Six reasons Frederick Douglass is perfect historical figure for a modern era

Richie Pope’s depiction of Frederick Douglass graces the home-screen of Google today, a kickoff to Black History Month. Though an important 19th century figure, here are six reasons Douglass could just as easily fit into modern times:

1. He never stopped fighting for freedom. After receiving beatings as a young man, at age 16 Douglass fought back and said he was never beaten again. At age 20, he escaped from his master Thomas Auld. He wore a disguise, purchased false papers and hopped a train. This was after two failed attempts to escape.

2. He was a best-selling author. Not only did his book “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave” become a best-seller, he also published two other books. He also founded and edited a newspaper, the North Star. He toured Europe in part to escape and taunt his old slave master.

3. He fought for women’s rights. He had five children with his wife of 44 years, Anna Murray-Douglass, who was born free and helped slaves escape, including Douglass. He was an early supporter of feminism: the only African-American to attend the first women’s rights convention in 1848 at Seneca Falls.

4. He was the pragmatic idealist. He is famous for having said, “I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.” It’s a phrase that has been invoked over the years to help politicians overcome longtime differences. (The African-American activist Van Jones quoted Douglass recently to explain why he was partnering with Koch Industries to fight for criminal justice reform.) Douglass famously argued against abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, a long-time friend, to use the Constitution to argue against slavery, rather than burn it. He criticized Abraham Lincoln as “the white man’s president” for not coming out against abolition right away but praised him as the best president the country ever had after the Emancipation Proclamation.

5) He believed in education. He taught slaves to read the Bible, that is, until some slave masters decided they didn’t want their slaves learning to read and busted in with clubs and broke up his early congregation. He later criticized so-called Christians that did not condemn slavery, making a distinction between the “Christianity of Christ” and the “Christianity of America.” He is believed to have abstained from tobacco and alcohol to keep his body and soul clean.

6) He didn’t discriminate. After his wife passed away, he married a white activist. He himself is believed to have Native American and European ancestry in addition to African ancestry. But he didn’t stand for segregation: He looked at a white church, but upon discovering it was segregated, joined the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, which included Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman.

This story was originally published February 1, 2016 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Six reasons Frederick Douglass is perfect historical figure for a modern era."