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Primary sourceNewspaper article28 March 1874

Senator Sumner Lying in State, with Douglass Leading Mourners

Joseph Becker · 28 March 1874

A newspaper sketch from 1874 showing Frederick Douglass leading Black Washingtonians to view Senator Charles Sumner's body lying in state in the Capitol.

Shows Douglass leading Washington's Black community in mourning Senator Sumner, a key ally in the fight against slavery.

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Printed newspaper page from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 28, 1874, page 45. The top engraving shows a crowd of men in a Capitol room viewing a casket, with Frederick Douglass leaning over it. Below are several smaller illustrations and columns of text.
Joseph Becker, 'The Late Senator Sumner... headed by Frederick Douglass,' Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 28, 1874.

About this source

What it is

This illustration by artist Joseph Becker appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper on March 28, 1874. It shows Senator Charles Sumner's body lying in state in the U.S. Capitol, with Frederick Douglass shown leaning over the casket, leading a group of Black Washington residents to pay their respects.

Why it matters

Sumner was a leading antislavery senator, and this scene shows the respect and grief of the Black community after his death, with Douglass taking a visible leadership role. It reflects the close ties between Douglass and Reconstruction-era political allies.

Look closer

  • Why might the artist choose to show Douglass specifically leading the group?
  • What does this scene suggest about the relationship between Black Americans and Sumner's political legacy?
  • What other illustrations appear on the same page, and what does that tell you about how newspapers mixed serious and light news?

This newspaper article is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Frederick Douglass on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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