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life of an abolitionist, from slave to speaker - john crowley lyrics

life of an abolitionist, from slave to speaker
in my timeline i seek to draw comparisons between the lives of frederick dougl-ss and sojourner truth, two enslaved persons who achieved their freedom long before the civil war, and yet lived through the civil war and reconstruction period, and continued campaigning for their causes throughout. i ask the reader’s forgiveness that this timeline does not include the most significant dates in the later careers of these two renowned speakers. my narrow focus on the similarities between the two, and the parallel framework of this timeline, prevented me from going into deeper detail on their later lives. the fact is that the two had remarkably similar career trajectories. sojourner truth’s was delayed in part by her status as a woman in man’s society, but she spoke out against slavery at many abolitionist rallies. frederick dougl-ss was younger than truth, but all the more tireless a fighter for freedom because of it

1797: estimated birth of sojourner truth in new york, where slavery was still legal at the time, as in almost all of the states of the union. any question to slavery at the time was deferred out of respect for the southern states
“we beseech your impartial attention to our hard condition, not only with respect to our personal sufferings, as freemen, but as a cl-ss of that people who, distinguished by color, are therefore with a degrading partiality, considered by many, even of those in eminent stations, as unentitled to that public justice and protection which is the great object of government.”
“…mr. [thomas] blount hoped it would not even be received by the house. agreeably to a law of the state of north carolina, he said they were slaves, and could, of course, be seized as such.”
-from the 1797 petition to congress from four free african americans to protect freed slaves from capture and resale the debate in the house of representatives to consider the petition and the vote to deny its hearing in committee

1818: estimated birth of frederick dougl-ss in tuckahoe, maryland
“i have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it. by far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. i do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday.” –narrative of the life of frederick dougl-ss

1826: sojourner truth achieves freedom, shortly before the general manumission of slaves in new york, at about the age of 29
“i did not run off, for i thought that wicked, but i walked off, believing that to be all right.”
-the narrative of sojourner truth

1838: frederick dougl-ss successfully escapes slavery at the age of 20
“i now come to that part of my life during which i planned, and finally succeeded in making, my escape from slavery. but before narrating any of the peculiar circ-mstances, i deem it proper to make known my intention not to state all the facts connected with the transaction… such a statement would most undoubtedly induce greater vigilance on the part of slaveholders than has existed heretofore among them;… on the third day of september, 1838, i left my chains and succeeded in reaching new york without the slightest interruption of any kind. how i did so, –what means i adopted, –what direction i travelled, and by what mode of conveyance, –i must leave unexplained, for the reasons i have mentioned.” –narrative of the life of frederick dougl-ss

1841: frederick dougl-ss speaks publicly about his life for the first time at an abolitionist meeting in nantucket, m-ssachusetts, in a speech that is heard by william lloyd garrison and helps propel him to relative fame
“fortunate, most fortunate occurrence! –fortunate for the millions of his manacled brethren, yet panting for deliverance from their awful thralldom! -fortunate for the cause of negro emanc-p-tion, and of universal liberty! –fortunate for the land of his birth, which he has already done so much to save and bless! … fortunate to the multitudes … fortunate to himself[!]”
-preface to narrative of the life of frederick dougl-ss, by william lloyd garrison

1851: as part of a lecture tour through the us with british abolitionist george thompson, sojourner truth gave the speech that would come to be called “ar’n’t i a woman?” this helped define the conversation on women’s rights in the coming decades
“i want to say a few words about this matter. i am a woman’s rights. i have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man. i have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that?”
-“ar’n’t i a woman?” speech to the women’s rights convention in akron, ohio, 1851

1883: sojourner truth died in battle creek, michigan
“it was a long, hard life
but sojourner vowed to do it again
she saw it as her plight
to help the disenfranchised win
sojourner was no ordinary woman
she stood nearly six feet tall
the voice she gave to the oppressed
was her most significant contribution of all.”
-the plight of sojourner truth, by latorial faison

1895: frederick dougl-ss died, having accomplished and seen a great deal in his life time, and with the understanding of how much more work was needed for true liberty for all
“oh, dougl-ss, thou hast p-ssed beyond the shore
but still thy voice is ringing o’er the gale!
thou ‘st taught thy race how high her hopes may soar
and bade her seek the heights, nor faint, nor fail
she will not fail, she heeds thy stirring cry
she knows thy guardian spirit will be nigh
and rising from beneath the chast’ning rod
she stretches out her bleeding hands to god!”
-frederick dougl-ss by paul laurence dunbar

- john crowley lyrics

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