frederick douglass had two sons in the 54th. sergeant major lewis douglass was one of them. he was one of the highest ranking african-american soldiers in the 54th. he was known as a very calm and courageous leader. i think you see that in his stance and in his expression. frederick douglass was someone who very much understood the power of photography and how photography could be used to spread his image across the land and in spreading his image, help to spread his ideas and help convince people of the merit of his ideas. i think you can see that his son here has also inculcated some of that understanding of how useful photography could be to him. look at the way he's standing. he has his arms crossed, standing up very straight, very confidently. but look at the way he has angled himself so that we can see those sergeant major stripes. he's displaying them quite probably, quite confidently. or look to here, at this photograph of sergeant henry stewart. he had been one of the recruiters and had been responsible for getting a number of people to enlist in the 54th. look how

it's going to happen a different way. >> you know frederick douglass very well. would he also be within that camp? >> frederick douglass occupies in a way, the other constitutional extreme of the abolitionist movement. there are two extremes, constitutional extremes. oner is the garrison stream that says the constitution is a hopelessly pro slavery document and doesn't allow the federal government to do anything at all. at the other extreme there's this very small but ingenious group of people who make the argument that the constitution is in fact an antislavery document, that it does in fact empower the federal government to do what most people in the united states, including most abolitionists, believe it has the power to do. so if you start from the assumption it's an antislavery document, which is where frederick douglass ended up, then anything short of that is a failure on the part of the government. so he is very critical of the republicans and the lincoln administration during the war because he believes that the constitution in fact does allow them to do

. >> frederick douglass' independence day address more than 160 years ago. it is read by james earl jones. then we remember the legendary folk musician and activist pete seeger, who died in january. he was 94. >> realize that little things lead to bigger things. "seeds" is all about. this wonderful parable in the new testament. some seeds fall in the pathway and get stamped on, they don't grow. some fall in the rocks and they don't grow. but some seeds fall on fallow ground and they grow and multiply a thousandfold. who knows where some good little thing that you have done may bring results years later that you never dreamed of. >> all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. in this holiday special, we begin with the words of frederick douglass. born into slavery around 1818, he became a key leader of the abolitionist movement. on july 5, 18 52 in rochester, new york, he gave one of his most famous speeches, the meaning of july 4 for the negro. he was addressing the rochester ladies ant

if you go back to frederick douglass or go back to the perky washington this is what they were saying. they were optimists. they said i think we are going to have them one day. but the more important job is to read the people and to be able to take advantage of those opportunities once we have been. and that has been the failure of liberalism in my mind. is that they have not prepared to blacks through the policies that they have pushed to take advantage. we have created a people that see themselves first and foremost as victim victims and t helpful and it has to change. >> host: so the liberals have helped to enable the community. >> guest: the worst aspect of the subculture that they have helped today. >> host: and also at the time when the minority group in this country will alternately wind up being the majority in the years to come soon but at the same time you are saying that african-americans should take the self-control responsibility that when you are talking about pulling the government away from this, where does the community come in? you talked about the barbershops. where

slave in your history you could point to my great with my kids great great grandfather it's frederick douglass frederick probably wouldn't like it but they you know they don't use it to the kids and their mother was very strict but i'm just suggesting that when he told them i don't care and the language is less important to me then intention i'm not a i'm not a language guy i'm you know lenny bruce used to say what do you care about a word i don't care i care about attention and and because people are offended you know like. i think maybe you know certain people she knew but i don't think you could have stopped hip hop kids or young people are even old people who've been you know when i was a kid i thought my father called me that so much when he was twelve he took me in a room he said that when i was two always your name is russell. for really goes always the church. and they've got a good name is russell. oh you know but anyway the point is i'm not worried about it i i know people off i'm sensitive to them to some degree i know they're not going to change the world i'm more interested in and

. >> frederick douglass'

if you go back to frederick douglass or go back to the perky washington this is what they were saying they were optimists. they said i think we are going to have them one day. but the more important job is to read the people and to be able to take advantage of those opportunities once we have been. and that has been the failure of liberalism in my mind.

