Skip to main content

Primary sourceSpeech26 March 1860

The American Constitution and the Slave

Frederick Douglass · 26 March 1860

An 1860 lecture by Frederick Douglass arguing that the U.S. Constitution, properly understood, opposes slavery rather than supporting it.

A speech delivered by Douglass laying out his argument that the Constitution opposes slavery.

Ask Frederick Douglass about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Wikisource)

About this source

What it is

This is a lecture delivered by Frederick Douglass on March 26, 1860, titled The American Constitution and the Slave. In it, Douglass addresses an audience, referencing antislavery meetings and figures of the time, and lays out his argument about the Constitution's relationship to slavery.

Why it matters

By the 1860s Douglass had broken from the view that the Constitution was a pro-slavery document, arguing instead that it could be read as fundamentally antislavery. This speech shows his evolving legal and political thinking as the nation moved toward the Civil War, and his engagement with international antislavery audiences.

Look closer

  • Why does Douglass open by discussing meetings happening in Scotland rather than the United States?
  • What does this speech suggest about how Douglass used legal argument, not just moral appeal, against slavery?
  • How might an audience listening to this speech in 1860 have reacted differently than readers today?

This speech 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.

More Frederick Douglass sources

Meet the AI Frederick Douglass →
Yellowed title page of the 1845 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Text reads 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself', 'Boston: Published at the Anti-Slavery Office, No. 25 Cornhill, 1845'.Book

Primary source

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Frederick Douglass · 1845

Speech

Primary source

What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

Frederick Douglass · 5 July 1852

Printed broadside titled "Our Roll of Honor" listing the signatories to the Declaration of Sentiments from the 1848 Woman's Rights Convention at Seneca Falls, New York. Names are arranged in columns under headings Ladies and Gentlemen, with handwritten notes across the top and bottom margins.Document

Primary source

Declaration of Sentiments

Elizabeth Cady Stanton · 1848

Front page of The North Star newspaper, Rochester, N.Y., Friday, June 2, 1848, Vol. I, No. 29. Masthead reads 'The North Star' in large letters, with Frederick Douglass and N.P. Dellany named as editors. Dense columns of small printed text fill the page, with a handwritten signature in the upper right corner.Newspaper article

Primary source

The North Star

Frederick Douglass · 1847

Book

Primary source

My Bondage and My Freedom

Frederick Douglass · 1855

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Frederick Douglass now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions