and the essential part that frederick douglass played in that movement. and so here you have a former enslaved african-american frederick douglass. who? has become through the publication of his narrative and through his public speaking has become a well-known figure for the abolitionist movement to establish that enslaved peoples in the united states were able to promote their own freedom to argue for it and most significantly for this document to situate that desire for freedom within the traditions and the ideals of the united states itself. now students may not remember that douglas is giving this speech in rochester new york where he was invited to give a fourth of july a dress by local abolitionists and so in this regard students can think about the audience of douglas's speech and so it's clear that douglas is speaking to a white audience who is celebrating the fourth of july and he is situating that fourth of july within his point of view and from his point of view. the fourth of july is something radically different than it is for that audience.

we get that frederick douglass ran away from slavery. william still was the youngest of 18 children. his parents had escaped from slavery on the eastern shore of maryland. his his father, levin, still was able to purchase his freedom. and his mother, we see here chities still. originally sydney was unable to purchase her freedom and ran away. thfirst time she ran away, bringing their four small children and joining her husband in south jersey. she was very quickly recaptured by slave catchers and then when she fled a second time, she made the heartbreaking choice to leave two of those children behind. now tell us something of still's father. so, levon was, you know, he had worked for years to purchase his own freedom. and once he was able to purchase his freedom and once his wife and the two daughters joined them, he moved the family to rural south jersey, burlington county. and he you know, his goal was to become an independent farmer. he sort of set up his family in a remote place where he hoped that slave catchers wouldn't catch up to

we get that frederick douglass ran away from slavery. william still was the youngest of 18 children. his parents had escaped from slavery on the eastern shore of maryland. his his father, levin, still was able to purchase his freedom. and his mother, we see here charities still. originally sydney was unable to purchase her freedom and ran away. the first time she ran away, bringing their four small children and joining her husband in south jersey. she was very quickly recaptured by slave catchers and then when she fled a second time, she made the heartbreaking choice to leave two of those children behind. now tell us something of still's father. so, levon was, you know, he had worked for years to purchase his own freedom. and once he was able to purchase his freedom and once his wife and the two daughters joined them, he moved the family to rural south jersey, burlington county. and he you know, his goal was to become an independent farmer. he sort of set up his family in a remote place where he hoped that slave catchers wouldn't catch u

now, as you might imagine, frederick douglass was not altogether pleased with these answers. douglass was upset he had been recruiting blacks soldiers. his sons had enlisted in the 54th massachusetts. he wanted equality and protection for them. but douglass also realized as he began to appreciate the political constraints that lincoln was working under. and he also great appreciation for the fact that lincoln treated him as an equal man. when they met together a few months later, in december of 1863, douglass gave a speech in new york city. he said, i have to to washington to see the president. and as you were not there, perhaps you might like to know how the president of the united states received a black man at the white house. douglass then said he received just as you have seen, one gentleman receive another. now, that line elicited, great applause from the audience and when the applause died down. douglass then added, i tell you, i felt big there. and that line led to great laughter. now, so far, i've told you about two very famous men who made it, abraham lincoln. i want

so, isaacjulien, why did you choose frederick douglass as a subject?ose male figures and historical ones, rather than focusing more on contemporary issues orfemale protagonists. well, i think, in a way, with frederick douglass, i was very drawn to the fact that he was someone who had been an abolitionist, that he lived for at least over two years in scotland — at the time that he wrote his book, his autobiography in terms of being a slave — to escape being re—enslaved. and i was just very, in a way, kind of moved by his story and his biography, and also the way in which he was able to utilise the english language in such an incredible manner and his sense of oratory. but i think, also, there's a way in which with douglass... i mean, i didn't know that he was the most photographed man of the 19th century, more so than lincoln, that he had a whole philosophy about photography, his aesthetic theory about photography, photography as an emancipatory tool, along with all of his different theories around the idea of picture—making, that picture—making, both i

frederick douglass returned to the white house in august 18, '64. lincoln was renominated for the republican nomination for president in the summer of 1864, but summer of 1864 was a very bad time for the union war effort and by august, lincoln was convinced that he would lose in his bid for reelection so lincoln summoned douglas to come to the white house to meet with him. the first time douglas showed up, this time lincoln invites him. the two men sit down together and talk politics for a few minutes and then lincoln turns to douglas and says douglas, i hate slavery as much as you do and i want to see it abolished altogether. the problem, as lincoln explained it was that the slaves were not running away and as great numbers as lincoln had hoped. the emancipation proclamation wasn't as effective as lincoln had hoped it might be and douglas responded by saying the slave owners don't tell the slaves about it so they don't know to run away. the two men sat down together and concocted a plan where, to use douglas's words or they would send bands of scou