have equal opportunity but there is something black leaders use to understand the way back to frederick douglass or a booker t. washington this is what they would say that's these legal rights should be ours but the important job is to black people and that is the failure of liberalism to my mind they have not prepare them through the policies they have created people who see themselves as victims and it is not helpful. >>host: they have helped with the black community? >> and also at a time when ultimately they will wind up to be the majority in the years to combat the same time you say african american should take responsibility? where does the community come in? that with a strong role models where does the family7e come in or the church? you talk about the barbershop. >> the family has to be where you start the breakdown of the black family is a tragedy slavery could not do to the black family but these efforts to help them have done the black family has been devastated by it tends to help them. and it is something that needs to be reversed with the black father and not in the home is devast

if you go back to frederick douglass or go back to the perky washington this is what they were saying. they were optimists. they said i think we are going to have them one day. but the more important job is to read the people and to be able to take advantage of those opportunities once we have been. and that has been the failure of liberalism in my mind. is that they have not prepared to blacks through the policies that they have pushed to take advantage. we have created a people that see themselves first and foremost as victim victims and t helpful and it has to change. >> host: so the liberals have helped to enable the community. >> guest: the worst aspect of the subculture that they have helped today. >> host: and also at the time when the minority group in this country will alternately wind up being the majority in the years to come soon but at the same time you are saying that african-americans should take the self-control responsibility that when you are talking about pulling the government away from this, where does the community come in?

plans to keep the frederick douglass memorial bridge closed for the early morning hours. also on the south capital street bridge and it could impact your drive getting to the water front. the bridge will be closed from 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. sunday. they are testing the swing span. it's part of a plan to replace the bridge and make this is more scenic area. for your first 4 traffic, i'm melissa malay. >>> we just got this into the newsroom. police releasing a sketch of an attempted assault suspect. take a look at your screen if you can. this is a man that attacked a woman on rocky run trail. he was riding his bicycle and wearing a neon shirt. the victim wa a run away and call for help. this happened on rocky run trail. it's the wooded area that runs from the greenbriar neighborhood. >>> the time now 9:36. new this morning, a major ruling against a large tobacco company. news4 got ahold of the jury's billion-dollar decision and we'll show it to you coming up. >>> and he's forever known as the white house party crasher. now new evidence that suggests the title may be crushi

this is why the abolitionist john brown established a supply depot there and met with frederick douglass to discuss the harpers ferry plan in 1859. some argued chambersburg was just one of several towns in the region that is received visits from early and threats of demand for money and surprisppls the reason chambersburg was burned with that they did not comply. others have argued that the decision was rooted in previous insurance. after all, the confederates had been in chambersburg twice before. in october 1862, confederate albury visited -- confederate calvary visited town and one of their famous or circumvented of the union army. they burned buildings belonging to the warehouse and a store house containing more material. they returned this time with robert e lee. in late june 1863, 60,000 confederate soldiers began to leeert in chambersburg, and established his headquarters there. he town escaped large-scale thisraction at point much due to lee's 73. menake war only upon armed and that no greater disgrace should befall an army and through it our people bandy perpetration of the barb

this is not part of the civil war defense, but nobody can go there and not drop by and see the frederick douglass national historic site. he was too important. former slave, and a speaker and a statesman. and the house is fabulous. down the way is fort ricketts. there is stuff behind there. you can see the picnic table and there are defenses still there. fort davis, the only part that was ever constructed. it was done during the ccc and 1935. it is overgrown, but you can go there and see what the defenses look like. what those earthworks were like. is fort dupont, it has problems with exotic vegetation. i don't know -- i can't tell you what to do about the vegetation. but it does hurt the earthworks. here are the fort circle parklands. these beautiful plants, native plants, endangered species, a ranger told me people drive all the way to the shenandoah mountains to see them and you can walk up and see them. so it is well worth a visit. this is the hike i went on with the sierra club. this afternoon, there will be one leaving from fort derussy. if you'd like to join them, you can do that. go to th

this is why the abolitionist john brown established a supply depot there and met with frederick douglass to discuss the harpers ferry plan in 1859. some argued chambersburg was just one of several towns in the region that is received visits from early and threats of demand for money and surprisppls the reason chambersburg was burned with that they did not comply. others have argued that the decision was rooted in previous insurance. after all, the confederates had been in chambersburg twice before. in october 1862, confederate albury visited -- confederate calvary visited town and one of their famous or circumvented of the union army. they burned buildings belonging to the warehouse and a store house containing more material. they returned this time with robert e lee. in late june 1863, 60,000 confederate soldiers began to leeert in chambersburg, and established his headquarters there. he town escaped large-scale thisraction at point much due to lee's 73. menake war only upon armed and that no greater disgrace should befall an army and through it our people bandy perpetration of the barb

