An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

(1845). Douglass wrote in his Narrative, “In coming to a fixed
determination to run away, we did more than Patrick Henry, when he
resolved upon liberty or death.” But, for the enslaved, Douglass argued,
“with us, it was a doubtful liberty at most, and almost certain death if we
failed.” For Douglass, “I should prefer death to hopeless bondage.” 55
He was able to witness an end to enslavement and Reconstruction. He is
also well known for his advocacy for women’s rights as well as a host of
other issues, keeping white Americans’ feet to the fires of democracy and
justice. Douglass was an advocate of Black citizenship and human dignity.
He compared the experiences and future prospects of Black Americans and
Indigenous peoples in their potential to contribute to American democracy.
Douglass was perhaps the greatest “voice of America’s terrible
transformation from slavery to freedom.” 56 Moreover, he was a powerful
rhetorician. He knew how to sway an audience and expose them to the
horrors of enslavement. In other words, Douglass was a bad dude! Yet, he
was not immune to the effects of Indigenous erasure. In September 1866,
the National Union Convention was held in Philadelphia, during which
Republicans and Democrats met to discuss President Andrew Johnson’s
policies. Douglass also attended, seeking to create his own political party
and advance the cause of Black citizenship.
In April 1866, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which
made Black people citizens. However, Black men (along with all women)
were still denied the right to vote, and, under President Johnson, southern
states created the Black Codes. These were laws created by southern states
to restrict the freedoms that Black folks had gained after emancipation, one
of which was the right to vote. Douglass believed that if Black folks were to
be true citizens, Black men in particular would need the right to vote. It is
no surprise then that the “prophet of freedom” would advocate strongly for
Black male suffrage. In his quest for Black rights, however, he made
disparaging remarks about Indigenous peoples, perpetuating the myth that
they were a vanishing race. In many of his speeches and writings, he
compared the declining civilization of Native peoples and the emerging
possibilities of Black freedom. In his autobiography, he wrote, “The black
man (unlike the Indian) loves civilization.” 57 Native people were an
important foil in his rhetoric.
On May 11, 1869, Douglass gave a speech titled “Let the Negro Alone”
in front of the American Anti-Slavery Society in New York City. He