Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

03/22/2023

"At the South, I was a member of the Methodist church. When I came North, I thought one Sunday I would attend communion, at one of the churches of my denomination...The white people gathered round the altar, the blacks clustered by the door. After the good minister had served out the bread and wine to one portion of those near him, he said, 'Those may withdraw, and others come forward;' thus he proceeded until all the white members had been served. Then he drew a long breath, and looking out toward the door, exclaimed, 'Come up, colored friends, come up! For you know God is no respecter of persons!' - I haven't been there to see the sacrament taken since." ~Frederick Douglass, from his speech delivered on November 4, 1841, entitled: "American Prejudice and Southern Religion," Hingham, MA

How do you handle mistreatment or disrespect when others are watching you?

(Public domain) Alt-text: Image of Frederick Douglass

03/21/2023

It's ! Douglass wrote fondly of his scattered memories of his mother, and even later included a picture of a statue that reminded him of her.

What was his mother's name?

03/17/2023

MAAP | Place Detail: New York City Draft Riots 1863

Today is St. Patrick’s Day

Frederick Douglass often reflected on his time spent in Ireland. While he enjoyed his time there in the country, he was greatly disheartened by the virulent racism that so Irish immigrants adopted upon arriving in the United States. For instance, Irish mobs played a large part in the deadly New York Draft Riots of 1863.

Douglass wrote: “The Irish, who, at home, readily sympathize with the oppressed everywhere, are instantly taught when they step upon our soil to hate and despise the negro. They are taught to believe that he eats the bread that belongs to them. The cruel lie is told them, that we deprive them of labor and receive the money which would otherwise make its way into their pockets. Sir, the Irish-American will one day find out his mistake.”

During the Draft Riots of 1863, Union troops were called in to restore order. Here the rioters (pictured) battled Union forces along First Avenue, between 11th and 14th Streets.

03/17/2023

The "Herald of Freedom" in Concord, New Hampshire left this description of an 1844 address by Frederick Douglass: "In the evening Douglass made a masterly and most impressive speech. The house was crowded, and with the best of our people - no clergy - and but few of the bigots, who are past hearing."

How do you interpret "past hearing"?

(Public domain) Alt-text: Side profile image of Frederick Douglass

03/16/2023

In 1887, Frederick Douglass shared a bit of wit with his Washington, D.C. audience. "Now, the lateness of the hour calls only for a very short speech, and I never made a short speech in my life that I was satisfied with, nor a long speech with which anybody else was satisfied." At this moment, the recorder writing the words added, "(Laughter)" in the margin.

(Public domain) Alt-text: Black and white image of Frederick Douglass

03/15/2023

"Waiters hear their masters talk at table, cursing the abolitionists, John Quincy Adams.; the masters imagine that their poor slaves are so ignorant that they don't know the meaning of the language they are using; for the slaves always pretend to be very stupid, they commit all sorts of foolery and act like baboons and wild beasts in [the] presence of their masters; but every word is noted in the memory, and it told to their fellow-slaves and when they get together, they talk over what they have heard-they talk about liberty...They get a vague idea that somebody is doing something to ameliorate their condition." ~Frederick Douglass from his November 4, 1841 speech, "The Union, Slavery, and Abolitionist Petitions," delivered in Hingham, MA

When has someone treated you as an inferior?

(Public domain) Alt-text: Sepia-tinged image of Frederick Douglass

03/14/2023

It's ! Both of Frederick & Anna Douglass's daughters are buried in the same cemetery. In what cemetery can you find the final resting place of Rosetta and Annie?

03/12/2023

Photos from Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site's post

03/11/2023

Photos from Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site's post

03/10/2023

Remember to for our annual Harriet Tubman Day Celebration on March 11, 2023! There will be programs, activities, and ranger-led talks going on from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Make sure to visit us in . See the flyer below for more details.

03/10/2023

We are forever grateful for the life, spirit, will, and sacrifice of Harriet Tubman.

Happy Harriet Tubman Day!

Harriet Tubman was an Afrofuturist in her own right.

Looking to the constellations as skyward beacons, she guided enslaved African Americans to freedom, helping them envision futures, lives, and communities outside of the restrictive structures presented by racism and dehumanization.

While a distinctly 20th century term, Afrofuturist ideas, expressions, and themes trace back to the country’s origins. Afrofuturism as we know it now, has roots spanning back to self-liberating trailblazers like Tubman, who imagined new worlds for Black Americans.

