On this day in history: Frederick Douglass publishes the first issue of The North Star

Today in history Frederick Douglass begins to publish his newspaper, The North Star. Douglass is an important part of American history as he was a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman at a time when the commonly held belief stated he couldn’t, shouldn’t be able to. He was the living rebuttal to the argument of many slaveowners that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to be a functioning citizen. He would escape slavery in Maryland and would become a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. Who was Frederick Douglass? What was his newspaper, The North Star? And what legacy does he leave us today?

Frederick Douglass was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey circa February 1818. The exact date of his birth is unknown. He chose February 14 as his birthdate as his mother called him “Little Valentine.” At age 6, he was given to the Auld Family and by age 8, Lucretia Auld sent him to her brother-in-law, Hugh Auld, in Baltimore. It was there that he began his education when Hugh’s wife, Sophia, began to teach him the alphabet, Fredrick would continue his education by teaching himself. In 1837, he met and fell in love with Anna Murray, a free black woman. After gaining his freedom, they would marry on September 15, 1838. They would be married for 44 years until her death in 1882. Douglass would write three autobiographies, the most famous, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave (1845), would be a bestseller and influential in the abolition movement. He would also be an active supporter of women’s suffrage. On February 20, 1895, he attended a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C. He would die from a massive heart attack after returning home. He was 77.

Douglass was inspired to start his newspaper in 1846 after subscribing to The Liberator, published by William Lloyd Garrison. He began to publish his newspaper, The North Star, on December 3, 1847. The antislavery newspaper would run until June 1851 when it merged with Gerrit Smith’s Liberty Party Paper. The title is a reference to the directions given to runaway slaves in order to reach the Northern states and Canada: “Follow the North Star.” The North Star’s slogan was “Right is of no Sex. Truth is of no Color. God is the Father of us all, and we are brethren.” Eventually, The North Star would have more than 4,000 readers in the US, Europe, and the Caribbean. The newspaper focused on current events concerning abolitionist issues with editorials, letters from readers, news articles, poetry, and book reviews. He would write with great passion especially about the discrepancy in America’s Christian beliefs and the prejudice and discrimination he witnessed. Sadly, very few copies of The North Star survive as many of Douglass’ papers were destroyed in a fire in June 1872.

The legacy of The North Star and Douglass himself is that it gave readers an outlet and amplified the growing political power of the African American press (Georgini, 2019). His use of words to fight for freedom and rights for African Americans as well as women’s suffrage left an unmistakable mark on America. His autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, is still required reading for many high school and college students. He is an example of how people can shape their future (Staff, 2013). Douglass would encourage African Americans to rise above their beginnings and achieve freedom. He once stated that he “would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong” and reportedly reconciled with his former slaveowner, Thomas Auld, in 1877, when Auld was near death. Although Douglass was able to reconcile with his former owner, reconciling with slavery itself would prove harder. He once said, “Slavery is indeed gone, but its long, black shadow yet falls broad and large over the face of the whole country,” during an 1881 speech at Storer College in West Virginia (Blackmore, 2018). Douglass would devote the rest of his life to civil rights and equality.

In conclusion, Frederick Douglass and his newspaper, The North Star, were influential in the abolition movement. He is an example of human perseverance. To rise above his origins to achieve what he wanted. He worked hard, faced difficult opponents, and fought everything he had. He believed knowledge is the path to freedom. True freedom. He was correct. When knowledge is given and obtained, the possibilities are endless. The North Star would be an example of how words could be used to influence and forge change. Against all odds and critics, Douglass forged ahead to create his newspaper, to be a mouthpiece for freedom and equality.

 

References

 

Blackmore, Erin (December 4, 2018). Frederick Douglass’s Emotional Meeting With the Man Who Enslaved Him. History. www.history.com/news/frederick-douglass-meeting-former-master. Retrieved November 30, 2020.

 

Georgini, Sara (February 14, 2019). ‘The North Star’ Amplified Black Voices. How a 2019 Reboot of Frederick Douglass’ Paper Hopes to Do the Same. Smithsonian Magazine. www.smithsonianmag.com/history/frederick-douglass-north-star-amplified-black-voices-reboot-newspaper-hoping-do-same-180971500/. Retrieved November 30, 2020.

 

Staff Writer (August 12, 2013). Legacy and Significance of Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass Heritage. www.frederick-douglass-heritage.org/legacy-significance/. Retrieved November 30, 2020.

 

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (November 11, 2016). The North Star. Encyclopaedia Britannica. www.britannica.com/topic/The-North-Star-American-newspaper. Retrieved November 30, 2020.

Shadow Among Sheaves: a love story inspired by the Book of Ruth

Shadow Among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens is a historical romance inspired by the love story of Ruth and Boaz of the Bible. The story opens in July 1861, Rena is an Indian woman who is traveling with her mother in law, Lady Nell Hawley after the deaths of her husband, Edric, and father in law, Alistair. Rena and Nell find themselves in dire straits as people refuse to help the women. The Indian Mutiny of 1857 is still fresh in everyone’s mind and Rena is seen as the enemy. In desperation, Rena picks up grains which have fallen on the ground when she is caught by the estate’s steward, William. He takes pity on her and allows her to gather what she can carry. When the lord of the Manor, Lord Barric, sees Rena in the fields, she allows her to take whatever she needs. Soon Barric helps the women when so many had turned their backs. As the attraction between Rena and Barric is undeniable, will they allow love to blossom? Or will society and prejudice keep them apart?

