so i brought him to frederick douglass high school. everyone was stunned, including my teacher. and i got an a in the class. [laughter] i share this story with you, to share a few lessons that i learned in my pursuit of what i wanted most at the age of 16. that was to have a georgia tech basketball player come to my school. first lesson i learned to be summed up by a quote from nelson mandela, "it always seems impossible until it is done." i know that many of you are experiencing that feeling today. it probably seemed impossible when he got to the campus of georgia tech. but here you are today. so congratulations to you. [applause] the other lesson i learned was one that my father taught me. what is the worst i can happen, someone can tell you know, then what have you lost? well, that basketball player told me no. but his teammate told me yes. so i gained an a. by also realized, we are all human. to me,s more evident when i looked at the really cool guys in my classroom that day, who completely lost it when the basketball player walked into the room. reminder, that sometimes, it

by spring of 1861, frederick douglass yearned for war, make no mistake. his long rehearsal as a war propagandist had reached its final stages. dunbarpoet paul lawrence -- poet paul laurence dunbar suggested in a poem about douglass much later, douglass as much as any northern partisan in kindled a battle crof freedom. these are just a few lines from dunbar's poem. "he dared the lightning in lightning's track and answered thunder with his thunder back. we leave for him, but we touched his hand, and felt the presents -- presence of his magic, the current he sent through the land, the kindling spirit of his battle cry." douglass wanted this war. he had no idea what it was going, but he welcomed it in 1861 with a combined spirit of relief and rage. he was not a warrior himself, i don't know if he ever owned a firearm. as he discovered in his struggle with john brown. but he was more than ready to wield his pen and voice to send millions of others to destroy slavery, slaveholders, and anyone shouldering arms in their defense. and he was willing to send his own

two are frederick douglass and sojourner truth -- the reason i want to focus on them is because they understand the importance of their visual public persona. the most recent book i did was on frederick douglas and photography. i found out he is the most photographed american in the 19th century. there are more separate photographs of frederick douglass than of any other american in the 19th century. more than of lincoln, custer, twain, anyone else. i have run the numbers, and you can ask me and i can show you. there are a few unknowns, like grant. no one has added up the archives of grant. but the larger point -- and sojourner truth is one of the most photographed women in the 19th century. douglass and truth are also hugely admired public speakers, orators, among the greatest male orators respectively in the 19th century. douglass could command a higher speaking fee than any other orator, and this was back when it came with celebrity, like being an actor. it was one of the few forms of entertainment. douglass, for the first 50 years isthe 20th century, essentially out of print. he i

>> in the shadow of this injustice, enslaved people, like 16-year-old frederick douglass in maryland,to secure their own freedom. [ sheep bleats ] >> i felt as i had never felt before. it was a glorious resurrection from the tomb of slavery to the heaven of freedom. the white man who expected to succeed in whipping me must also succeed in killing me. >> frederick douglass escapes north and works with the underground railroad, a network of abolitionists and former slaves who help enslaved people escape the south, and he crosses paths with harriet tubman. >> it's this way! now i've been free, i know what a dreadful condition slavery is. i've seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but i never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave. i think slavery is the next thing to hell. [ dogs barking ] >> though some escape their chains, the american government, dominated by the southern slave power, make sure that true freedom for african-americans remains out of reach. >> welcome to the barnum hotel, sir. >> dred scott is a u.s. slave who is persuaded to sue for his freedom on the grounds tha

according to noted abolitionist frederick douglass, the first frederick douglass -- [laughter] in every phase of the great conflict, he worked and honorable parts. he was one of the foremost brilliant statesman who we constructed the union on the basis of liberty. ohioy grew up in southern as i mentioned. he became interested in politics at an early age, and as a young man, he was involved in the underground railroad. eventually he moved to the northwest city of toledo where anti-slavery statement -- sentiment was stronger. he helped to found the african methodist visible church in toledo. a democrat, ashley said with his party until 1854 because as i mentioned before, he loved the economic populism of andrew jackson, but over time he became convinced his heart he was overtaken by the slave power. in 1864 he left the democratic party, joining protests against kansas the rest act which led to the formation of the republican party -- kansas the breast act which led to the formation -- nebraska act which led to the formation of the republican party. he is said to be a founder. ashley campa

