Race, Religion, and the Contradictions of Identity: Frederick Douglass Visits Rome in the Wake of Other Americans

Abstract

This essay examines nineteenth-century literary responses to the perception of Roman Catholicism’s excess. It focuses on Frederick Douglass’s visit to Rome in 1887. Douglass, a former slave who had become a gifted writer and orator, visited Italy during a Grand Tour of the continent. In many respects, Douglass’s views of Italy, its culture and religon reflect that of other American intellectuals of his time. However, it also espresses his concern regarding race relations in the United States.