Summary of Contents

For twenty years in the early 1800s, Frederick Douglass was a slave on a plantation in
the United States. He then escaped and fled North where he became an advocate for African
American civil right and freedom. He was a very significant and influential in American History
in the way he was one of the first free slaves to make a large impact on slavery. Hes established
the first antislavery newspaper and wrote popular autobiographies. He is also known for
meeting and working with President Lincoln. Frederick Douglass also advocated for women's
suffrage, which was very unpopular at the time. They hoped to make it an organization that
would incorporate both energy and the goals of the American Anti-Slavery Society, which has as
it's postwar aim the achieving of African American equality, and those of the new National
Woman Suffrage Association, in quest of the vote for women. He had strong friendships with
icons like William Lloyd Garrison and John Brown as well as multiple controversial relationships
with white women. Douglass upheld the honor of becoming Prime Minister of Haiti, and overall
became a hero in American History by frequently risking his life in order to make a difference.
Frederick Douglass went a long way to make the differences he did. He contributed
greatly to allow African Americans the right to vote. His works made him well known in history
for he was one of the first African Americans to advocate for the things he did. The novel,
Frederick Douglass by William McFeely, focuses on the life and accomplishments of Frederick
Douglass. The novel is inspiring in the way that it shows that hard work can make a difference,
and even the ones who think their opinions mean the least, can make the biggest impacts.
McFeely has wrote, Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it's addressed
to someone else. This quote acknowledges the theme that we all see the problems in the
world, but no one addresses or stand up for the problems because we rely on others to make
the change. Frederick Douglass was an exception in the way he stood up for what he believed
in, as well as for issues that dont affect him directly. Douglass has stated, There is no Negro
problem. The problem is whether the American people have the loyalty enough, honor enough,
patriotism enough, to live up to their own Constitution.(page 371)

Sources
William S McFeely used many different types of sources in the making of his novel;
newspapers, autobiographies, journals, articles, speeches, and hundreds of books. Both
primary and secondary sources. One significant primary source is the autobiography of
Frederick Douglass, whereas any biography is a secondary source. All historical facts were
taken from primary sources as well as trustable secondary sources.

Historical Knowledge
 The novel Frederick Douglass was written in the early 1800s, a very different time for
America. Slavery was prevalent, especially in the South. African Americans were living on white
plantations, forced to work from dawn to dusk. African Americans had little to no voice at this
point in history. However, Frederick Douglass made that change. This novel showed me the
start of African American freedom, and the things Frederick Douglass did to make them
possible. I read the other side of the story, the struggles the advocates experienced and the
hardships they encountered to make a change so significant. I did understand that they must
have encountered hardships, but I never thought about the first few who decided to make a
difference. Frederick Douglass was one of the first, which is very impressive considering he did
not have many people to look up to with his same ideas. This was eye opening in the way that
history shows the biggest differences are made when one person stands up for the unpopular
opinion, despite the challenges.

Critique
After spending the time reading this novel, I found myself more interested in it than
expected. McFeely went into details that no one seems to talk about. He mentioned a lot about
the early politics for African Americans, as well as the aftermath of the antislavery movement.
The author was fairly unbiased as he seemed to sick straight to the facts, while including details
to keep the reader interested.
Not many readers my age would pick up a book like this for pleasure; however, if it came
down to it, I would recommend this book. Although it was not a topic I tend to be interested in, it
was surprisingly inspiring to read about the story of a minority working with all he has to make a
difference that changed our country and ultimately the world forever.