i saw frederick douglass. i asked the librarian could i look, is it really frederick douglass? she said, yes. i guess because i was the new library and said, yes, hon. i didn't think about that later. i pulled out a random box and a random file, and it was in his own hand about the assassination of abraham lincoln. my family in springfield, my relatives are buried in oak ridge. so i grew up with that. you could see the emotion because he wrote, he was killed, assassinated, murdered. it was coming through the ink the way he was doing that. for me, that was like one of those serendipitous, pinch me moments. i did not know how serendipitous it was until later when i wanted to photocopy and use it for something and i had written down the file box and the file folder numbers, and i asked for it and librarian came up later and was looking a little sheepish. i said, what is going on? she said, well, that file was misfiled. it was supposed to be put back into a different box. so that is the kind of thing that serendipity is finding connections. so we are digitizing a lot of that unique

i let up a slide and benefit of frederick douglass. uptight and why the spring of 1860 4a woman named caroline johnson came to the white house. she spent some time working as a nurse. he was renowned as an artist. she wanted to make a gift to lincoln to thank them for what he had done on emancipation. she had beautiful >> fruit display. the cost or whether $50 to make. he had a retail value of $350. she got introduction to the white house. if the public parts of the white house and the ground floor has second-story office. to present this gift to lincoln in the white house library. i have space in the washington ulmonument. as a private space for the first family. ekeep liquid take a nap if you need one during the day or early in the morning he might wake up and go to the library. they played with her friends in this room. this was a private living space of the president. this is the first time that an african-american was welcomed into the first family april 2, 1864 johnson and her minister show up at the white house with 8% this gift

frederick douglass returned the white house in august of 1864. as many of you don't lincoln was renominated for the republican nomination up residence in the summer of 1864, the summer of 1854 was a very bad time for the union more effort by august, licking was convinced that he was in the bid for reelection this out lincoln summoned their goal is to come to the white house to meet him and remember the first time douglas gestured up in the time lincoln invite him straight in the two men sit down together and they talk politics for a few minutes, then lincoln turns to douglas and he said, douglas, they slavery is much as you like to see it abolished altogether and the problem is lincoln explained it, was that slaves were not running away in his greatest numbers is lincoln have hoped in another words emancipation population was not as effective lincoln had out there that might be douglas responded by saying, will the slaveowners go to the slaves about us so we do not know to run away in two men then sat down together and concocted a plan what he wa

dunbar as well within the african-american community, had relationships with frederick douglass, who was a key. statesman of the 19th century, and he was of the premier figures, african-american political progress. also had a relationship with booker t washington, who was, i would say, foremost in the minds of many at that time, talking about how education particularly vocational education was a centerpiece for african-american pursuit of political opportunities and social opportunities. so dunbar and i think that was quite fascinating, was able to reach out to all of these esteemed figures in the american public sphere and. he was able to build relationships with them. and so these so you can imagine someone in his twenties who descended slaves, but he's a gifted writer who has on speed dial. if i can impose that kind of idea with some of the great of his time, ranging from a president of the united states to one of the premier or raiders of his time. well, that's that's what surprised me that here he is, young struggling artist able to not only make these connections speed dial but

you helped us last year when we did the frederick douglass act. want to thank you for the input you provided, it is extraordinary. without our survivors and survivor informed, trauma informed, we wouldn't know where to go. thank you. ms. murray. >> good morning. thank you for the honor and privilege of sitting before you today. i represent the global community of ngos working to fight trafficking abroad. i am the ceo and founder of one by one. and international ngo that is u.s. headquartered, as you can tell by my national sounding accent. one by one was founded a decade ago, i went on a trip to sierra leone, i was a student. on the trip i met a little girl who was living on the streets. i noticed she had no shoes. with less than a dollar, i bought her a pair of flip-flops. she asked if she should wait in my bedroom. she had been so abused by men and women, that she presumed that i deserved her body. that moment changed my life, i decided i would give my whole life to this. even if it is only one child. no child should go through that. the event l

karen bass ands i wrote the frederick douglass prevention act. we worked with the great, great, great grandson of frederick douglass and put a big emphasis on some of the prevention pieces like making sure that our children are situationally aware k-12 as to what it looks like, what toe, be on the guard for. if you see a friend who may be be enticed with drugs or something, that you immediately get to that principle or your teacher and trained in as well and hhs and ten offices and others all have very good curricula on how to come and i would hope in when hearing this hearing in the school would look to say, let's have an antihuman trafficking couple of days and really bring in someone who is a survivor who can really spend e some time with these young people, the students, and that will make a difference as well. i do believe this is a pivotal time to be focusing on human trafficking as u.s. faces crisis at our southern border. as result of countless victims especially women and children being exploited. while traffickers to get any of the chao

