Annelisa J. Purdie holds a Master of Arts in American Studies from Columbia University, as well as an Master of Library Science from St. John’s University. She currently works as a librarian.
Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) is a remarkable and compelling figure in American history.
His portraits are among the most recognizable images of nineteenth-century Black American figures, having been widely reproduced across a variety of mediums. From its initial publication in 1845, his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass has entered the public consciousness as the seminal slave narrative, capturing all of the elements of the genre and becoming an American classic. Scores of scholars and public figures (both contemporaries and those impacted by him long after his death) have used the orator’s fame for their own ends, shaping his legacy into an image that best fit their own ideals.
She continues: “Douglass was and is many things to many people: orator, statesman, acerbic author, provocateur of America’s deepest hypocrisies, hopeful citizen. It is telling that Blight positions Douglass as “prophet.” Douglass often warned of the impending breakdown of American society were Black Americans not permitted to exercise the full scope of their rights, as well as the negative effects certain to arise from willful obliviousness towards America’s original sin. Neither was he afraid to denounce the mendacity within American culture that nurtured this sin in the first place, which was especially prevalent in the realms of religion. “I can see no reason,” he asserted, “but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels.”
Continue Reading: https://kirkcenter.org/reviews/a-compelling-and-contradictory-prophet/