Harriet Tubman escaped the bonds of slavery as a young woman in the early 1800s. She returned to the South many times as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad to lead other African Americans to freedom. During the Civil War, Tubman served as a spy, nurse, and cook for Union Forces. In 1863, she helped free more than 700 African Americans during a raid in South Carolina – a feat that earned her the nickname "General Tubman."

Artist and quilter Bisa Butler draws on Tubman's command of the stars above in her piece, "I Go To Prepare A Place for You,” on display in our Reckoning exhibition. According to Butler, "the sunflowers in the background have multiple meanings; one is to acknowledge Harriet Tubman’s reliance (and that of many people escaping slavery) on the North Star to help point the way towards freedom.

We explore the impact of Black women like Tubman on the cultural phenomenon of Afrofuturism in our newest exhibition opening March 24, 2023, “Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures.” More: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/afrofuturism



📸 Harriet Tubman c. 1885 (detail and full view) Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

03/10/2023

"It has been imagined that the slaves of the South are not aware of the movements made on their behalf, and in behalf of human freedom, every where, throughout the northern and western states. This is not true. They do know it. They knew it from the moment that the spark was first kindled in the land. They knew it as soon as you knew it, sit, in your own New England." ~Frederick Douglass from his speech given on May 9, 1843, "The Anti-Slavery Movement," New York, NY

How would you keep those you advocate for updated and encouraged?

(Public domain) Alt-text: Black and white image of Frederick Douglass

03/09/2023

Happy Birthday Mrs. Anna Murray Douglass!

03/08/2023

"The northern people think that if slavery were abolished, we would all come north. They may be more afraid of free colored people and the runaway slaves going South. We would all seek out home and our friends, but, more than all, to escape from northern prejudice, would we go to the south. Prejudice against color is stronger north than south; it hangs around my neck like a heavy weight. It presses me out from among my fellow men, and, although I have met it at every step the three years I have been out of southern slavery, I have been able, in spite of its influence, 'to take good care of myself.'" ~Frederick Douglass, October 1841 from his speech, "I Have Come To Tell You Something About Slavery," Lynn, MA

How do you balance priorities in the face of oppression?

(Public domain) Alt-text: Black and white image of Frederick Douglass sitting for a photograph wearing suit, tie, white shirt, and vest

03/07/2023

It's ! Every National Park site is known by a four letter code. These four letters can help you find the specific webpage for a park. Yosemite is YOSE. Grand Canyon is GRCA. The National Mall is NAMA. Gettysburg is GETT. What do you think ours might be?

03/03/2023

We can’t wait until everything is complete!

03/03/2023

On this , we want to share this special tour of the Douglass Home that was given by our former Park Curator and Douglass scholar Dr. Ka'Mal McClarin for NPR back in 2017.

After viewing the tour, what are some other things you would like to see and learn more about Mr. Douglass, his family, and his home here in the nation's capital?

03/02/2023

This , check out the inside cover page of Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s classic, “The Negro in Our History”, featuring a classic photograph of the great Frederick Douglass.

What impact does history have on your daily life?

(Public domain) Alt-text: Image of two pages in a book featuring a photograph of Frederick Douglass on the left page, and on the right page, the book’s title, author, and name of publishing company

03/01/2023

Today is the first day of National Women’s History Month!

Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the vital role of women in American history and culture throughout the month of March. The theme of this year’s month-long observance is: "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories".

What women have helped to expand your understanding and strengthen your connection with others?

(National Parks Conservation Association) Alt-text: Image of a group of bronze statues depicting mostly women and a few men at Women’s Rights National Historical Park in New York

02/28/2023

Southerner vs. Confederate

While geography can influence your views, it does not determine them. Describing 1861-1865, often ‘Southerner’ is used as a catch-all that describes a solid block of millions. Nothing could be further from reality. If we are speaking of those in rebellion against the United States, let us abandon Southerner and more appropriately use a term they self-described with: CONFEDERATES. A CONFEDERATE and a Southerner are not the same. Most CONFEDERATES lived in the South, but not all. CONFEDERATES fought – militarily, politically, economically – against the United States. All Southerners did not. By separating CONFEDERATES from Southerners, we elevate the residents of rebellious states who resisted the Confederacy. We also better remember those southern citizens who joined the United States military and economy to support the United States regardless of the choices of their neighbors. By emphasizing CONFEDERATES, we further highlight the millions in southern states facing enslavement and discrimination who likewise hoped and worked for the destruction of the Confederacy. CONFEDERATES were a political alliance that fought to preserve a systematized form of human enslavement. The Confederacy existed for only four years. It was one part of Southern history, but that four-year rebellion does not define the entirety of Southern history.

Learn more about how the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site discusses enslavement at this link: https://www.nps.gov/frdo/learn/education/language-of-enslavement.htm What do you think?