frederick douglass had done exactly that. he got on a train in baltimore disguised as a sailor, went to the north. and so they go all night. they go through baltimore at about four in the morning and this was the most dangerous place, not only because there's so much anti lincoln feeling in baltimore, maryland, a slave state. and one of the arguments of my book is our capital is in a terrible location. and the founders made a big mistake. it should have been somewhere like philadelphia or or maybe harvard to grace maryland. i thought that would be a good spot. right on chesapeake bay. some southerners are similar, but washington's too far south. it's too dangerous and it's very unhealthy city to because of toxic water. in six. so but baltimore's also very because he's got to get out of a train or that the cars are from the engines and pulled by horses very through the streets of baltimore until they can connect to another locomotive about a mile away. so as the car is being pulled at the speed of a horse, that's when he was m

in frederick douglass in his autobiography the main crux of it, he says once you learn to read you will be forever free. because then you can see, there is a reason why all of those laws were put into effect. to prevent slaves from learning to read. and people who taught them. i have to tell you a little story about that though. when i became the librarian of congress i had to be sworn in and it was wow, it was something. i was preparing and my dear mother was listening to me go on and on. about what i was going to talk about, i was going to list every law in the united states about forbidding slaves to read. it was something. first offense you cut off one finger or something, all of this stuff and i'm going through it and my mom said carla, this is going to be a happy occasion. could we just sum it up? the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., may 29, 2023. i hereby appoint the honorable

it has won several major awards, including the frederick douglass book prize, the ralph waldo emerson award, the national book award, and most recently, the candle history prize out of canada. professor miles, congratulations. and we appreciate your time today. thanks so much, peter. and you're watching about books, a program and podcasts produced by c-span booktv. next, we want to look at some reviews of some recently published books. the washington post's book world, which publishes on sundays, looks at novelist paul auster's bloodbath nation. now, this is a nonfiction book that looks at gun violence in the us and is described by reviewer alex kotlowitz as a, quote, sobering, impassioned plea to end the cycle of shootings. restrict the availability of guns. and as auster writes, conduct an honest, gut wrenching examination of who we are and who we want to be as a people. the national review magazine regularly reviews books and it says that timothy sandford's freedom's furies how isabel patterson rose wilder lane and ayn rand found liberty in an age of darkness, delves deeply into th

frederick douglass had done exactly that. he got on a train in baltimore disguised as as a sailor, weo the north. so they go all night. they go through baltimore at about four in the morning and this is most dangerous place not only because there's so much anti-lincoln feelinge, in baltimore, maryland, is a slave state. one of theca arguments of a book is our capital is in a terrible location.. the founders made a big mistake. it should've been somewhere like philadelphia or maybe havre de grace maryland. that would be a good spot right on chesapeake bay, some southerners, washington is too far south, it's too dangerous. it's very unhealthy city, too. because of toxic water, insects. but baltimore's also very dangerous because he's got to get out of, or the cars are separated from the engines and pulled by horses, very slowly to the streets of baltimore until they can connect to another locomotive about a mile away. so as the car is being pulled the speed of a horse, that's when he was most vulnerable. but no one saw him and

giving these random gifts like a 19,000 dollar bible that used to belong to frederick douglass.f this were any other government official, if clarence thomas worked for any place within the government other than the supreme court, this would be utterly forbidden, he'd be out of a job. and i wouldn't be surprised if there was talk about a criminal investigation as well. >> so, ian, you have today as these reports were coming out, lies of justice thomas and ginni thomas. they put out statements. they said, nothing to see here. there's nothing wrong with this. how is this -- how are regular folks, who are watching this, seeing and reading what is happening. how are they supposed to continue to have faith in the supreme court given what you just described? you know, i used to work at the white house, and this would definitely be a no no. he there. >> yes, it is a neat trick, the supreme court doesn't have an ethics code and therefore clarence thomas has not violated any ethics code because they have no ethics code for him to violate. there may be some federal statutes that he's viola

through a quarter of the millennium, 250is years of american history thousand his fire people in frederick douglassis averages and abraham lincoln come all the way to doctor martin luther king and people around the world, together shape the world that we live in. and finally, probably the thing i'm most proud of is when the museum opened in 20 something a believer number hundred 38 of things to do in philadelphia. this week, we a number six, things to do in philadelphia. that was a screen capture from tripadvisor so we are shooting our way to theop three pressure have reported knock eastern state penenary, although is there but the philadelphia museum in independence hall, and museum american revolution and chicken k website, this is cover up her last annual report, tons of information and tons of digital programs alreadyro evening programs like we are doing here tonight, we do hybrids so that you can submit from wherever you are so very interested in becoming a member kind of staying connected with a splendid the very least please do come and visit philadelphia in the museum. i would be shocked if