frederick douglass took over the thing. this is like that colon poll event.on tries to say that 70,000 black apologists put their money enough light that the facts they were slaves. loved america so much they put their money the in the bank. the bank fails and it did more to set free slaves back 10 years into slavery. 100 years past that fast and now you are at 1957. here comes dr. king mikey ron besser young who i mention by the way, that is living history. 1965, 68 dr. king started the poor people's campaign. you can't make this up. you cannot pass and the only way to achieve social justice and a capitalist country is through economic parity. ownership. it was about whites, blacks, reds browne and others and i come back to my message and i will summarize on why we are all in this thing together. he realized that the color was green. he realized that the civil rights movement was not about black people. it was about redeeming the soul of america. it's going back to why i love jim clifton so much and why that quote when he said i just want america to win, you

frederick douglass tells black men in new york state in his famous call colored men to arms that if we don't fight for freedom in the civil war against the slaveocracy, then freedom will lose half its luster. so this was a opportunity for blacks to prove themselves, and that's one of the reasons why establishing a national guard unit in new york state was so important to all black new new yorkers but especially to black men. >> and you lead in right to another point because in another chapter of the book you talk about how in some states, particularly in the state of illinois and chicago, they had already secured an african-american president. and new york is thinking they're very hip -- [laughter] you know, first in population, first in money. and harlem in particular had not achieved that success. and so i think it was the newspaper, one of the editorials in one of the newspapers that blasted the african-american community and said that we're not living up to the standards of the folks in illinois. why don't you describe that. >> and first in social organization. >> right. first in s

it was a wealthy english woman abolitionist who put up the oney to purchase the freedom of frederick douglass who was a fugitive slave up until then. during the civil war, the great karl marx led the fight against the english dock workers who refused to unload ships made by slave labor. antiracism -- antiracist solidarity is basic to a orking-class solidarity. our party -- it's been a long time. our party will never forget what communist and workers parties did in the fight to save angela davis. long live international long live international solidarity. workers and oppressed people of the world unite. our unity is our strength. comrades, many parties have sent in wonderful greetings to our convention. we are especially delighted to have our many international guests who have joined us. many traveling thousands of miles to be with us. a number of other parties were blocked by the state department. the cubans sent in their application. they didn't say no. they just hid the visa. nothing came out of it. why are they so scared? i thought we were irrelevant? what are they scared of? [applause] ou

was a wealthy english woman appellation as we put up the money that purchased the freedom of frederick douglass who is a fugitive slave to them. during the civil war, the great car mart landed in refused to unload ships made from slave labor. antiracism, antiracist solidarity is basic to working-class solidarity. [applause] our party -- it's been a long time. our party will never forget what communists and worker parties around the world did in the fight to save angela davis. [applause] long-lived international solidarity. workers and oppressed people of the world unite. our unity is our strength. comrade, many parties have sent wonderful greetings to our convention who are especially delighted to have read many international guests who have joined us, many traveling thousands of miles to be with us. a number of other parties as john mentioned were blocked by the state department and the cubans sent in their application. they didn't say no. they just hit the visÉ. nothing cannot have it and they say they often do that. what are they so scared of? i thought we were irrelevant. what are they scar

no, that's frederick douglass. this... c-span: oh, that's right. yes.i've got it -- i actually had it marked. >> guest: this is to yolande. c-span: yes. >> guest: and it's a letter telling her what he expects out of her, and also to have faith in herself, and that he expects her to be a wonderful woman. it's a terrific letter. c-span: and the letter was written to her -- where was she? >> guest: she was 14 years old, and she had just gone to england to go to a boarding school. it was a privilege for her to attend. c-span: it says, "above all, remember, dear, that you have a great opportunity. you are in one of the world's best schools in one of the world's greatest modern empires millions of boys and girls all over this world would give almost anything that they possessed to be where you are. you are there by no desert or merit of yours, but only by lucky chance." why would he say that to her? >> guest: because of her -- her family and that she was able to -- he was able to provide her with this opportunity. but he does -- he goes on to tell her what he

frederick douglass, w. t. de bois, booker t. washington, they never agree about anything.l agree, and i would say extrapolate to the contemporary moment, this mistrust that there are opportunities occur, economic opportunities for black people, looking ahead, but your money in a bank and never get it back. these are the sorts of troops that i think necessary so that we get off of some of the existing lps that we play all the time, black truth and really think about some of these other ones that have a real impact, we do today. some tied to 1865-74. many of us don't know that. we get a sub prime mortgage and our money and have to move out of the house. we don't understand why you give your money to the church. and then on her birthday you get this paycheck. that was a way of doing savings. these are things that other people use to measure by morality. they don't use banks. that is bad behavior. really is informed by other black true is that we don't even know because we don't know that we don't know we don't know. [applause] says. >> i am intrigued by this idea of the produ