kennedy farmhouse, which is a stage area for the john brown raid, that seemed to implicate frederick douglass so the governor of virginia sent marshals to rochester bring him back as a fugitive, and douglass went to england to escape capture there was a douglass connection with shields green as one of the five men i write about. >> so how but the other four? there is a way to kind of cover them just -- obviously julia has a moral purpose. what is the purpose of these others? >> that's a great question. well, four of the five were free persons of color, shields green being the exception. and we have such a nuanced history, and we tend to talk in terms of black and white, but these men all came from a racially mixed brown. so i insist they be referred to as african-americans in the subtitle and dangerfield nuby was born a slave. his father was white man in virginia and his mother was an enslaved woman with whom henry newby had several children, and he decide not own children's or his wife. they belongs to another slave owner. there came a time when henry nuby wanted to free them so with the oth

university professor david blight talks about the political , and often religious rhetoric, that frederick douglass or speaking about abolition or the civil war. this 50 minute talk was part of a conference hosted by the university of virginia center for civil war history. prof. blight: thank you, gary, liz joan, will and other , friends. i learned a long time ago that when they invite you somewhere, just say yes, and then figure out later what you will talk about, or talk about whatever they want you to talk about. because it is always fun and always important and there is no better audience.

and i'm looking at your board here and i see frederick douglass, you know, and what frederick douglassid and how there are little revolutions that get started. nothing happens overnight. the little spark, you know, the little train that can. >> they're laying the groundwork. >> yes. >> they're laying the groundwork that might ignite. >> and then, the other side of it is -- people want to know, "are you gonna run for president?" you know, i don't know, but here's what i'm starting to think about seriously. it may be possible, with this unbelievable media we have, whether it's facebook or whether it's -- >> pbs. >> oh, i love pbs. i do. one time, i tried to kill the funding for it, but i see the value in it. >> but you've evolved as a conservative, haven't you? >> yes. i was small potatoes. and, beyond that, it does a really good job. but -- >> we're also privately funded here at "firing line." you should know that. you should know that. >> i heard the beginning of it, yes. but i guess what i'm suggesting is -- there may be a way to have a voice that is in a movement -- a movement -- tha

frederick douglass observed that to suppress free speech is a double wrong. it violates the right of the here as well as those of the speaker. like all a rights of freedom of speech comes with an associated duty to exercise it responsibly. let us now begin our expiration of the state of the first amendment at public universities. the chair of our panel this morning is a distinguished pulitzer prize-winning columnist of the chicago tribune. i can think of no one better to lead this discussion. please welcome clarence. [applause] >> i am delighted to be here this morning and honored to been asked to be the moderator for the panel today. [inaudible] my son is now college-age and free-speech was a right-wing thought. [inaudible] every time i hear about a free-speech or some other right wing are wanting to advocate for having a public forum and it is not just for one side but every side but it's something that every parent learns but kids don't learn things automatically. so, that is why we are here to talk about the topic of free speech and what is the role on ca

frederick douglass says, there was a right side and a wrong side in the late war. to that, van lew would have said amen. she felt that americans in her lifetime in the postwar. were forgetting that basic truth. she was appalled to watch richmond become the hub of the lost cause cult. she would right after the ineiling of the the statue 1890, ever since the unveiling, i have felt this was no place for me. all the otherot things she had suffered and entered made her feel there was no place for her. 1900, richmondin whites with confederate sympathies will remember her as a maligned spirit haunting her old neighborhood. interestingly, at the very same time that stories of crazy veterans are circulating, a fellow unionist and longtime coworker and neighbor was trying in vain to publish her own account of van lew's life. she wrote, in a few brief pages, i will try to portray the character of van lew. van lew believes slavery to be a blot on the nation. when patrick henry stood in old st. john's church, the walls of -- van lew mansion at code took heart,an lew crying give

