“I suffered more anxiety than most of my fellow-slaves. I had known what it was to be kindly treated; they had known nothing of the kind.”
Frederick Douglass, 1845
It is impossible to tell the story of either the United Kingdom or the United States without exploring the history of slavery. Both countries profited enormously from this institution, creating vast fortunes off the backs of millions of unfree persons. The UK and US were a part of a dynamic trans-Atlantic world, a system through which goods, peoples, and ideas passed and were exchanged. Britain and the United States changed Africa through their exploitative colonisation – but they, in turn, were changed by the very peoples they sought to exploit.
Peoples of African descent were active participants in this trans-Atlantic world. They built new cultures and communities for themselves, carving out niches of happiness and success despite the terrible conditions to which they were frequently subjected. Whilst many slave owners set out to exploit Black bodies, minds, and labour, enslaved persons were never defined by the situation into which they were forced, finding ways to resist and to build. Slavery is not, then, a story of suppression or victimisation – it is the story of people standing up to suppression and exploitation, of people who built a life for themselves in spite of the conditions to which they were expected. It is a history of power and resistance, strength and resilience.
The life and times of Frederick Douglass demonstrates the active and transformative role peoples of African descent played in our shared history. Douglass, like countless others, emancipated himself. He was self-educated. He was a progressive thinker who did not compromise with slavery and inequality. His life story is an inspiring example for all ages.
To help you on your learning journey we have compiled the following sources for you to consult. We extend our sincerest thanks to the many scholars responsible for producing them:
- Frederick Douglass in Britain and Ireland: An invaluable resource for anyone looking to understand more about Frederick Douglass’s travels in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
- Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom: A magnificent book by a wonderful historian.
- Defeaning Applause: Frederick Douglass in Britain and Ireland, 1845-1895: Another excellent resource from the creator of the Frederick Douglass in Britain and Ireland website.
- Advocates of Freedom: African American Transatlantic Abolitionism in the British Isles: We are such big fans of Hannah’s work we could not overlook this gem of a book.
- Narrative of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave: Read the original version of Douglass’s autobiography.
- Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X in the Midlands: 150 Years of Black Lives Matter: The video that started The Frederick Douglass in Coventry Project.
- Many Thousands Gone: First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America: A classic analysis of slave cultures in colonial North America.