The Black Man: Chapter on Frederick Douglass

What it is

This is a chapter from The Black Man, written in 1863 by William Wells Brown, himself a formerly enslaved abolitionist writer. The chapter profiles the life and career of Frederick Douglass.

Why it matters

Brown describes Douglass's 1845 narrative as giving new energy to Black writing, noting how Douglass's vivid account of his life in slavery and his path to education stood out from other fugitive slave narratives. Because Brown knew Douglass and wrote this during the Civil War while Douglass was still active, it offers a contemporary view of how Douglass was already seen as a leading figure among Black Americans.

Look closer

• Why might Brown, another formerly enslaved writer, be especially well placed to judge Douglass's narrative?
• What does Brown praise most about Douglass's writing and self-education?
• How might this account differ from one written by someone who never experienced slavery?