Frederick Douglass, the Orator - Monroe County Library System

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Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County · Historic Monographs Collection LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 213 overwhelmed by the great force of the opposition. Through a long and eventful life, he has never been known to deny his principles through fear or timidity or for the sake of temporary advantage. No one is ever long in doubt on which side of any important question he stands. Having satisfied himself which side is the right side, his course is neither vacillating nor uncertain. He is a man of great force of will, and is very much like Mr. Garrison in this respect, who, it will be remembered, placed at the head of the Liberator^ when he first began to publish it, these words, "I am in earnest, I will not equivocate, I will not excuse, I will not retreat a single inch- I will be heard." The success of the anti-slavery cause required that men of such force of character and determination should be its champions. Without them there could have been no success. Mr. Douglass is one of the best examples the country affords of what a man of character and ability may become by energy and industry. Franklin, Henry Clay, Webster, Lincoln, Wilson, Garfield, and Grant are given as illustrations of the developing influences of our country. These men all rose from poverty and obscurity to high places in the government, but Mr. Douglass sprang from depths which these men never knew in their experience. With them it was possible to obtain the highest honor in the gift of the
Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County · Historic Monographs Collection 214 LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS. people, and three of the men named did reach that exalted position. How different it was with Mr. Douglass, the slave, the fugitive, the exile. Twice was he compelled to flee his native land and seek shelter and safety under the flag of a foreign power. Not till the war ended was his freedom actually made secure. Even at this late day color stands as a bar against social recognition and political preferment in this country. If Mr. Douglass had enjoyed the same advantages enjoyed by his white contemporaries, and if the same opportunities for advancement had been open to him, what public position in this country might he not have filled, not even excluding the presidency? Had he like Clay and Webster been brought up in the profession of the law and afterwards transferred to the United States Senate, he would have become the peer of any in that body; for he has powers of mind which eminently fit him to grapple with the great questions that engage the attention of statesmen. His influence on the colored race has been greater than that of any other man. He is endeared to them on account of his early struggles. They point with pride to his achievements and success; they reverence him because of his sterling qualities and spotless character. They recognize him as their most prominent leader, whose opinion they have always respected and whose
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Frederick Douglass, the Orator - Monroe County Library System

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