every from frederick douglass to susan b. anthony that came together and women were granted the right to low. we look back at the low of segregation, how a multiracial coalition of americans came together, worked together, fought together, stood together, sacrificed together, some died together to advance the cause of civil rights. we look back to the japane internment and we see how people, regardless of their backgrounds in america, regardless of their political parties, came together to redress this wrong. and in 1988 we saw a republican president, ronald reagan who responded by signing the civil liberties act into law and working to right the wrong of japanese internment. future generations will look back on this moment. they will look to see whether we affirmed that in america we don't injure and imprison children. we protect them. they will look back to see that in america we don't abuse rights. we protect them. they will look back at america to see if we are called to be a nation truly that works to defend human rights

the actions flew in the face of celebrated black abolitionists frederick douglass and william wells brown. advocatedd brown temperance, like prominent reformers who believed of staining from alcohol could improve the individual and the nation. douglas and brown further argued that alcohol function as a cheap release that rob black men of their will to resist oppression. slave men understood drunkenness as a means of liberation, and slaves in the army continued indulging in this protest. during slavery, enslaved men and women escaped the totalizing oppression of plantations by throwing parties beyond controlling masters. the parties allowed enslaved people to take control of their bodies in ways that the slave owners did not intend. women reclaimed their bodies primarily through dressing up. donnedn fancy close -- fancy clothes like white women. and even alcohol, though it broke from the thinking of important black individuals -- soldiers continued to use alcohol as a means of liberation. whiskey alsoter -- freed his body. being captured by police and civilians clothes after new orleans ni

at the peak of her fame in the 1890s she was second only to frederick douglass. she not only wrote about these things she pioneered what we would think as a criminal defense technique. find out if they had been coerced. she would send she did this after a terrible tragedy. one of the first on the scene. in the fax are so horrifying things like that they had set the execution date. the execution date but no one have bothered to set a trial date. they take a long shot at the supreme court which at this point in time they have barely lifted a finger. in 1923. in moore versus dempsey. they did one of the first ever humanitarian interventions. the famous cases came in later decades. she was therefore. her other cause was women's suffrage. i don't think there is a clear example of how ordinary americans create profound constitutional change. what we know of as that 19th amendment. you cannot prevent people from voting on the basis of mac and failed every time to get out of congress for 402 years. until the 1920s. and what changed. it was mostly women talking to their b

african-american leader frederick douglass declared the right to vote was the keystone of the arch of human liberty. it became clear to the majority the constitution should include a new amendment guaranteeing the the right to vote, and that becomes the 15th amendment. the constitution now to find the -- now defines the new birth of freedom. citizenship and the right to vote. with citizenship secured by the 14th amendment and the right to vote with the 15th amendment, african americans can protect themselves from their former owners with the rule of law, by standing for political office, and could choose their own leaders with free debate and honest ballot. with citizenship and voting rights in the 14th and 15th amendment, black political participation mushroomed. voting was followed by office , also state legislative seats in states. two black mississippians and 14 were u.s. senators and 14 served in the house. they were almost entirely republican and joined by white allies in the republican party. i'm going to take a moment to talk about how important language is. southern whites wh

i thought his timeline went: "washington, lincoln, 'home alone 2', obama born in kenya, frederick douglass, me." ( laughter ) >> jon: wow. >> stephen: that's pretty clos >> stephen: he's in there. yeah. ( applause ) oh, check your calendars. if you didn't know this already-- you guys over there partying out-- it's summer. and this is a time when senators take a month off to go home, listen to their constituents' concerns, and then drink until they forget what they were. but not this year, because senate majority leader and congressional pupa, mitch mcconnell put an end to that. he made an announcement yesterday that harshed everyone's summer vibe. >> as you may have heard, i have canceled the august recess. we have a lot of important work to do as a result of unprecedented obstruction. >> stephen: damn right! it's been over two years. it is time to confirm merrick garland! but-- you don't even remember. but-- somewhere obama is weeping. >> jon: oh, no! >> stephen: but one person is excited about mcconnell's plan, donald trump. he tweeted, "mitch mcconnell announced he will cancel the senat