I loved Shadow Among Sheaves. It was a great story with a great twist on the story of Ruth and Boaz. Having read their story so many times, I never imagined that Ruth, as a stranger from a strange land, could have suffered the prejudice that Rena does. However, it makes sense that she would have. And Barric is the caring yet stern landlord that Boaz may have been, Their story felt very real for 19^th century England and is very relatable to today’s social and racial climate. I highly recommend Shadow Among the Sheaves.

Shadow Among the Sheaves

is available in paperback and eBook

By the Light of Embers: a story of a young woman's fight for love and her dreams against the odds

By the Light of Embers by Shaylin Gandhi is the story of a young woman who must fight against the prejudice and societal expectations of the 1950s. It’s 1954 and Lucia Lafleur is a college graduate, engaged and just got accepted to medical school. Before heading home for the summer, her fiancé gives her an ultimatum: him or medical school. She heads home to Bellefontaine, Louisiana with her friend, Gretchen. Soon she befriends Nicholas Fletcher, a man from her childhood and someone she was supposed to stay away from. But Nicholas is unlike any man she has known, and she can’t help be drawn to him despite the danger. As their friendship blooms into something more, she realizes she is heading down a road that her hometown may not be ready for. Which man will she chose: the safe, logical one or the man who matches her passion and intelligence? Does she follow her heart or her dream?

By the Light of Embers is a story I wasn’t expecting. From the description I knew it was a story of a white woman and a black man in a relationship which was not acceptable in the South. As I read and was swept away by the passionate love story of Lucia and Nicholas, the drama of prejudice of those around them and the building of events which led to an amazing climax. The book didn’t end the way I thought it would, but it was a satisfying ending, wasn’t farfetched and just fit the story. It was a suspenseful and exciting story up to the very last page. I was so engrossed in the story that I didn’t realize it was coming to an end! I highly recommend By the Light of Embers!

By the Light of Embers

will be available May 9, 2019

in eBook

Small Great Things: a story about modern racism and prejudice

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult is dramatic and thought provoking story about racism and how we interact with each other as members of different races. The story is told from the perspectives of a dedicated labor and delivery nurse, a White Supremacist man, and a lawyer who tries to defend her client. The story opens with Ruth, who decided to become a labor and deliver nurse after watching her mother deliver her employer’s son after she went in to labor. She is raising her son, Edison, 17, after her husband was killed in Afghanistan. Ruth comes on her shift as just another day and she is assigned to a new mother, Brittany Bauer and her new son. As she goes about her job, checking the baby, talking with the parents, she doesn’t notice that the father, Turk, is getting really tense. Soon, he has had a enough and demands to talk with Ruth’s supervisor. Turk Bauer was Ruth removed from the care of his wife and son. Why? Ruth is black. Ruth is reassigned and never sees baby Bauer again. Until one fate day when she is left alone in the nursery with the baby while another nurse sees to an emergency. Ruth notices something is wrong with baby Bauer but she hesitates. She isn’t supposed to touch this baby. After a code is called and a team works on the baby, the baby is pronounced dead. Her decision wither or not help the baby will lead to the fight for her freedom and her life. Enter Kennedy, a lawyer with the public defender’s office, who decides to take Ruth’s case. Can Kennedy disprove that Ruth’s inaction or actions caused the death of the baby? Will Ruth ever get her life back and the job she loves?

I have been a fan of Jodi Picoult’s books since I was introduced to The Storyteller. All her books cover issues and events which have no clear cut solution or resolution. And Small Great Things is no different. I was offered a pre-release copy of this book, I jumped at the chance. I chose this story in particular because it is a black nurse up against the hatred of a white supremacist. As I read this story, I was reminded of the nurse who took care of me when I had my four year old daughter. Yes, she was black and she was the sweetest person in the world. She sat and talked with me as we waited. She encouraged me as I was in active labor and she brought my new miracle in my arms. My only regret is that I do not remember her name but her kindness to me is engraved in my memory. As I read, I burned with anger at the actions and words of the white supremacist. In true Jodi Picoult fashion, Small Great Things will challenge your own thoughts on prejudice and racism and may even make you face your own that you may not even know that you had. I highly, highly recommend Small Great Things.

Small Great Things

will be available on

October 11, 2016

in hardback $28.99

and

Kindle/Nook $14.99

The Immigrant: the untold story of an indentured servant

The Immigrant by Alfred Woollacott III is a story of his ancestor, John Law, who under circumstances beyond his control, was brought to America. It is a story of survival against all odds, against prejudice and discrimination. It is story of how one man’s strength to survive influenced the generations that came after him.

The story opens in 1775, Reuben Law is in the midst of the opening battles of the American Revolution. While marching away from Concord, Massachusetts, he thinks about the stories of his great grandfather. The reader is then transported to Doon Hill, Dunbar Scotland in 1650, where 14 year old John Law is fighting in the Scottish Royal Army against the English. He is captured and taken to London where John is sold as an indentured servant and sent to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. When he arrives, he is met with prejudice and discrimination as he tries to learn this strange new land. When his indenture is over, he is given a parcel of land, which he calls New Scotland, and builds a home. He makes friends with the Indians who teach him about the land. He catches the eye of a local Puritan girl named Lydia Draper and dispute ridicule and social shunning, they marry and start a family on the farm against the struggles of nature and political strife.

I really enjoyed this story because it is full of history and shows the ugly side of early American history. The hostility and discrimination that was such a part of America then, simply because John Law was Scottish, he was not to be trusted. It also shows the strength of one man to overcome this treatment and gain the respect of a number of his community, even though some never do. The book covers major historical events with vivid detail from the Battle of Dunbar to King Philip’s War to the American Revolution. If you want a book which details a story so often untold, I highly recommend The Immigrant.

The Immigrant by Alfred Woollacott III

is available on Amazon

in paperback for $15.99 and

subscribers of Kindle Unlimited for free.