in 2015, it was a bronze bust of frederick douglass, which was valued at more than $6,000.reme court justice clarence thomas listed on his public disclosure filings over the years, in keeping with post watergate federal disclosure laws. while each of those reported items could raise some eyebrows on their own, they are not even the most interesting parts of thomas's disclosure forms. for that, you have to look at what is missing from those forms. in the past month, propublica has reported on a litany of items -- on trips and on payments for real estate that justice clarence thomas accepted as gifts from texas billionaire and republican megadonor harlan crow. they are gifts that justice thomas routinely failed to report. if you add up all the dollar amounts from propublica's reporting, the gifts amount at up to more than $1 million. and none of it showed up on the disclosure forms over the years. today, propublica is out with new reporting about more money. this time, it's tuition money that crow paid to schools on behalf of justice thomas's relatives, or relative. in the la

in america back to of course the founding and frederick douglass. right now it really does seem like even if they have kept some conception of the rhetoric, they really have abandoned yet as a kind of east coast, to the extent they ever had it, as you look at this real insistence on state control in state after state, particularly in florida and other republican states. >> they've abandon any idea of freedom as something that gives you the right of self expression, that gives you the right to direct your own path in life. it's they still do believe in freedom but it's freedom for particular people for a particular castles classes and particular groups. if you fall outside of that you happen to be transgender or a woman who believes she should be able to get under portion and if you happen to think that the children your children to learn about the history of slavery and racism in this country, then no longer, your freedom doesn't apply in the same way. you are now subject to these strict controls about what you can learn and what you can do and what

reedsville new york 1954 on the fourth of july and his speech has been equated a lot of times to the frederick douglass douglas. speech. what is the fourth of july to a black man? same concept? what does the fourth of july mean to an indigenous person? so john quinney gives this great speech and i want to leave you with this and i want you to think on it and i want you to meditate it meditate on it because it means so much. my friends your holy book the bible. teaches us that individual offenses are punished in an existence when time shall be no more. and the animals of the earth are equally instructive that national wrongs are avenged national crimes atoned for in this world to which alone the confirmation of existence adapts them. these events are above our comprehension and for a wise purpose. for myself and for my tribe i ask for justice. i believe it will sooner or later occur. and may the great good spirit enable me to die in hopes. thank you very much for including me. i look forward to your questions and i turn this over to my next elder joe baker. thank you. thank you very much heather joe. he

through a quarter of millennium, 250 years of american history, how has it inspired people like frederick douglass and the suffragists and abraham lincoln all the way to dr. martin luther king, and people around theiv world, to kd of shape the world that we live in. finally, i'm probably the thing i'm most proud of is when the museum opened in 2017 we were number 438 438 things n philadelphia. this week we are number six of things to do in philadelphia. that is a screen capture from trip advisor. we are shootin her way up to the top. we're not sure how we're going to knock eastern state penitentiary off the list but the philadelphia museum, independence hall very solid choices along with the museum of the american revolution. check outn our website. this is a cover of her last annual report. tons of information. we have tons of digital programs. all of our evening programs like we are doing here tonight we do hybrids seezo you can zoom in fm wherever you w are. if you're interested in becoming a member and stay connected with us, at thehe very least least yu come visit philadelphia, visit the muse

of independence in the declaration of people in american history, how does it inspire people frederick douglass and abraham lincoln all the way to doctor martin luther king and people around the world how to shape the world we live in? and thisa. week we are number sx philadelphia. we are shooting our way to the top off the list there but museum, very solid choices. check out our website, this is the cover of the last annual report, tons of information, digital programs and evening programs like we are doing here tonight. if you're interested in becoming a member, at the very least visit philadelphia, the museum. i'd be shocked if you did not follow. thank you all for your attention. [laughter] >> recently on the presidey, directors of manures like eisenhower's presintl library and museum and president lincoln's cotta discuss preservation and interpretation of american presidential. here's a portion of the program. >> we got approached by a member of the community and my last name is rowe and i think of a connection. that conversation began and the unusual friend, extended family and we slowly

as mark was saying, frederick douglass, in the context of what context of the civil war says, going to fight two battles. we're going to fight to change. and north also fighting against the south and slavery. w.e.b. dubois, outset of war, one says we're going to return fighting. right? we're going to close ranks, fight this war abroad. but then we're going to come back and gain equal rights at home. what's different with world war two is the scale that americans have been part of every military conflict united states has ever been involved in going, all the way back to the american revolution in run up to world war two, before america officially joins the war after pearl harbor. it's clear that this is going to be a monumental undertaking and people understand a couple of things. and that's what i mean, jobs both in defense industries, also in the military that having opportunities serve in the military was both a source of patriotism, a source sense of belonging, and citizenship, but also it was payments that you received to pay for your service in the army or navy that black want a c