. >> at least obama knew who frederick douglass was. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] introducing worx pegasus, a next-generation, all-in-one work table and clamping system. ordinary work tables can't compete. pegasus has integrated clamps steel reinforcement makes pegasus superstrong. to prove it, we had pegasus support a car. sets up in seconds and folds flat for easy storage. strong. versatiltable. a workspace anyplace. the worx pegasus. >>> president trump tonight cancelling the philadelphia eagles white house visit which was supposed to happen tomorrow. we have a lot of ground to cover. angela, give me your reaction to this latest thing with the white house and the eagles. >> you know, don, nothing surprises me anymore. from the man who called nfl players in a hypothetical situation softens of bitches -- excuse me my french, mom and dad .i know you're w he doesn't have respect for protests. he doesn't have respect for the black lives who have been lost. we've seen it in lack of response to any racial tension that's been stok

and then that is indispensable in society and frederick douglass to suppress free speech violates the rights as well as those of the speaker. that comes with the associated duty to exercise responsibly now we'll begin the exploration of the first amendment this morning we have the distinguished pulitzer prize-winning columnist of the chicago tribune. i can't think of no one better to the discussion. please welcome. [applause] >> i am delighted to be here this morning and to be on the moderator panel today. but. [inaudible] but free speech was a book. and then with free speech to advocate so then it occurs to me so that is why we are here today and with those attitude to help with that type of quality. and with the parents back home and did ministry eaters. that has been effectively censored by the protesters. [inaudible] but it does free me. [inaudible] i'm sorry. my apologies. the journals are late and this guy knows nothing but in any case as i said one newsmaker i talked to a number of times and with the bell curve with the intellectuals and then with the more recent book and it wa

. >> and what's up with your boy, frederick douglass?nd applause ] >> jimmy: that's what i'm talking about! come on! the greatest! shaquille o'neal, everybody! ercheers and applause ] more with shaq ahe break. stick around, everybody. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ a hotel can make or break a trip. and at expedia, we don't think you should be rushed into booking one. that's why we created expedia's add-on advantage. now after booking your flight, you unlock discounts on select hotels right until the day you leave. ♪ add-on advantage. discounted hotel rates when you add on to your trip. only when you book with expedia. look at this new kfc crispy colonel sandwich. the latest of kfc's five dollar fill-ups. i reckon everything in this collection costs just five dollars each. congratulations. kfc, it's finger lickin' good. congratulations. how does new go beum... cleanprotection?e doesn't stain my clothes i don't get the underarm pit stains well, we couldn't have said it better ourselves. try new dove men+ care stain defense for anti stain and

. >> frederick douglass is an example of somebody who's done an amazing job that is being recognized more and more i notice. >> did you ever hear of andrew jackson of tennessee. >> andrew jackson who they say was the most like my campaign because his was a vicious campaign. i mean, had andrew jackson been a little bit later, you wouldn't have had the civil war. people don't ask that question. why was there the civil war? why could that not have been worked out? people don't realize if you go back to the civil war, it was the republicans that did the thing. lincoln was a republican. >> most people don't even know he was a republican, right? does anyone know? a lot of people don't know that. history and culture so important. >> yes, history and culture so important. especially whether he you have to apply it to your current job. trump history in action is thing 2 in 60 seconds. donald trump is no great history buff but he's making history every single day. like with our new terrible relationship with our neighbors to the north canada for instance. according to the cbc president trump r

in a free societys but so too is guarding the equal rights of those who wish to hear it was frederick douglass who observed that to suppress free speech is a double wrong it violates the rights of the heree as well as those of the speaker. like all rights of the freedom of speech comes with an associated duty to exercise it responsibly. let us now begin our exploration of the state of the first amendment at public universities. the chair of her panel this morning is a distinguished prize-winning columnist of the chicago tribune. i can think of no one better to lead this discussionbe and clearance page. clarence page. please welcome clarence page. [applause]. >> think you i'm delighted to be here this morning. to be on the moderate panel today. just the expert discourse. by this issue as a journalist but also as a parent. [indiscernible] free speech was a right wing funk. so every time i hear about a free-speech rally with some other right winger want to advocate for having a public forum. it's not just for one side it's site is for every side. something that every parent learns kids don't lear

