Inside the Vault: Frederick Douglass: Advocate for Equality

Most people know Frederick Douglass as an abolitionist, but his fight for equality did not end after the Thirteenth Amendment. In the February 18, 2021 session of Inside the Vault, educator Mandel Holland and Hamilton cast member Marcus John join us as we examine four documents written by Frederick Douglass during the 1870s and 1880s that exemplify his fight against the rise of the Jim Crow era.

Click here to download the slides from the presentation.

Classroom-ready resources for the documents presented

• Autobiographical Sketch of Frederick Douglass 
• Frederick Douglass to Thomas B. Pugh, November 17, 1870
• Frederick Douglass to unknown recipient, November 23, 1887
• Frederick Douglass’s speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, 1871
• Spotlight on Primary Source: Racism in the North: Frederick Douglass on “a vulgar and senseless prejudice,” 1870
• Spotlight on Primary Source: Frederick Douglass on the disfranchisement of black voters, 1888
• Spotlight on Primary Source: Frederick Douglass on Jim Crow, 1887
• Essay: “‘Hidden Practices’: Frederick Douglass on Segregation and Black Achievement, 1887” by Edward L. Ayers
• Video: “Jim Crow and the Fight for American Citizenship” by Jonathan Holloway
• Essay: “Reconstruction and the Remaking of the Constitution” by Eric Foner
• Video: “Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America since 1940” by Jonathan Holloway
• Essay: “Jim Crow and the Great Migration” by Jonathan Holloway 

Use the timestamps below to jump to the documents you want to view

• Autobiographical Sketch of Frederick Douglass: 4:09–11:54
• Frederick Douglass’s speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: 11:54–20:22
• Frederick Douglass’s letter to Thomas B. Pugh: 20:23–37:30
• Frederick Douglass’s letter to unknown recipient: 37:30–56:08