"Do Unto Others as You Would Have Them Do Unto You": Frederick Douglass's Proverbial Struggle for Civil Rights

Abstract

As a deeply religious person, Frederick Douglass (1818-95) relied heavily on biblical proverbs to strengthen the social and moral statements in his debates, lectures, and writ- ings. But while the biblical proverbs provided religious authority to Douglass's delibera- tions, he was also very much aware of the social significance of folk proverbs in his fight against slavery and for civil rights. The proverbs function as authoritative and collective statements, and they serve as important social and moral messages. As such, proverbs show themselves to be traditional wisdom well suited to becoming verbal weapons in the fight for freedom, democracy, and civil rights. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT FREDERICK DOUGLASS (1818-95) was the most visible and influ- ential African American of the 19th century. Together with Abraham Lincoln he be- longs to a select group of truly outstanding public figures of that age. Son of a slave and an unidentified White man, Douglass escaped from slavery in 1838 after learning on his own how to read and write. Lacking any formal education whatsoever, he nevertheless quickly became a driving force in the antislavery movement, impressing abolitionist audiences with his oratorical eloquence and imposing presence. He subsequently gained considerable fame both in the United States and in Great Britain as a vocal abo- litionist, civil rights activist, and publisher of social reform journals. Nothing it seems could stop this vigorous crusader from fighting for a better world where people of both genders and all races could live together in harmony. His autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Written by Himself (1845; expanded twice in 1855 and 1893) became a classic in his lifetime, and the two sets of five massive volumes of The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass (1950-75), edited by Philip S. Foner, and The Frederick Douglass Papers (1985-92), edited by John Blassingame, bear witness to his rhetorical skills and moral courage. Frederick Douglass became one of the recognized voices speaking for many of the enslaved African Americans in the United States in the 19th century. He assumed their narrative identity, and when he spoke or wrote, his words were based on the authority of the Bible and the democratic ideals of the United States. He fought his valiant battle