02/27/2023

Robert Purvis may be one of the most consequential but least well known of nineteenth century abolitionists. Born to a white father and mixed-race mother in Charleston, South Carolina in 1810, Purvis proudly claimed his African ancestry and never tried to deny it, even though by all appearances he could have done so. When Purvis was nine, his father, William Purvis, relocated the family to Philadelphia. When William Purvis died in 1826, Robert Purvis inherited a substantial fortune. He became a well-known orator and writer, using his skills to oppose slavery. He was active in the American Anti-Slavery Society and the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, serving as its president during 1845 to 1850.

He was also the principal organizer and the president of the Vigilant Association of Philadelphia. Founded in 1837, the organization’s purpose was to assist runaway slaves to escape to freedom. This was the first “underground railroad” in the Delaware Valley, and it provided safe passage through Philadelphia until 1851. Robert Purvis, like his friend , was also an early advocate of women’s rights. He died in 1898.

Who are other important, but less known figures in the abolitionist movement?

(Boston Public Library) Alt-text: Image of a portrait of Robert Purvis

02/24/2023

The plaster bust of is a model after the original marble bust by Johnson Mundy (1831-1897). The marble bust is currently placed on view at Frederick Douglass Hall at the University of Rochester.

How does art inspire you?

(NPS) Alt-text: Image of the replica of the bust of Frederick Douglass currently on display in the West Parlor at the Frederick Douglass NHS

02/23/2023

On February 13, 1887, wrote the following: “I could but congratulate myself that, born as I was a slave marked for a life under the lash in the cornfield, that I was abroad and free and privileged to see these distant lands so full of historical interest and which [only] those of the most highly favored by fortune are permitted to visit.”

Why is traveling important to you?

(Library of Congress) Alt-text: Black and white images featuring people climbing the Pyramid of Giza

02/23/2023

Dr. David Taft Terry, professor of history at Morgan State University will be here this Saturday, February 25th at 12 noon, to discuss the role played by activists associated with the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) in the milieu of social justice projects attempted during the period of the Great Depression and Wartime here in the nation's capital. Following the program, rangers will be giving tours of the home. Email [email protected] to RSVP.

For more information, visit: https://fb.me/e/3c7Pwadzf.

(Dr. David Taft Terry) Alt-text: Image of historian David Taft Terry standing in front of a brick wall

02/22/2023

Frederick Douglass once wrote: “One and God make a majority.”

Why are beliefs important?

(Public domain) Alt-text: Black and white image of a portrait of Frederick Douglass

02/21/2023

Slave Trade vs. Human Traffickers/Kidnappers

Language frequently talks of the Slave Trade, Triangular Trade, or Middle Passage. These terms hide the reality. What is happening? Human beings are being KIDNAPPED. Enslavers are choosing to engage in HUMAN TRAFFICKING. Slaves were not being sold. Children, teens, adults, and families were seized by HUMAN TRAFFICKERS who used intense abuse and dehumanization to turn hopes, dreams, and aspirations into greedy profits from which the enslavers alone would benefit. Horror was on full display by these generations of HUMAN TRAFFICKERS & KIDNAPPERS.

Learn more about how the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site discusses enslavement at this link: https://www.nps.gov/frdo/learn/education/language-of-enslavement.htm What do you think?

02/20/2023

John Henning Woods Online Exhibit – Virginia Center for Civil War Studies

Although unusual, there were United States loyalists in the Confederacy during the Civil War. John Henning Woods was a Tennessee native who supported the United States and Abraham Lincoln during that period. He also was anti-slavery, citing it as the cause of contention between the United States and Confederacy. He was imprisoned by the Confederacy for actively working against its interests during the war.

One can find his story documented in the John Henning Woods Papers, Ms2017-030, at Virginia Tech University Special Collections in Blacksburg, Virginia, available at https://civilwar.vt.edu/john-henning-woods-online-exhibit/.

John Henning Woods Online Exhibit John Henning Woods, Blue Journal, Page 23 (Virginia Tech Special Collections). In 2017, Virginia Tech Special Collections acquired a set of six diaries and memoirs written John Henning Woods, a white Confederate Unionist. Despite being a native of Tennessee and the....

02/17/2023

If you have visited , did you wonder how Mr. Douglass and his family would have disposed of their trash? The trash would be placed in woven baskets while in the house. Then, some of the trash would be thrown down the pit in the outhouse and some would be fed to the farm animals.

(Public domain) Alt-text: Image of a woven basket to serve as an example of what would have been used to dispose of trash during the late 19th century