The people gathered in St. Mary’s Guild Hall listened to Douglass with rapt attention. Unlike some of his prior speeches, Douglass was not shouted down or heckled. Instead, he celebrated the kindness he had received across Britain, as well as the funds that had been raised for the anti-slavery cause. Douglass’s speech reflected the reformist zeal of mid-century Coventry. Comparing the poor morals of some white Americans with those he encountered in Britain, Douglass told his audience that ‘[i]t was impossible to find a people more destitute of moral feeling than those of America…the American conscience needed blistering’.
At the end of his speech, Douglass ‘appealed to the ladies of Coventry [o]n behalf of the Anti-Slavery Bazaar at Boston, which was established for the sale of articles wrought in needle-work’. Needle-work donated by Coventry’s women would be sold and the proceeds used by Douglass and his partners in the abolitionist movement to continue to the fight against slavery. When Douglass concluded his speech he was met with ‘the cheers of the assembly’.
Following his return to the United States later that same year, Douglass was able to start a newspaper, The North Star, with the money donated to him by peoples from across the UK. In the years that followed, Douglass would continue to advocate for slavery’s end and for wide-ranging civil rights. His sense of equality even extended across genders and as early as 1848 he publicly supported calls for women’s suffrage, more than sixty years before they won the right to vote in national elections in the United States.
Douglass lived a remarkable life, setting an example that is as relevant to today as it was during his visit to Coventry in the mid-19th century. His presence in the city is an important reminder that the fight for equality, and the fight against racism, is an important part of the city’s story – something we should explore, understand, and cherish.
We started the Frederick Douglass in Coventry Project to bring fresh attention to our city’s long relationship with civil rights movements like Black Lives Matter. Coventry, like so many places in the UK, was deeply sympathetic to Douglass’s message. Many people in the city recognised that slavery was a crime against humanity, and they supported Douglass and other early civil rights leaders on their mission to bring that terrible institution to an end. We recognise that movements such as Black Lives Matter can sometimes feel unexpected or new to some people – but as Douglass’s time in Coventry helps to remind us, this city has a long history engaging with, platforming, and supporting those who stand-up to racism and exploitation.
Continue learning about Frederick Douglass’s time in Coventry:
- Douglass’s Guild Hall Speech – Read the press report summarising the speech Douglass gave at St. Mary’s Guild Hall.
- 150 Years of Black Lives Matter in the Midlands – Watch the video that started it all.
- Black Resistance in the Atlantic World – Explore the wider history of slavery, freedom, and resistance by visiting this online exhibition.
- Context – Discover more about the life of Frederick Douglass.