matter their sex, color, or creed. His masterful speeches and intellect eventually garnered the attention of President Abraham Lincoln who spoke with Frederick during the Civil War about the condition of black soldiers and worked with him to liberate slaves from Southern states after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect.
After the Civil War, Frederick continued working for the equality of all peoples. His impassioned speeches brought civil rights to the forefront in American politics and led to him being nominated for several different political positions which included the US Ambassador to Haiti.
His stunning list of accomplishments and tireless work to push for education and equality make Frederick Douglass an icon and a man worthy of aspiration. We here at Black Phoenix Ink have a mission to empower black youth and inspire them to seek an education. Our website, YouTube channel, and every other piece of media embroidered with our insignia are used in the pursuit of accomplishing this mission, and never has there been a man who embodied this ideal more than Frederick Douglass. His story is proof that education can truly set you free.
“Education means emancipation. It means light and liberty. It means the uplifting of the soul of man into the glorious light of truth, the light by which men can only be made free.” – Frederick Douglass
I’m a 27 year old soon-to-be first time father to, who I’m already sure will be, an amazing daughter. I was born and raised in a relatively small town in Michigan where I developed a love for music, writing, and political issues. While being cooped up at home during the Covid-19 crisis, I decided to use my new found freetime to volunteer here at Black Phoenix Ink.
