Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass

Published in the bicentenary year of Frederick Douglass's birth and in a Black Lives Matter era, this edition of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglasspresents new research into his life as an activist and an author. A revolutionary reformer who traveled in Scotland, Ireland, England, and Wales as well as the US, Douglass published many foreign-language editions of his Narrative. While there have been many Douglasses over the decades and even centuries, the Frederick Douglass we need now is no iconic, mythic, or legendary self-made man but a fallible, mortal, and human individual: a husband, father, brother, and son. His rallying cry inspires today's activism: "Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!"

Recognizing that Douglass was bought and sold on the northern abolitionist podium no less than on the southern auction block, this edition introduces readers to Douglass's multiple declarations of independence. The Narrativeappears alongside his private correspondence as well as the early speeches and writings in which he did justice to the "grim horrors of slavery." This volume also traces Douglass's activism and authorship in the context of the reformist work of his wife, Anna Murray, and of his daughters and sons.

“The 2018 Broadview edition of Douglass’s Narrative could not be timelierIts relevance bears equally and urgently on our own fraught lives and time. Celeste-Marie Bernier has given us a view into the life of the Narrative and its author that is so full and intimate as to make this edition definitive by any standard. In words and images, Bernier’s Douglass—autobiographer, orator, bookseller, family man, fugitive—cuts a bold black figure. No ex-slave or abolitionist ever damned slavery so surely self-possessed.” — Maurice Wallace, University of Virginia

“An outstanding edition from one of the world’s great Douglass scholars. Bernier provides a comprehensive biographical, historical, and literary introduction, numerous illustrations, and a wealth of primary materials that allow readers to develop fresh and exciting political, familial, and trans-Atlantic perspectives on Douglass’s most widely read autobiography.” — Robert S. Levine, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland, and author of The Lives of Frederick Douglass

“Bernier’s edition of Frederick Douglass’s Narrative will immediately establish its place as the most original and timely version of the great black abolitionist’s bestselling text. Without romanticizing Douglass, Bernier uncovers his skills as a self-reflective writer and experimental autobiographer and contextualizes his work within survivor narratives written by slaves and former slaves throughout the Atlantic world. Bernier’s edition of the Narrative is the text for twenty-first-century readers. It reminds us that black lives mattered in Douglass’s day—just as they do today.” — John David Smith, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Douglass, Frederick: - Born into slavery in Maryland as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey (1818-1895), Douglass escaped and went on to become an orator, author, and national leader in the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. Douglass, who taught himself to read and write, gave many speeches against slavery and was the author of three autobiographies. Douglass also became active in politics, successfully campaigning to make ending slavery a key issue in the Civil War and to allow black soldiers to fight in the Union army. His belief in equality for all continued after the war, as he fought for African American rights and became an active supporter of women's suffrage until his death.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781554813421
ISBN 10	1554813425
Title	Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
Author	Frederick Douglass
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Broadview Press Ltd
Year published	2018-02-28
Number of pages	280
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.