frederick douglass goes to england, he does not get a passport. this is all very weird. 1790's, congress passes a law called the inspection. it is an identification document when seeman are on american ships. that is so when the british stop you and try to take you off of the ship, i can say no, i am an american the siemens production law says that the collectors at portort of each foreign sending ships overseas, will issue protections to citizens of the united states free 6lack sailors up and down the coast -- black sailors up and down the coast are provided this protection. docksbeen working on the so he knows how to speak sailor. frederick douglas knew how to talk like a seeman and the conductor comes to him and says, you have your free papers? says, i never take my free papers to see but i have something better and he whips out a siemens production. -- protection. the conductor looked, took his less. -- left. he looked like a sailor, he he spokeke a sailor, very good english, he did not talk like a slave, he talk like a free person. although t

and we know what a great leader frederick douglass said if there is no struggle there is no progress.ore you tell me about your religion, first show it to me in how you treat other people. [cheers and applause] todd: relationship advice from corey booker on your relationship with our great nation. look what we just did outside a few moments ago. we celebrated our country. we celebrated our army. and for corey book tore say this comment, you know, if you are not struggling right now you don't love your country. again, we touch upon this all the time there is a segment of the liberal elite the democrats as well that don't understand there are so many people in this country that are doing well right now, really enjoying their american experience don't paint all 330 million americans by the same brush. ainsley: what does that even mean? i'm telling you right now he says if this country hasn't broken your heart you don't love her enough. this country has never broken my heart. this country has given me every opportunity under the sun. both of my grandfathers fought for this country my dad

frederick douglass how -- new how to talk like a seamen day. he had his free papers. he very boldly says i never take my free papers to see. but i do have something better, and has the eagle of the united states. he whips out a seamen protection which he borrowed from another person. that the conductor looked at the eagle, took his money, and left. fortunately, he did not read the protection. he would have been outed if you bothered to read it. he looks like a sailor, talk like a sailor. very good english. he did not talk like a slave. he talked like a free person. the conductor took the money and left. leads to the huge confusion, what is a citizen of the united states. then, we get 1857. , whose ancestors were imported into the country and sold as slaves become a member of the political community? we think they are not and that they are not included and were not intended to be concluded under the word citizens in the constitution. and can therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which --t instrument provides for and secures to the citizens of the united sta

every from frederick douglass to susan b. anthony that came together and women were granted the right to low. we look back at the low of segregation, how a multiracial coalition of americans came together, worked together, fought together, stood together, sacrificed together, some died together to advance the cause of civil rights. we look back to the japanese internment and we see how people, regardless of their backgrounds in america, regardless of their political parties, came together to redress this wrong. and in 1988 we saw a republican president, ronald reagan who responded by signing the civil liberties act into law and working to right the wrong of japanese internment. future generations will look back on this moment. they will look to see whether we affirmed that in america we don't injure and imprison children. we protect them. they will look back to see that in america we don't abuse rights. we protect them. they will look back at america to see if we are called to be a nation truly that works to defend human righ

past and think about the great contributions of abolition its at that came before us and great frederick douglassll be at the friction of some of the those values he espoused. a very important day and also a day for celebration. steve: when you talk about how we today might be at loggerheads at with some of the things that happened in the past. what are you talking about? >> i mentioned in the article, there is still modern slavery going on around the world and even in our own country. just a couple weeks ago near my hometown, a 160, children, youngest of three years old rescued from sex trafficking. applaud the fbi for the sting, arresting those people that were trafficking in children. reef minding us there is still evil in our own country. important we remember those values, our american values, we seek to make ourselves a better society. but i'm thankful we're a much better country today than we were 153 years ago. it is because of our values we are where we are today. that is why it is important to recommit ourselves on this day and every day. steve: i like the summary line in your op ed at