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

Abstract

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 writings. But while the biblical proverbs provided religious authority to Douglass’s deliberations, 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.